C. Thomas Howell
Biography
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.
Known For
Criminal Minds
2005
The Blacklist
2013
Castle
2009
The Walking Dead
2010
The Walking Dead
2010
Hawaii Five-0
2010
Blue Bloods
2010
24
2001
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
SEAL Team
2017
Grimm
2011
Sons of Anarchy
2008
Filmography
Criminal Minds
as The Reaper / George Foyet · 2005
The Blacklist
as Earl Fagen · 2013
Castle
as John Campbell · 2009
The Walking Dead
as Roy · 2010
The Walking Dead
as Hilltop Resident · 2010
Hawaii Five-0
as Martin Cordova · 2010
Blue Bloods
as Alex Polanski · 2010
24
as Barry Landes · 2001
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self · 2003
SEAL Team
as Ash Spenser · 2017
Grimm
as Weston Steward · 2011
Sons of Anarchy
as Agent Frank Eagan · 2008
ER
as Vincent Jansen · 1994
Psych
as Camden Driggs · 2006
Bosch
as Louis Degner · 2015
Marvel's The Punisher
as Carson Wolf · 2017
MacGyver
as Vasil · 2016
The Outer Limits
as Capt. Miles Davidow · 1995
Longmire
as Ray Stewart · 2012
V.I.P.
as Phil Sherman · 1998
Sleepy Hollow
as SAC Mick Granger · 2013
Will Trent
as Warden Sturgill Hardly · 2023
The District
as Chris Gunner · 2000
1923
as Anders · 2022
The Amazing Spider-Man
as Jack's Father · 2012
Moonlighting
as Waiter (uncredited) · 1985
The Hitchhiker
as Gerald · 1983
The Glades
as Peyton Robinson · 2010
Torchwood
as The Gentleman · 2006
Southland
as Officer Dewey Dudek · 2009
Celebrity Ghost Stories
as Self · 2009
Obliterated
as Hagerty · 2023
Creepshow
as Sam Spinster · 2019
The Terror
as Major Bowen · 2018
Twice in a Lifetime
as Tony Tremaine / Phil Barlow · 1999
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
as Tyler · 1982
Alphas
as Eli Aquino · 2011
Summerland
as Kyle Bale · 2004
Revolution
as Bounty Hunter · 2012
Stitchers
as Daniel Stinger · 2015
Son of the Beach
· 2000
One Mile: Chapter One
as Stanley Dixon · 2026
The Hitcher
as Jim Halsey · 1986
The Outsiders
as Ponyboy Curtis · 1983
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
as Zoom (voice) · 2018
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
as Professor Zoom / Thawne (voice) · 2013
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
as Alumnus Guy #2 · 2009
The Good Cop
as Businessman · 2018
One Mile: Chapter Two
as Stanley Dixon · 2026
Red Dawn
as Robert · 1984
Kindred: The Embraced
as Det. Frank Kohanek · 1996
Hidalgo
as Preston Webb · 2004
Ties That Bind
as Mr. Witherspoon · 2015
Old Dads
as Ed Cameron · 2023
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
as Dr. Will Magnus (voice) · 2015
Reagan
as Caspar Weinberger · 2024
Gettysburg
as Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain · 1993
Secret Admirer
as Michael Ryan · 1985
Amazon
as Dr. Alex Kennedy · 1999
Gods and Generals
as Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain · 2003
The Poseidon Adventure
as Doctor Ballard · 2005
Nightmare Classics
as Jenner Brading · 1989
Soul Man
as Mark Watson · 1986
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
as Jim Halsey · 2003
Urban Country
as Jim Craft · 2018
Grandview, U.S.A.
as Tim Pearson · 1984
Tank
as Billy · 1984
A Question of Faith
as John Danielson · 2017
Woodlawn
as George 'Shorty' White · 2015
Payback
as Oscar Bonsetter · 1995
The Land That Time Forgot
as Frost Michaels · 2009
That Night
as Rick · 1992
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
as George Herbert · 2005
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
as Captain Miles Browning · 2019
The Day the Earth Stopped
as Josh Myron · 2008
Attack of the Killer Donuts
as Officer Roberts · 2016
The Return of the Musketeers
as Raoul · 1989
LBJ
as Walter Jenkins · 2017
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
as George Herbert · 2008
Celebracadabra
· 2008
Camel Spiders
as Sheriff Beaumont · 2011
Where the Wind Blows
as Nathan · 2025
Chilly Christmas
as Patrick Cole · 2012
The Shepherd
as Boris Dakota · 1998
Restitution
as John Youngstown · 2011
MoniKa
as Double · 2012
I Am Patrick Swayze
as Self · 2019
The Horseman
Rich Boy, Rich Girl
as Blake · 2018
An Amish Murder
as Nathan Detrick · 2013
Ordinary Miracles
as Jim Powell · 2005
Deadman Standing
as The Stranger · 2018
Cross
as Jake · 2011
The Sweeper
as Mark Goddard · 1996
Secret at Arrow Lake
· 2009
Side Out
as Monroe Clark · 1990
Dangerous Indiscretion
as Jim Lomax · 1995
Christmas Belle
as Rex Everhart · 2013
Spirit Riders
as Keith · 2015
Toxic
as LIttle Joe · 2008
Killer Bees
as Sheriff Lyndon Harris · 2002
The 'E.T.' Journals
as Self · 2012
Escape
as Paul Jordan · 2012
Baby Face Nelson
as Baby Face Nelson · 1996
Storm Rider
as Mitch Fielding · 2013
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
as Mike · 1995
The Da Vinci Treasure
as Michael Archer · 2006
The Grind
as Luke · 2009
A Killer Within
as Addison Terrill · 2004
Confessions of a Womanizer
as Tony · 2014
To Protect and Serve
as Egan · 1992
Far Out Man
as C. Thomas Howell · 1990
The Terror Experiment
as Chief Grasso · 2010
Nickel & Dime
as Jack Stone · 1992
Magic Hour
as Tom Worthy · 2015
Hot Boyz
as Officer Roberts · 2000
Teresa's Tattoo
as Carl · 1994
The Million Dollar Kid
as Valentino · 2000
Category 5
as Charlie DuPuis · 2014
Burning Down the House
as Concierge · 2001
Escape from Alaska
as Jack · 1999
Big Game
as Sully · 2008
Ride
as John Hawkins · 2024
Dirty Dealing
as Carter · 2018
Shifting Gears
as Jenkins · 2018
A Gunfighter's Pledge
as Horn · 2008
Hoboken Hollow
as Clayton Connelly · 2006
The Eyes of the Panther
as Jenner Brading · 1989
Dead Fire
as Tucker · 1997
Young Toscanini
as Arturo Toscanini · 1988
Sealed with a Kiss
as Detective Mick Cullen · 1998
The Prince and the Surfer
as Dean · 1999
Lost on Purpose
as Delbert Furgeson · 2013
A Christmas Eve Miracle
as Jack Carter · 2015
Night of the Wolf
as Sheriff Wade Messer · 2002
Natural Selection
as Ben Braden / Alex Connelly · 1994
Breaking the Rules
as Gene Michaels · 1992
Glass Trap
as Curtis · 2005
Don't Pass Me By
as Jack · 2013
Acting on Impulse
as Paul Stevens · 1993
A Tiger's Tale
as Bubber Drumm · 1988
Borrowed Moments
as Jack · 2015
Rescuing Madison
as Rad · 2014
Home Invasion
as Ray · 2012
The Lost Angel
as Kuratha · 2005
A Magic Christmas
as Jack Carter · 2014
The Shadow People
as Kaine · 2017
The Sin Seer
as Detective Riggers · 2015
My B.F.F.
as Ben Wilkins · 2016
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
as Coach Fielding · 2005
Curiosity Kills
as Cat Thomas · 1990
Into the Homeland
as Tripp Wilson · 1987
XCU: Extreme Close Up
as Geoffrey Liddy · 2001
Matter of Trust
as Michael D'Angelo · 1998
The Greatest Actress in the World
The Thirst: Blood War
as Jed · 2008
Kid
as Kid · 1990
Hitman's Run
as Tom Holly · 1999
Red Team
as J.B. Gaines · 1999
Tattle Tale
as Bernard Sprat · 1993
Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story
as Self
Beast Mode
as Breen Nash · 2020
Net Games
as Adam Vance · 2003
House of Fallen
as Thomas · 2008
The Haunting of Marsten Manor
as Captain Williams · 2007
WillFull
as Nat Wolff · 2002
Jailbait
as Sergeant Lee Teffler · 1993
Pure Danger
as Johnie Dean · 1996
Fighting Words
as David Settles · 2006
Laws of Deception
as Evan Marino · 1997
Because We're Family
as Peter · 2022
Nursie
as Zack · 2004
The Hillside Strangler
as Kenneth Bianchi · 2004
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!
as David · 2010
The Open Door
as Mr. Sapp · 2024
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
· 2003
Treacherous
as Micky Stewert · 1993
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
as Self · 2005
The Big Fall
as Blaise Rybeck · 1997
Lazarus Rising
as Silent Cal · 2015
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.
as Narrator · 2018
The Jailhouse
as Seth Delray · 2009
Cupid's Arrow
as Professor Grimes · 2010
Rivers 9
as Sheriff Quentin · 2015
Wedding Day
as Russ · 2012
Asylum Days
as Nathan Devine · 2001
Crimson Force
as Capt. Baskin · 2005
Blood Lust
as Ryan · 2016
Advance & Retreat
as Nathan Shapiro · 2016
Enemy Action
as John Reed · 1999
Fatal Affair
as Malcolm 'Mack' Maddox · 1999
Askari
as Joss Mckinley · 2001
Crimson Point
as Frank · 2022
Dilemma
as Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan · 1997
Cold Ones
as K.C. Corcoran · 2007
Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
· 2017
Suspect Device
as Dan Jericho · 1995
Sleeping Dogs
as Sanchez Boon · 1997
Separate Ways
as Tom Milton · 2001
Last Lives
as Aaron · 1997
Cybermaster: Shepherd II
as Dakota · 1999
Zolar
as Hedion · 2004
Disconnected
as Robert Crawford · 2017
Lawless: Dead Evidence
as Dean Riley · 2001
Charades
as Evan · 1998
Xenophobia
as Stone · 2008
The Wrong Path
as Dr. Eric Peselowe · 2021
Bigfoot Wars
as Zeke · 2014
Hourglass
as Michael Jardine · 1997
Fruits De Mer
· 2014
The Glass Jar
as Lanois · 1999
The Rack Pack
as Ted · 2018
Control
as Control (voice) · 2019