C. Thomas Howell
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.
70Credits40 TV · 30 films
1982–2026Years activefirst to latest
10.0 Highest ratedCybermaster: Shepherd II
7.4 Average ratingacross 70 titles
Top TV shows 40best C. Thomas Howell shows
- 1
Sons of AnarchyAgent Frank Eagan · 1 ep · 2008 - 2
Criminal MindsThe Reaper / George Foyet · 7 eps · 2005 - 3
GrimmWeston Steward · 5 eps · 2011 - 4
1923Anders · 3 eps · 2022 - 5
Marvel's The PunisherCarson Wolf · 3 eps · 2017 - 6
SouthlandOfficer Billy "Dewey" Dudek · 2009–2013 · Drama - 7
The Walking DeadRoy · 2 eps · 2010 - 8
SEAL TeamAsh Spenser · 12 eps · 2017 - 9
CastleJohn Campbell · 1 ep · 2009 - 10
AmazonDr. Alex Kennedy · 22 eps · 1999 - 11
BoschLouis Degner · 3 eps · 2015 - 12
PsychCamden Driggs · 1 ep · 2006 - 13
ERVincent Jansen · 1 ep · 1994 - 14
Blue BloodsAlex Polanski · 1 ep · 2010 - 15
24Barry Landes · 2 eps · 2001 - 16
Hawaii Five-0Martin Cordova · 1 ep · 2010 - 17
LongmireRay Stewart · 1 ep · 2012 - 18
The Outer LimitsCapt. Miles Davidow · 1 ep · 1995 - 19
The BlacklistEarl Fagen · 2 eps · 2013 - 20
MoonlightingWaiter (uncredited) · 1 ep · 1985 - 21
Sleepy HollowSAC Mick Granger · 1 ep · 2013 - 22
CreepshowSam Spinster · 1 ep · 2019 - 23
The TerrorMajor Bowen · 5 eps · 2018 - 24
MacGyverVasil · 1 ep · 2016 - 25
TorchwoodThe Gentleman · 1 ep · 2006 - 26
Nightmare ClassicsJenner Brading · 4 eps · 1989 - 27
Will TrentWarden Sturgill Hardly · 1 ep · 2023 - 28
ObliteratedHagerty · 8 eps · 2023 - 29
The GladesPeyton Robinson · 1 ep · 2010 - 30
StitchersDaniel Stinger · 5 eps · 2015 - 31
The DistrictChris Gunner · 1 ep · 2000 - 32
AlphasEli Aquino · 1 ep · 2011 - 33
Son of the Beach1 ep · 2000 - 34
Kindred: The EmbracedFrank Kohanek · 1996–1996 · Drama - 35
SummerlandKyle Bale · 2 eps · 2004 - 36
RevolutionBounty Hunter · 1 ep · 2012 - 37
The HitchhikerGerald · 1 ep · 1983 - 38
Twice in a LifetimeTony Tremaine / Phil Barlow · 1 ep · 1999 - 39
The Good Cop1 ep · 2018 - 40
Ties That BindMr. Witherspoon · 1 ep · 2015
Top movies 30best C. Thomas Howell movies
- 1
Cybermaster: Shepherd IIDakota · 1999 - 2
Burning Down the HouseConcierge · 2001 - 3
Where the Wind BlowsNathan · 2025 - 4
Fighting WordsDavid Settles · 2006 - 5
Nickel & DimeJack Stone · 1992 - 6
Secret at Arrow Lake2009 - 7XenophobiaStone · 2008
- 8
Justice League: The Flashpoint ParadoxProfessor Zoom / Thawne (voice) · 2013 - 9
Asylum DaysNathan Devine · 2001 - 10
E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialTyler · 1982 - 11
RideJohn Hawkins · 2024 - 12
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?2003 - 13
A Question of FaithJohn Danielson · 2017 - 14
Fatal AffairMalcolm 'Mack' Maddox · 1999 - 15
WillFullNat Wolff · 2002 - 16
The OutsidersPonyboy Curtis · 1983 - 17
Justice League: Gods and MonstersDr. Will Magnus (voice) · 2015 - 18
Suicide Squad: Hell to PayZoom (voice) · 2018 - 19
One Mile: Chapter OneStanley Dixon · 2026 - 20
The HitcherJim Halsey · 1986 - 21
AskariJoss Mckinley · 2001 - 22
GettysburgLieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain · 1993 - 23
HidalgoPreston Webb · 2004 - 24
TreacherousMicky Stewert · 1993 - 25
One Mile: Chapter TwoStanley Dixon · 2026 - 26
WoodlawnGeorge 'Shorty' White · 2015 - 27
Suspect DeviceDan Jericho · 1995 - 28
Baby Face NelsonBaby Face Nelson · 1996 - 29
Secret AdmirerMichael Ryan · 1985 - 30
The Amazing Spider-ManJack's Father · 2012
