Ronald Howard(1918-1996)
- Actor
The British actor Ronald Howard was born in Norwood, London, England,
in 1918. He and his younger sister Leslie Ruth Howard were raised by
their mother Ruth Evelyn Martin and their father, the renowned actor
Leslie Howard. After college, Howard became a newspaper reporter for a while
but decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor.
He got his first taste of acting when he appeared with his father in an
uncredited bit part in 'Pimpernel' Smith (1941). In the early 1940s, Howard gained
acting experience in regional theater, later on the London stage, and
eventually in films, with his official debut in While the Sun Shines (1947). His chief
claim to fame is in television with his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in
the series Sherlock Holmes (1954), in which Howard Marion-Crawford played Dr. Watson. Boyishly
handsome with a pleasant demeanor, Howard continued in film and
television until the mid-1970s; however, he never caught on with
audiences as well as his father had, prompting him to put aside his
acting career to run an art gallery. In the 1980s, he wrote a biography
of his father.
in 1918. He and his younger sister Leslie Ruth Howard were raised by
their mother Ruth Evelyn Martin and their father, the renowned actor
Leslie Howard. After college, Howard became a newspaper reporter for a while
but decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor.
He got his first taste of acting when he appeared with his father in an
uncredited bit part in 'Pimpernel' Smith (1941). In the early 1940s, Howard gained
acting experience in regional theater, later on the London stage, and
eventually in films, with his official debut in While the Sun Shines (1947). His chief
claim to fame is in television with his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in
the series Sherlock Holmes (1954), in which Howard Marion-Crawford played Dr. Watson. Boyishly
handsome with a pleasant demeanor, Howard continued in film and
television until the mid-1970s; however, he never caught on with
audiences as well as his father had, prompting him to put aside his
acting career to run an art gallery. In the 1980s, he wrote a biography
of his father.