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.
164 movies · 44 shows
One Mile: Chapter Two
2026·6.8
One Mile: Chapter One
2026·6.9
Where the Wind Blows
2025·8.0
Reagan
2024·6.4
Ride
2024·7.1
The Open Door
2024·0.0
Old Dads
2023·6.2
Crimson Point
2022·0.0
Because We're Family
2022·5.0
The Wrong Path
2021·4.0
Beast Mode
2020·5.6
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
2019·4.3
Control
2019·0.0
I Am Patrick Swayze
2019·7.0
Urban Country
2018·6.4
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.
2018·0.0
Dirty Dealing
2018·3.3
The Rack Pack
2018·3.7
Rich Boy, Rich Girl
2018·5.8
Deadman Standing
2018·5.4
Shifting Gears
2018·6.5
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
2018·7.1
LBJ
2017·6.4
A Question of Faith
2017·7.5
Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
2017·2.0
Disconnected
2017·3.5
The Shadow People
2017·4.4
My B.F.F.
2016·0.0
Advance & Retreat
2016·6.3
Attack of the Killer Donuts
2016·4.1
Blood Lust
2016·4.3
Magic Hour
2015·4.0
A Christmas Eve Miracle
2015·4.3
Woodlawn
2015·6.8
The Sin Seer
2015·4.1
Lazarus Rising
2015·3.0
Rivers 9
2015·5.1
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
2015·7.1
Spirit Riders
2015·6.1
Borrowed Moments
2015·3.4
A Magic Christmas
2014·4.8
Fruits De Mer
2014·0.0
Confessions of a Womanizer
2014·2.9
Rescuing Madison
2014·5.9
Category 5
2014·5.5
Bigfoot Wars
2014·4.0
Christmas Belle
2013·5.7
Storm Rider
2013·6.5
Lost on Purpose
2013·4.3
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
2013·7.9
Don't Pass Me By
2013·4.0
An Amish Murder
2013·5.8
MoniKa
2012·5.9
Chilly Christmas
2012·4.7
The 'E.T.' Journals
2012·10.0
Home Invasion
2012·6.2
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012·6.7
Wedding Day
2012·4.0
Escape
2012·4.7
Restitution
2011·3.5
Cross
2011·4.1
Camel Spiders
2011·4.3
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!
2010·2.7
The Terror Experiment
2010·4.1
Cupid's Arrow
2010·5.5
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
2009·5.3
The Grind
2009·3.2
The Land That Time Forgot
2009·3.6
The Jailhouse
2009·4.0
Secret at Arrow Lake
2009·7.3
The Day the Earth Stopped
2008·3.5
A Gunfighter's Pledge
2008·5.2
Big Game
2008·3.9
Toxic
2008·4.2
House of Fallen
2008·3.1
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
2008·3.6
Xenophobia
2008·8.0
The Thirst: Blood War
2008·3.6
The Haunting of Marsten Manor
2007·2.2
Cold Ones
2007·6.7
Fighting Words
2006·8.0
The Da Vinci Treasure
2006·2.6
Hoboken Hollow
2006·3.8
The Poseidon Adventure
2005·5.2
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
2005·9.0
Glass Trap
2005·3.8
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
2005·5.2
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
2005·5.4
Crimson Force
2005·4.6
The Lost Angel
2005·4.1
Ordinary Miracles
2005·6.5
The Hillside Strangler
2004·5.1
A Killer Within
2004·5.0
Zolar
2004·3.0
Nursie
2004·4.8
Hidalgo
2004·6.9
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
2003·4.7
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
2003·7.5
Gods and Generals
2003·6.4
Net Games
2003·4.9
Killer Bees
2002·3.9
WillFull
2002·7.3
Night of the Wolf
2002·5.2
Askari
2001·7.0
Asylum Days
2001·7.8
XCU: Extreme Close Up
2001·4.7
Separate Ways
2001·3.8
Burning Down the House
2001·8.5
Lawless: Dead Evidence
2001·6.3
The Million Dollar Kid
2000·3.4
Hot Boyz
2000·4.9
The Prince and the Surfer
1999·4.0
Escape from Alaska
1999·4.7
Fatal Affair
1999·7.3
Red Team
1999·3.8
Hitman's Run
1999·4.9
Cybermaster: Shepherd II
1999·10.0
Enemy Action
1999·4.7
Charades
1998·4.2
Matter of Trust
1998·4.0
The Shepherd
1998·3.6
Sealed with a Kiss
1998·3.8
Last Lives
1997·4.3
The Big Fall
1997·6.3
Sleeping Dogs
1997·4.6
Dead Fire
1997·4.3
Laws of Deception
1997·4.0
Hourglass
1997·4.9
Dilemma
1997·3.9
Pure Danger
1996·4.2
The Sweeper
1996·4.6
Baby Face Nelson
1996·6.8
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
1995·4.0
Dangerous Indiscretion
1995·3.7
Payback
1995·4.8
Suspect Device
1995·6.8
Teresa's Tattoo
1994·4.9
Natural Selection
1994·5.7
Jailbait
1993·3.3
Gettysburg
1993·7.0
Treacherous
1993·6.9
Tattle Tale
1993·6.5
Acting on Impulse
1993·4.8
To Protect and Serve
1992·4.8
Breaking the Rules
1992·5.3
That Night
1992·6.4
Nickel & Dime
1992·6.0
Kid
1990·6.0
Curiosity Kills
1990·5.4
Far Out Man
1990·5.5
Side Out
1990·5.3
The Eyes of the Panther
1989·0.0
The Return of the Musketeers
1989·6.2
Young Toscanini
1988·6.3
A Tiger's Tale
1988·4.4
Into the Homeland
1987·6.6
Soul Man
1986·5.3
The Hitcher
1986·7.0
Secret Admirer
1985·6.7
Red Dawn
1984·6.3
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984·5.8
Tank
1984·5.7
The Outsiders
1983·7.2
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982·7.5