Ron Howard's Favorite Roles — From 'American Graffiti' to 'Parenthood' and More!

Born in Duncan, Okla., child actor Ron Howard, 69, has been "working all my life — and I love it!”

From starring in the iconic sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days to directing more than 30 movies, Howard has had an impressive career … and personal life! He’s been wed to high school sweetheart Cheryl for nearly 50 years and they have an A-list actress in daughter Bryce Dallas Howard!

Here are Ron’s favorite achievements and what the actor says they mean to him.

"To this day, people recognize me and call me Opie, and that’s fine. But I got picked on a lot at school. They all figured out that Opie rhymes with dopey, mopey and soapy — my first experience with the downside of celebrity," he admitted.

Ron’s dad, Rance, left the “choice of whether or not to do the part to me. It’s the only time in my childhood where I took the time and thought through the question, ‘Do I want to do this?’"

A “coming-of-age experience” for Ron on AND off screen as costar Cindy Williams “taught me how to make out convincingly for the camera. She performed this service out of generosity, saving me from embarrassment.”

"We were a fantastic ensemble.” But when Henry Winkler’s Fonz caused a sensation, honchos “started treating me with a lot of disrespect. It reminded me to pursue my own dream and be a filmmaker.”

“An eye-opener for me. As legendary and decorated as John Wayne, Lauren Bacall and Jimmy Stewart were, they worked harder than anyone else on set. To cheat the project was an insult. To cheat the audience was damnable," Ron revealed.

By the time he directed this comedy, Ron knew his true calling. “I felt in a lot of ways directing was a more complete reflection of who I am, what I like to do. I don’t have a performer’s personality," he explained.

This may be closest to Ron's sentiments. “It’s quite a gift to be able to look back at your parents and recognize their mistakes and then be able to say, ‘Man, I was lucky. God, thank you for allowing me to be their son,'" he said.

Winning Oscars for directing and producing, Ron revealed, “I’m not a good enough actor anymore to make you believe that I haven’t imagined this moment over the years and played it out a thousand times.”

Having worked together on 1984’s Splash, 1995’s Apollo 13 and the film series The Da Vinci Code ending with Inferno in 2016, Tom Hanks does a mean impression of Ron. “His imitations are terrible! But they’re sort of infectious. I now direct Tom the way he portrays me on talk shows!”

Ron’s greatest achievement is, of course, being a papa. On his four children with wife Cindy, including actress Bryce: “I’ve probably grown more because I’m a father than for any other reason. What ultimately adds up is what they see, what they witness and the way you as a father live your life.”