Rance Howard (November 17, 1928 – November 25, 2017) was an American actor who starred in film and on television who appeared as the The Theater Security Guard in Season 3's Mork meets Robin Williams.
Biography[]
Howard was born Harold Engel Beckenholdt in Newkirk, Kay County, Oklahoma, the son of Ethel Cleo (née Tomlin) and Engel Beckenholdt, a farmer. He changed his name to "Rance Howard" when he became an actor. Howard studied at the University of Oklahoma.
Howard married actress Jean Speegle Howard in Burbank, California, in 1949. They remained married until her death, in September 2000. Their sons are actor and filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard. Ron being born while he served three years in the United States Air Force. He was also the grandfather of actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard.
Rance was best friends with his son Ron's acting mentor, Andy Griffith, for over 50 years, until Griffith's death on July 3, 2012.
In 2001, Howard married Judy Howard, a year after his first wife's death. Judy Howard died in January 2017 in Burbank, 10 months before Rance's death.
Howard died on the morning of November 25, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, eight days after his 89th birthday, from heart failure spurred on by a West Nile virus infection.[1]
Career[]
His professional acting career began in 1948 in New York City, when he landed a job in a children's touring company. The role that got him noticed nationally for television and film came in 1950, when he took on the part of Lindstrom in the touring company of the massively successful Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda in 1950, portraying the character for about a year-and-a-half in major cities across the U.S.[2]
After his stint in the USAF was done, Rance and Jean moved the family to L.A. where he pursued TV and film as a career. Both Rance and elder son Ron, who was two at the time, made their feature-film debuts together in the 1956 Western Frontier Woman. Rance made his TV bow in the Kraft Theatre anthology series, appearing three times from 1956–57.
When Ron began to play Opie in The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, Rance had guest parts in five episodes over the course of the 8 year run of the show. He also appeared in 3 episodes of Ron's other best known show, Happy Days in the 70s , with a part in Laverne & Shirley giving him the hat-trick of extant Garry Marshall shows alongside his Mork & Mindy appearance.
Howard was possibly known best for his role as Henry Boomhauer, a backwoodsman in 32 episodes of the 1960s TV series Gentle Ben starring his younger son, Clint. He also made 5 appearances as Dr. McIvers in The Waltons, one of which also featured son, Ron. He had a prominent recurring role on Babylon 5, in the 90's, as David Sheridan, the father of station captain John Sheridan, and starred in in the short-lived 2000 TV series Driving Me Crazy. Other television guest appearances over 7 decades include Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Kung Fu, Dynasty, Dallas, CBS Schoolbreak Special 1986 episode "The Drug Knot", Quantum Leap, Seinfeld, Angel (where he got to play the titular hero when his character swaps bodies with him), 7th Heaven, Cold Case, Bones, That's So Raven, and The X-Files.
Howard appeared in over 100 films, including the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke, The Music Man (in an uncredited bit part playing "Oscar Jackson"), and many other notable films such as Chinatown (1974), Ed Wood (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Independence Day (1996), Cinderella Man (2005), Nebraska (2013), and Max Rose (2016). He also appeared as Dottie and Kit's father in A League of Their Own. He appeared in fifteen films directed by his son Ron Grand Theft Auto (1977), Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Parenthood (1989), Far and Away (1992), The Paper (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Missing (2003), Cinderella Man (2005), Frost/Nixon (2008), Angels & Demons (2009) and The Dilemma (2011). He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for co-producing the television film The Time Crystal (1981),
His final film role, completed in September 2017, is also the largest in his career. He plays the role of Carl Robbins in the Michael Worth road-trip drama, Apple Seed, playing on film for the first time the father of his real-life son Clint.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Frontier Woman | Prewitt |
| 1962 | The Music Man | Oscar Jackson |
| 1963 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Camp Counselor |
| 1965 | Village of the Giants | Deputy |
| 1965 | The Desert Raven | Reggie |
| 1966 | An Eye for an Eye | Harry |
| 1967 | Gentle Giant | Tater Coughlin |
| Cool Hand Luke | Sheriff | |
| 1969 | Old Paint | Cowboy |
| 1970 | The Wild Country | Cleve |
| 1972 | Bloody Trail | Jake |
| 1973 | Salty | |
| 1974 | Where the Lilies Bloom | Roy Luther |
| Chinatown | Irate Farmer | |
| 1976 | Eat My Dust! | Clark |
| 1977 | The Legend of Frank Woods | Howard Blacker |
| Grand Theft Auto | Ned Slinker | |
| Another Man, Another Chance | Wagonmaster | |
| 1978 | The Amazing Mr. No Legs | Lou's Sidekick |
| Cotton Candy | Mr. Bremmercamp | |
| 1979 | Mr. No Legs | Mr. No Legs' sidekick |
| 1981 | Smokey Bites the Dust | Coach |
| 1983 | Love Letters | Joseph Chesley |
| Forever and Beyond | Technician | |
| 1984 | The Lonely Guy | Minister |
| Splash | McCollough | |
| 1985 | Cocoon | St. Petersburg Detective |
| Creator | Mr. Spencer | |
| The Long Hot Summer | Wilk | |
| 1986 | Gung Ho | Mayor Conrad Zwart |
| Return To Mayberry | Preacher | |
| 1987 | Innerspace | Supermarket Customer #1 |
| 1988 | Dark Before Dawn | Logan |
| Merchants of Death | Robert Morrison | |
| 1989 | Trust Me | Vern |
| The 'Burbs | Detective #2 | |
| Listen to Me | Tucker's Father | |
| Parenthood | Dean at College | |
| Limit Up | Chuck Feeney | |
| 1991 | 9 1/2 Ninjas! | Ninja Negotiator |
| 1992 | I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore | Elderly Man |
| Far and Away | Tomlin | |
| Universal Soldier | John Devreux | |
| Wishman | Det. Sturgis | |
| Ticks | Sheriff Parker | |
| 1993 | Fearless | Bald Cabby |
| Ed and His Dead Mother | Rev. Praxton | |
| Snapdragon | Priest | |
| 1994 | Forced to Kill | Rance |
| The Paper | Alicia's Doctor | |
| The Cowboy Way | Old Gentleman | |
| Terminal Velocity | Chuck (pilot) | |
| Ed Wood | Old Man McCoy | |
| Little Giants | Priest | |
| Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter | Todd Brandell | |
| 1995 | Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest | Eddie Calhoun |
| Savate | Farmer | |
| Apollo 13 | Reverend | |
| 1996 | Sgt. Bilko | Mr. Robbins |
| Tiger Heart | Mr. Johnson | |
| Where Truth Lies | Judge Bloom | |
| Independence Day | Chaplain | |
| Mars Attacks! | Texan Investor | |
| Ghosts of Mississippi | Ralph Hargrove | |
| 1997 | Busted | Mayor Davies |
| Traveller | Farmer | |
| Money Talks | Reverend | |
| The Lay of the Land | Dr. Brown | |
| Sparkle and Charm | Mr. Houghton | |
| 1998 | The Sender | Max |
| Chairman of the Board | Rev. Hatley | |
| Land of the Free | Hotel Manager | |
| Small Soldiers | Husband | |
| The Night Caller | Hank | |
| Evasive Action | Train Engineer | |
| Psycho | Mr. Lowery | |
| 1999 | Happy, Texas | Ely |
| Malevolence | Dr. Burns | |
| Abilene | Arliss | |
| 2000 | Love & Sex | Earl |
| Ping! | Old Man | |
| Big Wind on Campus | Grandpa Morton | |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Elderly Timekeeper | |
| 2001 | Joe Dirt | Bomb Squad Cop |
| A Crack in the Floor | Floyd Fryed | |
| Rat Race | Feed the Earth Spokesman | |
| A Beautiful Mind | White-Haired Patient | |
| 2002 | D-Tox | Geezer |
| Legend of the Phantom Rider | Doc Fisher | |
| Jumping for Joy | ||
| Leaving the Land | Uncle Solomon | |
| 2003 | The Long Ride Home | Old man |
| Ghost Rock | Cash | |
| The Missing | Telegraph Operator | |
| 2004 | Death and Texas | Circuit Court Judge |
| Toolbox Murders | Chas Rooker | |
| The Alamo | Governor Smith | |
| Eulogy | Lance Sommers | |
| Back by Midnight | Priest | |
| 2005 | Cinderella Man | Announcer Al Fazin |
| Killing Cupid | Zeke | |
| Miracle at Sage Creek | Doctor Babcock | |
| 2006 | Sister Aimee: The Aimee Semple McPherson Story | James Kennedy |
| Sasquatch Mountain | Harris Zeff | |
| 2007 | Georgia Rule | Dog Bite Man |
| Be My Baby | Zippy the Messenger | |
| Ghost Town | Sheriff Tom Parker | |
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Preacher | |
| 2008 | Grizzly Park | Ranger Howard |
| Drillbit Taylor | Older Man | |
| Keith | Old Man | |
| Audie & the Wolf | Dr. Maleosis | |
| Frost/Nixon | Ollie | |
| 2009 | Play the Game | Mervin Lavine |
| Angels & Demons | Cardinal Beck | |
| Within | Deli Owner | |
| Boppin' at the Glue Factory | Walker Bill | |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day | Bistro Gardens Diner |
| Bloodworth | Ira | |
| Yohan: The Child Wanderer | Old Knut | |
| Once Fallen | Harry | |
| Jonah Hex | Telegrapher | |
| The Genesis Code | Dr. Tolley | |
| The Trial | Judge Danielson | |
| 2011 | The Dilemma | Burt |
| Night Club | Chuck | |
| InSight | Cemetery Presider | |
| Spooky Buddies | Mr. Joseph Johnson | |
| Rosewood Lane | Fred Crumb | |
| Redemption: For Robbing the Dead | Doctor | |
| Let Go | Dimples | |
| 2012 | Easy Rider: The Ride Back | Andrew Jackson Bennett |
| 2013 | Nebraska | Uncle Ray |
| The Lone Ranger | Engineer | |
| Richard Rossi 5th Anniversary of Sister Aimee | James Kennedy | |
| Gone Dark | Charles | |
| 2015 | Junction | The Clerk |
| 2016 | Max Rose | Walter Prewitt |
| 40 Nights | Devil as an Old Man | |
| Kalebegiak | José Mari | |
| 2017 | Chasing the Star | Devil as an Old Man |
| Broken Memories | Jasper | |
| 2018 | Sister Aimee 10th Anniversary | James Kennedy |
| 2019 | The Christ Slayer | Devil as an Old Man |
| 2019 | Apple Seed | Carl |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Episodes | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–1957 | Kraft Television Theatre | 3 episodes | Various |
| 1958 | Flight | Red China Rescue | |
| 1958 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Hit and Run | Corporal |
| 1959 | Bat Masterson | Promised Land | Fletcher |
| 1959 | Zane Grey Theatre | Confession | Deputy Shaker |
| 1960 | The Danny Thomas Show | Danny Meets Andy Griffith | TV Crewman |
| 1960-1961 | Death Valley Days | Splinter Station
Lieutenant Bungle |
Gideon
Mace |
| 1963 | Vacation Playhouse | Come a-Runnin' | |
| 1963 | Combat! | The Bridge at Chalons | Wilkerson |
| 1962–1964 | The Andy Griffith Show | 5 episodes | Various |
| 1963-1964 | The Fugitive (TV Series) | Smoke Screen
Man in parking lot |
Doctor
Man in parking lot |
| 1966 | That Girl | What's in a Name? | Customer #2 |
| 1966 | The Virginian | Ride a Cock-Horse to Laramie Cross | Luka |
| 1966 | The Jean Arthur Show | My Client, the Rooster | Reporter #1 |
| 1967 | The Monroes | Teaching the Tiger to Purr | Al |
| 1967–1969 | Gentle Ben | 32 episodes | Henry Boomhauer |
| 1970 | Then Came Bronson | That Undiscovered Country | Mr. Carl Mueller |
| 1970 | Here Come the Brides | Two Worlds | Goff |
| 1970 | Dan August | When the Shouting Dies | Hobbs |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes/Miss Lovecraft Sent Me/
The Hand of Borgus Weems/Phantom of What Opera? |
Cameraman |
| 1971–1972 | Bonanza | A Time to Die
Shanklin |
Sam
Bogardus |
| 1972 | Nichols | About Jesse James | Deputy |
| 1973 | The F.B.I. | Desperate Journey | Ranger |
| 1973 | Kung Fu | The Hoots | Sheriff Byrd |
| 1973–1975 | The Waltons | 5 episodes | Dr. McIvers |
| 1974 | Gunsmoke | Jenny
In Performance of Duty |
Judge Alan Franklin
Frank Benton |
| 1975 | ABC Afterschool Specials | The Skating Rink | Myron Faraday |
| 1975 | The Magical World of Disney | Wild Country: Part 2 | Cleve |
| 1975 | The Rookies | Nightmare | Truck Driver |
| 1975 | Switch | The Deadly Missiles Caper | Collins |
| 1976–1979 | Happy Days | Dance Contest
Spunkless Spunky Here Comes the Bride, Again |
Announcer
Ben Wilson Mr. Burkhart |
| 1977 | Little House on the Prairie | Quarantine | Simpson |
| 1978 | Battlestar Galactica | The Magnificent Warriors | Farnes |
| 1979 | Laverne & Shirley | Who's Papa? | Doctor |
| 1980 | Palmerstown, U.S.A. | Palmerstown, U.S.A | |
| 1980-1981 | Here's Boomer | Overboard
Boomer and the Musket Cove Treasure |
Sheriff
Foldy |
| 1981 | Enos | The House Cleaners | |
| 1981 | Mork & Mindy | Mork meets Robin Williams | Theatre Security Guard |
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Part 3 | Doctor |
| 1984 | Dynasty | The Voice: Part 2 | Gifford |
| 1984 | Maximum Security | Pilot | Prison Guard |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot | Hank |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Death Casts a Spell | Fillmore |
| 1985 | Days of Our Lives | 4 Episodes | Henry Clovis |
| 1985 | Dallas | Deeds and Misdeeds | |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | The Career Breaker | |
| 1988 | Wiseguy | Smokey Mountain Requiem | Ernest Haynes |
| 1989 | Superboy | Luthor Unleashed | Colonel |
| 1989 | B.L. Stryker | The King of Jazz | Richard Walton |
| 1989–1992 | Baywatch | Heat Wave
The Lost Treasure of Tower 12 |
Fireman
Joe |
| 1990 | Equal Justice | The Price of Justice | Mr. Williams |
| 1991 | Quantum Leap | Heart of a Champion - July 23, 1955 | Ring Doctor |
| 1993 | Coach | Christmas of the Van Damned | Herman Van Dam |
| 1993–1996 | Seinfeld | The Glasses
The Bottle Deposit |
Blind Man
Farmer |
| 1994 | Diagnosis Murder | Murder with Mirrors | Driver |
| 1994 | Rebel Highway | Runaway Daughters | Minute Man 3 |
| 1994 | Tales from the Crypt | Surprise Party | Des |
| 1995 | Land's End | Parentnapping | Jeff Foster |
| 1996 | Melrose Place | Full Metal Betsy | Motel Manager |
| 1996–1997 | Babylon 5 | 3 episodes | David Sheridan |
| 1997 | Baywatch Nights | Hot Winds | |
| 1996–1997 | Married... with Children | Enemies
How to Marry a Moron |
Edwin
Reverend |
| 1997 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | The Viewing | Reginald Hannon |
| 1998 | Clueless | Bakersfield Blues
Back from Bakersfield |
Mr. Bell |
| 1998 | Two of a Kind | Putting Two 'n Two together
Peeping Twins |
Mr. Fillmore |
| 1999 | Just Shoot Me! | When Nina Met Elliott | Blind Flower Guy |
| 2000 | 7th Heaven | Help! | Old Man in Park |
| 2001 | The Huntress | Black Widow | Foreman |
| 2001 | Angel | Carpe Noctem | Marcus Roscoe / Angel |
| 2002 | That '80s Show | Tuesday Comes Over | Mr. Bailey |
| 2002 | Son of the Beach | Witness for the Prostitution | Dean Faraday |
| 2004 | Cold Case | Factory Girls | Buddie |
| 2004 | That's So Raven | Sweeps | Murphy |
| 2005 | Ghost Whisperer | Lost Boys | Dirk Abrams |
| 2006 | CSI: NY | Fare Game | Samuel Cooper |
| 2006 | Twenty Good Years | The Crying Game | Henry |
| 2009 | Lie to Me | Moral Waiver | Joe Metz |
| 2009 | ER | A Long, Strange Trip | Dr. Oliver Kostin |
| 2011 | Workaholics | The Strike | Jerry |
| 2012 | Grey's Anatomy | The Lion Sleeps Tonight | Martin Carroll |
| 2013 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Purity | Eugene |
| 2014 | Kroll Show | Banff Is on Fire | Dr. Stanley Armond |
| 2014 | Review | Quitting; Last Day; Irish | Willie |
| 2014 | Bones | The Conspiracy in the Corpse
The Lance to the Heart |
Jerold Norsky |
| 2016 | The X-Files | My Struggle | Old Man |
| 2018 | Arrested Development | Emotional Baggage ; Posthumous release | Rance Howard |
In addition he appeared in almost 30 TV movies including: The Red Pony (1973); Locusts (1974); Huckleberry Finn (1975); Cotton Candy (1978); The Kid from Left Field (1979); Scout's Honor (1980); Skyward (1980); The Miracle of Kathy Miller (1981); The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982); The Executioner's Song (1982); The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983); Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983); The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984); Scandal Sheet (1985); Words by Heart (1985); Return to Mayberry (1986); A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986); The Letters from Moab (1991); Boris and Natasha (1992); Problem Child 3: Junior in Love (1995); The Colony (1995); The Second Civil War (1997); Holiday in Your Heart (1997); Second Chances (2013); Rick's Parking (2014); and Home on the Range (2016)
Mork & Mindy[]
Rance appeared in Season 3's Mork Meets Robin Williams, playing the part of The Theater Security Guard at the Boulder Theatre where Robin Williams is in town to play a Solar Power Benefit. With Mindy under strict orders to interview the visiting star, or risk losing her job, and Mork constantly mistaken for him (which he doesn't see), the two of them as a last resort go to the Stage Door with Mork incognito, in the hope of getting her a short interview with him. When Mork takes his disguise off, he's mobbed by the other fans hoping to see him, with the Theater Security Guard emerging at the commotion. Also thinking Mork is Williams he lets them in and brings them to his dressing room, not overly impressed by the jokes Mork tells, wondering if he seriously gets paid for that. Later, after the real Williams has arrived and consented to give Mindy an interview, the guard returns to tell him that he's due on stage only to be bewildered by seeing both Mork and Williams in the room.