Ron Howard Opens Up About Marrying His High School Sweetheart: ‘There Was Never Anybody Else’

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, 65, first ran into his wife, Cheryl, when he was just a junior at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, Calif. and says there was a connection right away. “I met her, and there was never anybody else.”

The happy couple recently marked their 44th wedding anniversary on June 7 and Howard says the amazing secret to their healthy and long marriage is “communication.”

“People say, ‘How’d you do it?’ There’s no technique. There’s no tactic other than communication is really important. You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways,” says Howard. “Beyond that, there’s an element of luck because people either grow together or they don’t and I don’t think you can force that.”

Howard starred as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show at the ripe age of 5 and later was featured as Richie Cunningham on TV’s Happy Days from 1974 to 1980, but he says he always knew he would work behind the camera.

“I was an actor who dreamed of being a director,” says Howard, who won two ­Oscars for 2001’s A Beautiful Mind. His latest film is the documentary Pavarotti, which movingly tells the life story of the famed opera singer.

Throughout his illustrious career, Cheryl has been by his side supporting him. The couple were able to bring up their four children—actress Bryce Dallas Howard, 38, twins Paige and Jocelyn, 34, and son Reed, 32 outside of Hollywood in Greenwich, Conn., and now have five grandkids.

“She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been,” Howard says of his wife. “Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”

Pavarotti is in theaters now.

More articles

Donate now to save Baby Jésus’ life!

Every day, Jésus experiences excruciating pain due to a rare and blistering skin condition called EB. With up to 80% of his skin affected, he relies on pain medication just […]

Read More

‘Black Panther’ Actress on Running Away From Acting to Find Jesus: “My Soul Was Dying And He Saved Me”

“I needed to take a break from acting, because I really idolized it. So I came off from it and I went on a journey to discover my relationship with God.”

Read More

Mom Is Brought Back To Life After Hearing Her Newborn Cry

Shelly had fallen into a coma after a difficult childbirth. Doctors were about to give up on the new mom, but then one nurse had a crazy idea…

Read More

Recent posts

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 No Comparison Movies, TV shows, and advertisements all encourage us to compare ourselves to […]

Read More

Donate now to save Baby Jésus’ life!

Every day, Jésus experiences excruciating pain due to a rare and blistering skin condition called EB. With up to 80% of his skin affected, he relies on pain medication just […]

Read More

The Worst Disease You Have Never Seen of the Year

Joyce suffers in extreme pain every day from a rare blistering skin disease known as EB. With up to 80% skin loss, she can’t go one day without having pain […]

Read More
Scroll to Top