Ron and Cheryl Howard - A True Romance
The pair celebrated 50 years of marriage on June 7, and it all started in high school.
Much lauded actor and director Ron Howard was only sixteen years-old when he first laid eyes on Cheryl Alley at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California. Being a year older, Howard did not have any classes with Alley, although they would sometimes meet in the halls. Howard had heard from a friend that Alley was smart, funny, and liked to write poetry. Howard, already recognizable from his role as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, decided to take a chance. Finding her sitting alone at lunch one day, the nervous but determined Howard asked if she would like to go out with him sometime, maybe take in a movie? According to Ron Howard, Cheryl smiled and said yes, providing not only a huge moment of relief but setting off a love story that would span decades.
Not the least bit interested in Hollywood glamour, the grounded Alley found more meaning in literature than in limelight, and it was just those qualities that Howard found so attractive. Their first date was at a small, Los Angeles restaurant called The Great American Food & Beverage Company, and the now famous Hollywood icon still reminisces about driving Alley there in his 1970 Volkswagen Bug. That car had a broken door handle and a heater that did not work, but to them, it felt like a Rolls-Royce. They laughed through the entire night.
By 1975, Ron had landed his popular role as Richie Cunningham in the television series "Happy Days," and celebrity was becoming a huge part of his life. Nothing about fame seemed to change how Alley viewed their relationship, and she remained his anchor throughout that sometimes difficult and chaotic period. Howard decided to propose to her that year, not with a grand Hollywood gesture, but in the simplest way he could: one afternoon at his parents' house, sitting on the couch. Alley told him on that day that she did not need diamonds or flash, only his sincerity and love. They were married on June 7, 1975, in a small, private ceremony. Howard has called his decision to marry Alley as the best decision he’s ever made in his life.
One of the most telling stories of their bond happened in the late 1970s, when Cheryl Howard was pregnant with their first child and Ron was in the midst of a demanding filming schedule. On the day she went into labor, he was on set. Without hesitation, he dropped everything and rushed to her side. Years later, he admitted in an interview, “In this business, it is easy to get pulled away from what truly matters. But Cheryl, she is what matters. She has always been the real story.”
As Ron transitioned into directing with his breakthrough film "Night Shift" in 1982 and later with "Splash," "Cocoon," and "Apollo 13," Cheryl stayed quietly behind the scenes but her presence was always powerful. She would travel with Ron to film sets across the world, always there with a quiet smile and handwritten journal. She wrote a travel memoir, "In the Face of Jinn," which gave readers a glimpse into her own adventures, independent from Ron's fame.
In 2005, Ron won Best Director at the Golden Globes for "A Beautiful Mind." In his acceptance speech, he thanked Cheryl first, calling her “my partner in everything.” What people did not see that night was the handwritten note Cheryl had slipped into his tuxedo pocket just before the show. It read, “No matter what happens tonight, you are already everything to me.” Ron Howard still keeps that note framed in his office, a reminder of what he says, “really matters in life.”
The couple raised four children together, including actress Bryce Dallas Howard. Even in the middle of Hollywood’s whirlwind, Ron and Cheryl made time for each other. They took annual road trips in an RV, just the two of them, leaving the red carpets behind for quiet forests and small-town diners. On their 40th wedding anniversary, Ron posted a picture of their favorite diner booth on social media, captioning it, “Same booth. Same girl. Same heart.”
Their story has never been about perfection. It has been about choosing each other every single day, no matter how chaotic the world around them became. Ron once said in an interview, “She sees me the way I wish the world did. And I see her as the miracle that changed my life.”
In a town known for fleeting love, Ron and Cheryl Howard remain a quiet, unwavering vow whispered in a noisy world.
Ron Howard was born in Oklahoma, as was his father Rance Howard (real name Harold Engel Beckenholdt), who was serving in the U.S. Air Force at the time of Ron's birth. The elder Howard was born to a farming family, but always knew he wanted to be an actor.
Rance howard graduated from high school in Oklahoma, studied at the University of Oklahoma, and moved to New York City during the 1940's. He appeared in over 100 films during his career, as well as working in theatre. He played roles in films as diverse as Cool Hand Luke and Chinatown. Google Rance Howard for the rest of the story.
I had no idea Clint was his brother, he played in the series “Gentle Ben” it was one of my favourite series. Very talented family!