C. Thomas Howell

Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966)[1] is an American actor and director. He has starred in the films Soul Man, The Hitcher, Grandview U.S.A., Red Dawn, Secret Admirer and The Outsiders. He has also appeared in Gettysburg as Thomas Chamberlain, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.

For the rugby league footballer of the 1890s and 1900s, see Tommy Howell.

C. Thomas Howell
Howell at the 2013 Peabody Awards
Born	Christopher Thomas Howell (1966-12-07) December 7, 1966 Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Tommy Howell Tom Howell
Occupation	Actor, film director
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Rae Dawn Chong (1989–1990) Sylvie Anderson (1992–present)
Children	3

Early life

Howell was born in Van Nuys, Los Angeles to Christopher N. and Candice Howell. He has two sisters, Stacy and Candy, and a brother, John.[2]

His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was a child stunt performer. He was also a rodeo star. He began acting at the age of four, when he was cast in the Brian Keith Show episode, "The Little People".

When Howell was young, his parents divorced.[3][4] Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984.

Career

Howell's showbiz debut was acting in The Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People" as a little boy whose ears are being checked out by a doctor. When he got older, he tried stunt acting like his father and worked on commercials for a while.[5]

He tried rodeo riding for a few years. In 1982, he made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Afterward, at 15, he was cast as the lead role Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award.[2]

1980s

In 1984 he and Outsiders co-star, Patrick Swayze, reunited for Grandview, U.S.A., also with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Red Dawn, with Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank, with James Garner and Jenilee Harrison. In 1985 he again starred in the lead role in Secret Admirer, opposite Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston.

Howell was one of two final actors in the running to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future the other being Eric Stoltz, who was eventually selected.[6] Michael J. Fox would later go on to replace Stoltz after filming had begun.

In 1986, he played a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher. The sequel, in which he also starred, was released in 2003. He starred as a white student who pretends to be black to receive a scholarship in the poorly received Soul Man, which currently holds an aggregated score of 14% at Rotten Tomatoes.[7]

Howell has since stated that he does not regret playing the main character in blackface and that Soul Man was "an important part of [his] life" and "an important film" for racial relations in the United States.[8]

In 1988, Howell played the young Arturo Toscanini in the story of the world-renowned conductors debut in Franco Zeffirelli's Giovane Toscanini with Irma Capece Minutolo and Elizabeth Taylor. The film was never released domestically.

1990s

At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, Howell appeared in The Return of the Musketeers and Side Out. In 1993, he starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the campy thriller Acting on Impulse.

After several straight-to-video features and a starring role in That Night, he achieved success again in the film Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. He starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in Mad Dogs and Englishmen (U.S. title: Shameless) with Elizabeth Hurley.

His made-for-television film credits include Suspect Device, Sealed with a Kiss and Dead Fire. He starred in Dads, an unsold pilot. He also appeared in the short-lived TV series Kindred: The Embraced.

He started an interest in crime-thrillers after starring in Payback and playing gangster Baby Face Nelson in a film of the same name. He went on to direct and star in the 1996 direct-to-video release, Pure Danger, featuring alongside Teri Ann Linn and prop comic, Carrot Top.

2000s

Howell returned to acting in the 2000s in films such as Asylum Days, the Gods and Generals prequel to Gettysburg, and The Hillside Strangler, in which he played serial killer Kenneth Bianchi.

In 2006, Howell starred in Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD films.

In 2005, he starred in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008.

In 2005, he reunited with his Secret Admirer co-star Lori Loughlin, when he had a recurring role on her television show Summerland as Zac Efron's father. After War of the Worlds, he spent time directing straight to-DVD films.

Also in 2008, he directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, a mockbuster intended to capitalize on The Day the Earth Stood Still.

He appeared as a doctor in The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. His father's first stunt co-ordination was for the original film,[9] albeit uncredited. He briefly hosted a show on KLSX later that year.

2010s

Howell appeared in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man.[10]

Television work

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,[11] but eventually found it more satisfying.

After Two Marriages, Howell made guest appearances in shows like Moonlighting and The Hitchhiker. In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in Amazon.

He initially turned down a guest role in ER after missing out on a role he wanted, but his wife signed him up after yet another offer. Following ER, he guest appeared in 24. He guest starred in five episodes of Criminal Minds on CBS as serial killer George Foyet (The Boston Reaper), a recurring villain based on the Zodiac Killer.

Howell has played the role of Officer Bill 'Dewey' Dudek, a police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama Southland since 2009. He appeared in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 and was promoted to a series regular for Season 5, which began in February 2013. The series was cancelled on May 10, 2013.

In 2011, he guest starred on The Glades and in Torchwood: Miracle Day.[12]

Starting in 2015, Howell has had a recurring role as Dr. Daniel Stinger in the Freeform show Stitchers. In 2017, he had a recurring role as Ash Spenser, a retired Navy SEAL, in the CBS show SEAL Team.

Off-screen

Howell has worked with Francis Ford Coppola many times and in other areas of making motion pictures including writing, producing, and directing. In 1995, he wrote and directed Hourglass, in which he starred with Sofia Shinas. The following year, he helped produce The Big Fall and Pure Danger.

Howell did not write or direct another film until 2004. He and his father co-wrote the made-for-television film Hope Ranch, which Howell produced. Howell went on to write and produce Blind Injustice the next year. Two years later he produced The Stolen Moments of September.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Tyler	Credited as Tom Howell
1983	The Outsiders	Ponyboy Curtis
1984	Tank	Billy
1984	Grandview, U.S.A.	Tim Pearson
1984	Red Dawn	Robert Morris
1985	Secret Admirer	Michael Ryan
1986	The Hitcher	Jim Halsey
1986	Soul Man	Mark Watson
1987	A Tiger's Tale	Bubber Drums
1988	Young Toscanini	Arturo Toscanini
1989	The Return of the Musketeers	Raoul
1990	Far Out Man	Himself
1990	Side Out	Monoroe Clark
1990	Kid	Kid
1992	Nickel & Dime	Jack Stone
1992	Breaking the Rules	Gene Michaels
1992	That Night	Rick
1992	To Protect and Serve	Egan
1993	Jailbait	Sergeant Lee Teffler	Direct-to-video
1993	Gettysburg	Thomas Chamberlain
1993	Treacherous	Micky Stewart
1994	Teresa's Tattoo	Carl
1995	Payback	Oscar Bonsetter
1995	Dangerous Indiscretion	Jim
1995	Mad Dogs and Englishmen	Mike
1995	Hourglass	Michael Jardine	Direct-to-video
1996	The Sweeper	Mark Goddard	Direct-to-video
1996	Baby Face Nelson	Baby Face Nelson
1996	Pure Danger	Johnie Dean	Direct-to-video
1997	The Big Fall	Blaise Rybeck	Direct-to-video
1997	Laws of Deception	Evan Marino
1997	Last Lives	Aaron
1997	Sleeping Dogs	Sanchez Boon
1997	Dilemma	Thomas "Quin" Quinlan
1997	Matter of Trust	Michael D'Angelo	Also known as The Surgeon
1998	Shepherd	Boris Dakota
1998	Charades	Evan	Also known as Felons
1998	Fatal Affair	Malcolm "Mack" Maddox
1999	The Glass Jar	Lanois
1999	Avalanche	Jack
1999	Hitman's Run	Tom Holly
1999	The Prince and the Surfer	Dean	Direct-to-video
1999	Enemy Action	John Reed
2000	The Million Dollar Kid	Valentino
2000	Hot Boyz	Officer Roberts	Direct-to-video
2000	The Crimson Code	J.B. Gaines	Also known as Red Team
2001	WillFull	Nat Wolff
2001	XCU: Extreme Close Up	Geoffrey Liddy
2001	Separate Ways	Tom Milton
2001	Asylum Days	Nathan Devine
2001	Askari	Joss McKinley
2003	Net Games	Adam Vance
2003	Gods and Generals	Thomas Chamberlain
2003	The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting	Jim Halsey	Direct-to-video
2004	Hidalgo	Preston Webb
2004	Nursie	Zack
2004	The Hillside Strangler	Kenneth Bianchi
2004	A Killer Within	Addison Terrill
2005	The Lost Angel	Kuratha
2005	Glass Trap	Curtis	Direct-to-video
2005	The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam	Coach Fielding
2005	H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds	George Herbert	Direct-to-video
2006	Hoboken Hollow	Clayton Connelly
2006	The Da Vinci Treasure	Michael Archer	Direct-to-video
2006	The Far Side of Jericho	Little Jimmy Thorton
2007	The Haunting of Marsten Manor	Captain Williams
2007	Fighting Words	David Settles
2007	The Stolen Moments of September	Sisner
2007	Dead Letters	KC	Also known as Cold Ones
2008	House of Fallen	Thomas
2008	Big Game	Cody "Sully" Sullivan
2008	War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave	George Herbert	Also director Direct-to-video
2008	Toxic	Joe	Direct-to-video
2008	The Thirst: Blood War	Jed
2008	The Day the Earth Stopped	Josh Myron	Also director Direct-to-video
2008	Mutant Vampire Zombies from the Hood!	David
2008	The Grind	Luke
2009	The Jailhouse	Seth Delray
2009	The Land That Time Forgot	Frost Michaels	Also director Direct-to-video
2009	American Pie Presents: The Book of Love	Alumnus Guy #2	Direct-to-video
2009	Secret at Arrow Lake	Daniel
2009	Fuel	Shane
2009	Camouflage	Stanley
2010	Street Poet	David
2010	The Terror Experiment	Chief Grasso
2010	Flatline	Teacher
2010	Cupid's Arrow	Professor Grimes
2011	Restitution	John Youngstown
2012	Wedding Day	Russ
2012	Commander and Chief	Shrub
2012	The Amazing Spider-Man	Troy
2012	Chilly Christmas	Patrick Cole	Direct-to-video
2012	MoniKa	Double
2012	Escape	Paul Jordan
2013	Don't Pass Me By	Jack
2013	The Devil's Dozen	Tom
2013	Lost on Purpose	Delbert Fergeson
2013	Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox	Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom (voice)	Direct-to-video
2013	Storm Rider	Mitch
2014	Confessions of a Womanizer	Tony
2014	Bigfoot Wars	Zeke
2014	A Magic Christmas	Jack Carter
2014	Borrowed Moments	Jack
2015	Spirit Riders	Keith
2015	Rivers 9	Sheriff Quentin
2015	Justice League: Gods and Monsters	Dr. Will Magnus (voice)	Direct-to-video
2015	Woodlawn	Coach George "Shorty" White
2015	A Christmas Eve Miracle	Jack Carter
2015	Magic Hour	Tom Worthy
2015	Lazarus Rising	Silent Cal
2016	Blood Lust	Ryan
2016	Attack of the Killer Donuts	Officer Roberts
2016	LBJ	Walter Jenkins
2016	Sick People	Dr. Sam Zimmerman
2017	The Shadow People	Kaine
2017	Disconnected	Robert Crawford
2017	A Question of Faith	John Danielson
2018	Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay	Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom (voice)	Direct-to-video
2018	Dirty Dealing 3D	Carter
2018	The Rack Pack	Ted
2018	Beast Mode	Breen Nash
2018	My B.F.F.	Ben Wilkens
2019	Rich Boy, Rich Girl	Blake	Completed

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Two Marriages	Scott Morgan	Episode: "Relativity"
1985/1986	Moonlighting	Waiter, Postal Worker	Episodes: "Lady in the Iron Mask" and "Yours, Very Deadly"
1989	Nightmare Classics	Jenner Brading	Episode: "The Eyes of the Panther"
1990	Curiosity Kills	Cat Thomas	Television film
1992	Tattle Tale	Bernard Sprat	Television film
1993	Acting on Impulse	Paul Stevens	Television film
1994	Natural Selection	Ben Braden / Alex Connelly	Television film
1995	Suspect Device	Dan Jerico	Television film
1996	Kindred: The Embraced	Frank Kohanek	8 episodes
1997	Dead Fire	Tucker	Television film
1998	Sealed with a Kiss	Detective Mick Cullen	Television film
1998	The Outer Limits	Captain Miles Davidlow	Episode: "The Joining"
1998	V.I.P	Phil Sherman	Episode: "Val Got Game"
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	John	Episode: "Affairs to Remember"
1999	Dead Man's Gun	Henry Hubble	Episode: "The Phrenologist"
1999–2000	Amazon	Dr. Alex Kennedy	22 episodes
2000	Twice in a Lifetime	Tony	Episode: "The Escaped Artist"
2000	Lawless: Dead Evidence	Dean Riley	Television film
2002	Son of the Beach	Jason Dudikoff	Episode: "In the Line of Booty"
2002	Night of the Wolf	Sheriff Wade Messer	Television film
2002	Killer Bees!	Sheriff Lyndon Harris	Television film
2004	The District	Chris Gunner	Episode: "On Guard"
2004	Zolar	Hedion	Television film
2004–2005	Summerland	Kyle Bale	2 episodes
2005	Crimson Force	Captain Baskin	Television film
2005	Ordinary Miracles	Jim Powell	Television film
2005	The Poseidon Adventure	Doctor Matthew Ballard	Television film
2005	ER	Vincent Janeson	Episode: "The Human Shield"
2006	24	Barry Landes	2 episodes
2008	Celebracadabra	Himself	Contestant
2008	Xenophobia	Stone	Television film
2008	A Gunfighter's Pledge	Horn	Television film
2009, 2013, 2020	Criminal Minds	George Foyet / The Boston Reaper	6 episodes
2009–2013	Southland	Bill "Dewey" Dudek	27 episodes
2010	Psych	Agent Camden Driggs	Episode: "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out"
2011	The Glades	Peyton Robinson	Episode: "Second Skin"
2011	Torchwood: Miracle Day	The Gentleman	Episode: "Escape to L.A."
2011	CHAOS	Carson Simms	Episode: "Proof of Life"
2011	Camel Spiders	Sheriff Beaumont	Television film
2012	Alphas	Eli Aquino	Episode: "The Quick and the Dead"
2012	Revolution	Bounty Hunter	Episode: "Chained Heat"
2012	Castle	John Campbell	Episode: "Swan Song"
2012	Longmire	Ray Stewart	Episode: "A Damn Shame"
2012	Hawaii Five-0	Martin Cordova	Episode: "Death Wish"
2012	Home Invasion	Ray	Television film
2013	Horror Haiku	John Asher	Episode: "I Know What You Know"
2013	Sons of Anarchy	Agent Frank Eagan	Episode: "One One Six"
2013	Blue Bloods	Alex Polanski	Episode: "Justice Served"
2013	An Amish Murder	Nathan Detrick	Television film
2013	Christmas Belle	Rex Everhart	Television film
2014	Grimm	Agent Weston Steward	5 episodes
2014	Category 5	Charlie DuPuis	Television film
2014–2015	Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce	Nate	4 episodes
2015–2017	Stitchers	Daniel Stinger	7 episodes
2015	Motive	Joe Hillis	Episode: "Reversal of Fortune"
2015	Stitchers	Daniel Stinger	3 episodes
2015	Ties That Bind	Mr. Witherspoon	Episode: "Controlled Substance"
2015	Sleepy Hollow	Agent Mick Granger	Episode: "I, Witness"
2016, 2018	Animal Kingdom	Paul Belmont	9 episodes
2016	Advance & Retreat	Nathan Shapiro	Television film
2017	Ray Donovan	Dr. Brogan	4 episodes
2017	Outcast	Simon Barnes	3 episodes
2017, 2019	SEAL Team	Ash Spenser	3 episodes
2017	The Punisher	Carson Wolf	3 episodes
2018	The Blacklist	Earl Fagen	2 episodes
2018	MacGyver	Vasil	Episode: "Guts + Fuel + Hope"
2018	Dynasty	Max Van Kirk	2 episodes
2018	The Good Cop	Chuck Everett	Episode: "Why Kill A Busboy?"
2018	The Walking Dead	Hilltop Messenger	Episode: "Stradivarius"
2019	Bosch	Louis Degner	2 episodes
2019	The Terror	Major Bowen	(Season 2) 4 episodes

Video games

Year	Title	Role
2017	Injustice 2	Leonard Snart / Captain Cold
2018	Lego DC Super-Villains	Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash

References

1. "C. Thomas Howell". AllMovie. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
2. aboutct Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine. Cthomashowell.net; retrieved 2011-12-03.
3. Tommy Howell: I'm Just a Normal Kid! Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. Cthowell.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.
4. Marriage Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. Cthowell.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.
5. Cooking Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine. Cthowell.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.
6. https://www.vulture.com/amp/2012/09/the-lost-roles-of-back-to-the-future.html
7. "Rotten Tomatoes: Soul Man (1986)".
8. Harris, Will. "C. Thomas Howell on The Outsiders, blackface, and how Marlboros got him cast in E.T." The Onion AV Club. The Onion AV Club. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
9. Interview for the Poseidon Adventure Remake, Cthomashowell.net; retrieved 2011-12-03.
10. Franich, Darren (January 10, 2011). "'Spider-Man': C. Thomas Howell joins the reboot". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
11. Two Marriages Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine. cthowell.net
12. Torchwood: Miracle Day casting news. Den of Geek; retrieved 2011-12-03.

External links

• C. Thomas Howell on IMDb
• Review of Baby Face Nelson at Manor on Movies