Ron Howard is a highly revered cinema mastermind, having been a prominent figure in the entertainment business since he was just five years old. The esteemed visionary successfully transitioned from a child actor to critically acclaimed filmmaker with his directorial debut, the comedy road trip film Grand Theft Auto in 1977. Having made his name as the star of the cult classic sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, Howard left the latter in 1980 to pursue his dreams of directing and producing and hasn’t looked back since. He has crafted and helmed some of the greatest and most memorable pictures in cinema history.

Howard has directed a fair share of silver screen superstars, and is known for embracing myriad genres and thought-provoking concepts. His roots began in the comedy world, with 1982’s hilarious farce Night Shift serving as his breakout directorial triumph. Howard has since gone on to helm beloved films such as the romantic-comedy Splash, sci-fi extraordinaire Cocoon, and big-budget pictures like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. The gifted storyteller has received the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture, and has been awarded the National Medal of Arts. These are the best Ron Howard films, ranked.

Updated September 1, 2022: If you love Ron Howard films, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional content and entries.

10 Thirteen Lives (2022)

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Imagine Entertainment

On June 23, 2018, 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach entered the Tham Luang Nang Non underground cave system for a recreational hike. Thirteen Lives tells their extraordinary story of survival and dangerous extrication after 18 days trapped by flooding water. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell command the screen as men who were bravery incarnate. What they accomplished was truly historic. The nature of the story has many moving parts. Howard and acclaimed screenwriter William Nicholson address the film as a linear search and rescue. Thus, the British cave divers become the primary protagonists as saviors. It's a thrill ride that's not to be missed.

Related: Viggo Mortensen Dishes on Spending 'Countless Hours Underwater' for Thirteen Lives

9 Night Shift (1982)

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The Ladd Company

The 1982 comedy Night Shift is Howard’s sophomore film and features his Happy Days co-star Henry Wrinkler and an up-and-coming comedic Michael Keaton as a pair of mismatched morticians who decide to run a sex worker ring out of the morgue. The outrageous farce was Keaton’s breakout role as the fast-talking schemer Bill “Blaze” Blazejowski; his performance garnered critical acclaim and nabbed the actor the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Night Shift became Howard’s big directorial break and was met with positive reviews from critics, with The Washington Post proclaiming, “Night Shift makes it apparent that Howard acquired an enormous amount of savvy about comic staging and acting during those 20 years or so on the tube.” Though perhaps not as sharp as his later pictures, Night Shift is still a fantastic little film that is enjoyable and entertaining for audiences and highlights Howard’s gift for storytelling.

8 Parenthood (1989)

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Imagine Entertainment

The 1989 ensemble dramedy Parenthood features the talent of Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Rick Moranis, among others, and follows the Midwestern family, the Buckmans, as they experience the best and worst moments of family life. The honest and thoughtful film is without-a-doubt one of Howard’s most personal projects and flawlessly depicts a colorful three-generation household. Funnyman Martin shines as the family patriarch Gil Buckman, bringing humor and warmth to every scene. Parenthood tackles heavy subjects, but does so tenderly, with Howard delicately addressing topics like puberty, divorce, depression, and teen pregnancy with warmth and humor. The dramedy was a critical and commercial hit, earning $100 million and receiving two Academy Award nominations. The film was also adapted twice into a television series; the first in 1990 for a short-lived one-season run, and more successfully in 2010 on NBC, consisting of six seasons.

7 Cocoon (1985)

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Zanuck/Brown Company

Howard’s 1985 sci-fi dramedy Cocoon centers on a group of seniors who find themselves rejuvenated when they stumble upon an alien “fountain of youth” in a disused home. The delightful and unique flick stars Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, and Hume Cronyn as the trio of retirement residents who trespass at a nearby swimming pool and miraculously discover they are free of ailments and are completely energized. Cocoon was a hit with moviegoers and critics alike, winning two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Ameche) and Best Visual Effects. Howard's direction also earned rave reviews, with The New York Times writing, “Mr. Howard brings a real sweetness to his subject, as does the film’s fine cast of veteran stars; he has also given Cocoon the bright, expansive look of a hot-weather hit.” The filmmaker won the Saturn Award for Best Director for the classic sci-fi picture, one of the very few in its genre to cast elderly actors.

6 Rush (2013)

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Imagine Entertainment

Depicting the rivalry between Formula One drivers during the 1976 Formula 1 motor-racing season, 2013’s biographical sports film follows the British James Hunt and the Austrian Niki Lauda as they battle it out on the racetrack. Chris Hemsworth portrays the brash Hunt and Daniel Brühl his calculating foil Lauda in the drama Rush, depicting the epic sports rivalry between the two racing greats. Both actors delivered powerful performances that truly brought the adrenaline-filled biopic to life, and Howard’s stylish and high-octane direction makes the film an exhilarating thrill ride for audiences. Rush premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews; the real-life Niki Lauda himself was a fan of the film, having said, “When I saw it the first time I was impressed. There was no Hollywood changes or things changed a little bit Hollywood-like. It is very accurate. And this really surprised me very positively.”

Related: New Furiosa Images Show Unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth Sporting a Huge Grey Beard

5 Splash (1984)

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Touchstone Pictures

The 1984 classic fantasy rom-com Splash tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a mysterious woman, not realizing she’s actually a mermaid who rescued him from drowning as a young boy. Hollywood’s sweetheart Tom Hanks stars as New Yorker Allen Bauer, who is unknowingly reunited with the girl who rescued him 20 years ago on Cape Cod. His dream girl Madison, portrayed by the lovely Daryl Hannah, searches for Allen in New York City and the two ultimately fall in love. The film made quite the splash with audiences, earning nearly $70 million at the box office; it also was credited, per Yahoo, with popularizing the name “Madison” for girls. The romantic comedy was praised for its direction, humor, and chemistry between Hanks and Hannah, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

4 Cinderella Man (2005)

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Imagine Entertainment

Inspired by the life story of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock, 2005’s biographical sports drama Cinderella Man stars Russell Crowe as the famed boxer, and features the additional talent of Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. The film follows Braddock as he returns to the ring after having been retired, squaring off against a rising young contender and taking on boxing full-time despite his wife’s concerns for his safety. Cinderella Man is truly an underdog tale, and Howard provides plenty of heart, grit, and inspiration in the rags-to-riches drama. Crowe and Howard are a dynamite creative team, as proven by their other fantastic film they did together, A Beautiful Mind. The picture received three Academy Award nominations and nabbed Giamatti the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

3 Frost/Nixon (2008)

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Imagine Entertainment

Based on the Peter Morgan play, the 2008 historical drama Frost/Nixon depicts the story behind the infamous Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977, the post-Watergate television sit-downs that occurred between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. The film stars Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as the duo, who serve up impressive performances as Frost and Nixon respectively, engaging in an epic battle of the wits to gain control of the interviews. Despite a lackluster box office reception, Frost/Nixon was heralded by critics, with praise for its stunning screenplay, thoughtful direction and dynamite portrayals by the gifted leads. Rolling Stone raved about the drama, saying that Ron Howard “turned Peter Morgan’s stage success into a grabber of a movie laced with tension, stinging wit and potent human drama.” Frost/Nixon received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

2 A Beautiful Mind (2001)

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Universal Pictures / DreamWorks Pictures

Based on the life of American mathematician and Nobel Laureate in Economics recipient John Nash, 2001’s biographical drama A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe as the brilliant academic who develops paranoid schizophrenia and experiences delusional episodes as he grapples with the diagnosis. Ron Howard teamed up with producer Brian Grazer to bring the Sylvia Nasar book of the same name to life, with the director agreeing to do the picture based on the first draft of the script. During production, Howard wanted to introduce Nash’s delusions first audibly and then visually, in order to clue the audience in on the delusions from Nash’s point of view. A Beautiful Mind garnered widespread critical acclaim, with the director earning rave reviews for his delicate storytelling and honest depiction of mental illness and its effects on the individual and their loved ones. The film won Howard the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture, and is one of Howard’s most well-known and admired works.

1 Apollo 13 (1995)

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Universal Pictures

Arguably Howard’s most innovative and visually stunning picture to date, 1995’s space docudrama Apollo 13 features some of Hollywood’s finest actors, including Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Gary Sinise. It tells the epic tale of NASA’s valiant efforts to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft experiences massive internal damage, causing its three astronauts on board to be stranded in a life-or-death situation. Howard made it his mission to be as technically accurate as possible, even employing NASA’s assistance with astronaut and flight-controller training for his cast. He also obtained NASA’s permission and assistance in filming in the realistic conditions aboard multiple KC-135 flights, in order to achieve the weightlessness of space. Apollo 13 was a blockbuster hit, earning over $350 million and garnering rave reviews from critics. The film won two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and Best Picture at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. Roger Ebert called it, “A powerful story, one of the year’s best films, told with great clarity and remarkable technical detail, and acted without pumped-up histrionics.”