C. Thomas Howell

Acting

C. Thomas Howell

Born 1966-12-07 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), usually credited as C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped and Gods and Generals. Howell was born in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles to Christopher N. and Candice Howell. He has three siblings. His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. He played the role of the Red Knight in Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was a child stunt performer. He was also a rodeo star. When Howell was young, his parents divorced. Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984. In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. At the age of 15 in 1981, Howell was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders (1983). Howell played the lead role of Ponyboy Curtis, "the soulful tagalong greaser through whose eyes we see the events of the 1960s-set film unfold." Based on S.E. Hinton's bestselling 1967 novel of the same name,the coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic. Howell's portrayal of Ponyboy was his breakthrough role, and it earned him a Young Artist Award. In 1984, Howell and his Outsiders co-star Patrick Swayze reunited for Grandview, U.S.A. and Red Dawn. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank (1984). In 1985, he starred in Secret Admirer. After filming The Outsiders, Howell co-starred in his own television series Two Marriages, which ended after four episodes, but letters of support got it back on air. He later expressed disappointment in the series. Howell was one of two final actors in the running for the lead role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985); the other was Eric Stoltz. Ultimately, Michael J. Fox was cast as Marty after Stoltz was deemed wrong for the part. In 1986, Howell was a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher. He also starred in the sequel, which was released in 2003. In 1986, Howell starred in Soul Man, a film in which Howell appears in Blackface. Rounding out the 1980s , Howell played the young Arturo Toscanini in Franco Zeffirelli's 1988 film Young Toscanini.

Acting credits

The Amazing Spider-Man poster
6.8

A teenage Peter Parker grapples with both high school and amazing super-human crises as his alter-ego Spider-Man.

The Amazing Spider-Man

2012

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial poster
7.5

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982

One Mile: Chapter One poster
6.8

After being released from special forces, a father tries to reconnect with his daughter by taking her on a tour of college, but they soon find themselves fighting for more than their lost relationship when a murderous cult pursues them.

One Mile: Chapter One

2026

The Outsiders poster
7.2

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

The Outsiders

1983

The Hitcher poster
6.9

On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to deliver it to its owner, feeling tired and sleepy, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who has appeared out of nowhere, thinking that a good conversation will help him not to fall asleep. He will have enough time to deeply regret such an unmeditated decision.

The Hitcher

1986

One Mile: Chapter Two poster
6.7

Former special forces operative Danny is forced back onto a remote island when a violent, secretive community takes revenge by abducting his daughter Alex, launching a relentless hunt against enemies prepared for his every move.

One Mile: Chapter Two

2026

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox poster
7.9

The Flash finds himself in a war-torn alternate timeline and teams up with alternate versions of his fellow heroes to restore the timeline.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

2013

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay poster
7.1

Amanda Waller's top-secret "Task Force X" — consisting of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, and Copperhead — is on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they're willing to risk their lives to steal it. However, the Suicide Squad isn't the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. It's a race for the golden prize, and second place isn't an option if they want to stay alive.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

2018

Old Dads poster
6.2

A cranky middle-aged dad and his two best friends find themselves out of step in a changing world of millennial CEOs and powerful preschool principals.

Old Dads

2023

Red Dawn poster
6.3

It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town—and their country—from invading Soviet forces.

Red Dawn

1984

Hidalgo poster
6.9

Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...

Hidalgo

2004

Secret Admirer poster
6.7

An anonymous love letter left in Michael Ryan's locker on the last day of school wreaks havoc on his life and the lives of everyone who comes in contact with it.

Secret Admirer

1985

American Pie Presents: The Book of Love poster
5.3

Ten years after the first American Pie movie, three new hapless virgins discover the Bible hidden in the school library at East Great Falls High. Unfortunately for them, the book is ruined, and with incomplete advice, the Bible leads them on a hilarious journey to lose their virginity.

American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

2009

The Poseidon Adventure poster
5.2

A cruise ship succumbs to a terrorist act and capsizes on New Year's eve. A rag-tag group of survivors, spearheaded by a priest and a homeland security agent, must journey through the upside down vessel and attempt an escape.

The Poseidon Adventure

2005

Reagan poster
6.4

Told through the voice of former KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan's when Reagan first caught the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, Reagan overcomes the odds to become the 40th president of the United States.

Reagan

2024

Justice League: Gods and Monsters poster
7.1

In an alternate universe, very different versions of DC's Trinity fight against the government after they are framed for an embassy bombing.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters

2015

Gettysburg poster
7.0

In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.

Gettysburg

1993

A Question of Faith poster
7.5

When Tragedy Strikes three Families, their Destiny forces them on a coverging path and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs

A Question of Faith

2017

Gods and Generals poster
6.4

Follows the personal and professional life of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson, a brilliant if eccentric Confederate general, from the outbreak of the American Civil War until its halfway point.

Gods and Generals

2003

Chilly Christmas poster
4.7

Eleven-year-old Bobby Cole and his dog Chilly are best friends, living happily in their Southern California beach house. But when Bobby's father Patrick (C. Thomas Howell), a single parent and police detective, accepts a job in New York City, they must find Chilly a new home. In an attempt to show his dad that Chilly can be a city dog, Bobby and his friends teach Chilly the indoor way of life. But Bobby's dad is not convinced, and it's not until Christmas Eve when corrupt dog thief Mr. Quarterman (Tom Arnold) breaks into the family home, that Chilly and Bobby can put their new training to the test! Can they band together to save Christmas -- and Chilly's future with the family?

Chilly Christmas

2012

Soul Man poster
5.3

A white prospective grad student's affluent family won't pay his way through law school, so he takes tanning pills to darken his skin in order to qualify for an African-American scholarship at Harvard. He soon gets more than he bargained for, as he begins to learn what life is really like for blacks in America.

Soul Man

1986

LBJ poster
6.4

The story of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson from his young days in West Texas to the White House.

LBJ

2017

Cross poster
4.1

Given incredible power by an ancient Celtic Cross. Callan continues to fight evil... Now, joined by a team of weapons experts, Callan battles an unstoppable empire in Los Angeles.

Cross

2011

The Return of the Musketeers poster
6.2

It's 1649: Mazarin hires the impoverished D'Artagnan to find the other musketeers: Cromwell has overthrown the English king, so Mazarin fears revolt, particularly from the popular Beaufort. Porthos, bored with riches and wanting a title, signs on, but Aramis, an abbé, and Athos, a brawler raising an intellectual son, assist Beaufort in secret. When they fail to halt Beaufort's escape from prison, the musketeers are expendable, and Mazarin sends them to London to rescue Charles I. They are also pursued by Justine, the avenging daughter of Milady de Winter, their enemy 20 years ago. They must escape England, avoid Justine, serve the Queen, and secure Beauford's political reforms.

The Return of the Musketeers

1989

Behind the camera

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave poster
3.6

Two years after the Martian invasion, George Herbert's worst fears are realized: The Aliens have returned. As a second wave of Martian walkers lay waste to what's left of Earth, an alliance of military forces prepares a daring attack on the Red Planet itself. Once again, the future of mankind hangs in the balance.

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

2008

The Land That Time Forgot poster
3.7

Shipwrecked castaways stumble upon the mysterious island of Caprona in the Bermuda Triangle, confronting man-eating dinosaurs and a stranded German U-Boat crew while trying to escape.

The Land That Time Forgot

2009

The Day the Earth Stopped poster
3.5

Hundreds of massive intergalactic robots appear in all of the world's major capitals with an ultimatum: Prove the value of human civilization or be destroyed.

The Day the Earth Stopped

2008

The Big Fall poster
6.3

L.A. private detective is hired to investigate the disappearance of an alluring woman's brother. Surrounded by double-crossing deals and dangerous relation, Rybeck will have to plunge headfirst into his deadliest case ever.

The Big Fall

1997

The Genesis Code poster
2.5

A college hockey player and a female journalism student struggle to find common ground with their spiritual faith and scientific studies.

The Genesis Code

2010

Pure Danger poster
4.2

A paroled short order cook and a waitress go on the run with a bag of diamonds that accidentally falls into their possession, prompting two warring gangs to come after them.

Pure Danger

1996

Blind Injustice poster
5.7

A blind woman finds herself the target of an attacker again after the person originally convicted of her rape is found to be innocent of the crime.

Blind Injustice

2005

Hope Ranch poster
4.5

J.T. Hope, a former police officer and marine, owner of a ranch called "Circle Hope Ranch" decides to start a program for troubled teens on his ranch to help rehabilitate them and help them get out of the life of crime, drugs and other bad things. Hope starts the program and 3 boys are brought in to the new program. J.T. has 2 good friends who work with him on the ranch, Shorty, and Colt Webb, a former juvenile delinquent who was given a second chance with the help of J.T. Hope.

Hope Ranch

2002

Hope Ranch poster
4.5

J.T. Hope, a former police officer and marine, owner of a ranch called "Circle Hope Ranch" decides to start a program for troubled teens on his ranch to help rehabilitate them and help them get out of the life of crime, drugs and other bad things. Hope starts the program and 3 boys are brought in to the new program. J.T. has 2 good friends who work with him on the ranch, Shorty, and Colt Webb, a former juvenile delinquent who was given a second chance with the help of J.T. Hope.

Hope Ranch

2002

Hourglass poster
4.9

A business executive gets mixed up with a killer female and her lesbian roommate, who plot to take over his fashion business.

Hourglass

1997

Hourglass poster
4.9

A business executive gets mixed up with a killer female and her lesbian roommate, who plot to take over his fashion business.

Hourglass

1997