Ronald Howard (British actor)
Encyclopedia
Ronald Howard was an English
actor
and writer best known in the U.S. for starring in a weekly Sherlock Holmes
television series in 1954. He was the son of actor Leslie Howard
.
, London
, the son of film actor Leslie Howard
. After graduating from Jesus College, Cambridge
, Ronald Howard became a newspaper reporter for a while but decided to become an actor.
His first film role was an uncredited bit part
in Pimpernel Smith
(1941), a film directed by and starring his father in the title role, though young Howard's part ended up on the cutting room floor
. In the early 1940s, Howard gained acting experience in regional theater, the London
stage, and eventually films, his official debut in While the Sun Shines in 1947. Howard received varying degrees of exposure in some well-known films, such as The Queen of Spades
(1949) and The Browning Version
(1951). Howard played Will Scarlet
in the episode of the same name of the 1950s British television classic The Adventures of Robin Hood
starring Richard Greene
. The character of Scarlet was later portrayed by Paul Eddington
.
The 1954 Sherlock Holmes
television series, based on the Arthur Conan Doyle
characters and produced by Sheldon Reynolds, ran for 39 episodes starring Howard as Holmes
and Howard Marion-Crawford
as Watson. In addition to 21st century DVD releases, in 2006 this series was being broadcast for the first time in the UK on the satellite channel Bonanza.
Howard continued mainly in British "B" films throughout the 50s and 60s, most notably The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
(1964), along with a few plum television guest roles in British and American television in the 60s, including as Wing Commander
Hayes in the 1967 Cowboy in Africa
TV show with Chuck Connors
and Tom Nardini
. In the mid-1970s, he reluctantly put aside his acting career to run an art gallery. In the 1980s, he wrote a biography, covering the career and mysterious death of his father, whose plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay
on 1 June 1943.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and writer best known in the U.S. for starring in a weekly Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV Series)
The first and only American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson...
television series in 1954. He was the son of actor Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
.
Life and work
Howard was born in South NorwoodSouth Norwood
South Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of film actor Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
. After graduating from Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, Ronald Howard became a newspaper reporter for a while but decided to become an actor.
His first film role was an uncredited bit part
Bit part
A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue . In British television, bit parts are referred to as under sixes...
in Pimpernel Smith
Pimpernel Smith
"Pimpernel" Smith is a British 1941 anti-Nazi thriller, produced and directed by its star Leslie Howard, which updates his role in the 1934 The Scarlet Pimpernel from Revolutionary France to pre-World War II Europe. The British Film Yearbook for 1945 described his work as "one of the most valuable...
(1941), a film directed by and starring his father in the title role, though young Howard's part ended up on the cutting room floor
Cutting room floor
The term cutting room floor is used in the film industry as a figure of speech referring to unused footage not included in the finished film. In fact offcuts of film are retained in a special cutting room bin and numbered during the editing process in case they are required later...
. In the early 1940s, Howard gained acting experience in regional theater, the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stage, and eventually films, his official debut in While the Sun Shines in 1947. Howard received varying degrees of exposure in some well-known films, such as The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades (1949 film)
The Queen of Spades is a fantasy-horror film based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. It stars Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans and Yvonne Mitchell. A poor Russian officer tries to learn the secret of an aged countess's success at the card table.Despite a limited budget, it was...
(1949) and The Browning Version
The Browning Version (1951 film)
The Browning Version is a 1951 British film based on the 1948 play of the same name by Terence Rattigan. It was directed by Anthony Asquith and starred Michael Redgrave.-Plot:...
(1951). Howard played Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet was a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son....
in the episode of the same name of the 1950s British television classic The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
starring Richard Greene
Richard Greene
Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.It has been...
. The character of Scarlet was later portrayed by Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
.
The 1954 Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV Series)
The first and only American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson...
television series, based on the Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
characters and produced by Sheldon Reynolds, ran for 39 episodes starring Howard as Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Howard Marion-Crawford
Howard Marion-Crawford
Howard Marion-Crawford , the grandson of writer F. Marion Crawford, was an English character actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in the 1954 television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes...
as Watson. In addition to 21st century DVD releases, in 2006 this series was being broadcast for the first time in the UK on the satellite channel Bonanza.
Howard continued mainly in British "B" films throughout the 50s and 60s, most notably The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is a 1964 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions.-Plot:A mummy discovered by three Egyptologists is brought back to London by a showman...
(1964), along with a few plum television guest roles in British and American television in the 60s, including as Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Hayes in the 1967 Cowboy in Africa
Cowboy in Africa
Cowboy in Africa is an ABC television series produced in 1967-1968 by Ivan Tors and starring Chuck Connors. A 1966 television pilot turned into a movie and released to cinemas starring Hugh O'Brian as Jim Sinclair was called Africa - Texas Style.-Plot:...
TV show with Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
and Tom Nardini
Tom Nardini
- Early life :Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1945 as Thomas Nardino, he was the son of Audrey and Bill Nardino. He attended Beverly Hills High School, graduating in 1963.- Career :He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Cat Ballou in 1966....
. In the mid-1970s, he reluctantly put aside his acting career to run an art gallery. In the 1980s, he wrote a biography, covering the career and mysterious death of his father, whose plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay
BOAC Flight 777
BOAC Flight 777-A, a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight on 1 June 1943 from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, United Kingdom, was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 "souls...
on 1 June 1943.
Filmography
- Double ConfessionDouble ConfessionDouble Confession is a 1950 British crime film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, Peter Lorre and William Hartnell....
(1950) - Portrait of ClarePortrait of ClarePortrait of Clare is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Margaret Johnston, Richard Todd, Robin Bailey and Ronald Howard.-Cast:* Margaret Johnston - Clare Hingston* Richard Todd - Robert Hart* Robin Bailey - Dudley Wilburn...
(1950) - The Browning VersionThe Browning Version (1951 film)The Browning Version is a 1951 British film based on the 1948 play of the same name by Terence Rattigan. It was directed by Anthony Asquith and starred Michael Redgrave.-Plot:...
(1951) - Wide BoyWide Boy (film)Wide Boy is a 1952 British crime film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Sydney Tafler, Susan Shaw and Ronald Howard.-Cast:* Sydney Tafler - Benny* Susan Shaw - Molly* Ronald Howard - Inspector Carson* Melissa Stribling - Caroline...
(1952) - Street CornerStreet Corner (1953 film)Street Corner is a 1953 British drama film. It was written by Muriel and Sydney Box and directed by Muriel. It was marketed as Both Sides of the Law in the United States. While not quite a documentary, the film depicts the daily routine of women in the police force from three different angles...
(1953) - No Trees in the StreetNo Trees in the StreetNo Trees in the Street is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson.-Cast:* Sylvia Syms as Hetty* Herbert Lom as Wilkie* Melvyn Hayes as Tommy* Ronald Howard as Frank* Stanley Holloway as Kipper* Joan Miller as Jess...
(1959) - The Spider's WebThe Spider's Web (1960 film)The Spider's Web is a 1960 British mystery film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Glynis Johns, John Justin, Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert...
(1960)
Further reading
- In Search of My Father: A Portrait of Leslie Howard, ISBN 0-312-41161-8
- Trivial Fond Records - Leslie Howard (editor), ISBN 0-7183-0418-7
External links
- http://www.sherlockhoward.homestead.com A Site dedicated to Ronald Howard