3) Ron Howard
Where he started: Howard first gained recognition as a child star, appearing on The Andy Griffith Show and then starring in influential sitcom Happy Days as the teenaged Richie Cunningham. Immediately identifiable from his red hair and freckles, Howard seemed to be destined for a career as a key TV player in front of the screen. Certainly, Hollywood had him typecast – Howard has gone on record to talk about the types of roles he was offered post-Happy Days, and let’s just say thank god he decided to blaze his own trail.
Where he ended up: An Oscar-winning director hugely respected in the industry, Howard has had as much success behind the camera as he did in front of it. Though his directing career got off to an inauspicious start with Grand Theft Auto, Howard went on to make Splash, Cocoon, Willow, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind (for which he won the Oscar for Best Director), Cinderella Man, The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon and Rush, among others. Currently, he has whaling drama In the Heart of the Sea (sure to be a big awards player this fall) in the can, and he’s getting to work on Da Vinci Code sequel Inferno.
Transformative role (well, more of a gig): Director, Splash
