Editing Ron Howard (section)

===1977–1992: Rise to prominence===
Before leaving ''Happy Days'' in 1980, Howard made his directing debut with the 1977 [[low-budget film|low-budget]] comedy/action film ''[[Grand Theft Auto (film)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', based on a script he co-wrote with his father, Rance.<ref name=tca /> This came after cutting a deal with [[Roger Corman]], wherein Corman let Howard direct a film in exchange for Howard starring in ''[[Eat My Dust!]]'', with [[Christopher Norris (actress)|Christopher Norris]].<ref name=tca /> Howard went on to direct several TV movies for NBC between 1978 and 1982, including the 1980 TV movie, ''[[Skyward (film)|Skyward]]'', starring [[Bette Davis]].<ref name=tca /> His big directorial break came in 1982, with ''[[Night Shift (1982 film)|Night Shift]]'', featuring [[Michael Keaton]], [[Shelley Long]], and Howard's ''Happy Days'' co-star [[Henry Winkler]].<ref name=tca />

Following ''Night Shift'', Howard directed a number of major films, including the fantasy [[romantic comedy]] ''[[Splash (film)|Splash]]'' (1984) starring [[Tom Hanks]], [[Daryl Hannah]], [[Eugene Levy]], and [[John Candy]]. The film was a box office and critical success. He also directed the science fiction [[comedy drama]] ''[[Cocoon (film)|Cocoon]]'' (1985) starring [[Don Ameche]], [[Hume Cronyn]], [[Wilford Brimley]], and [[Brian Dennehy]]. This film was also a critical and financial hit and won a Best Supporting Actor award for Don Ameche. In 1988, he reunited with George Lucas on the [[high fantasy]] [[Adventure film|adventure]] film ''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'' starring [[Val Kilmer]] and [[Warwick Davis]]. Howard's final work as a director for the 1980s was the family comedy film ''[[Parenthood (film)|Parenthood]]'' (1989) starring an ensemble cast that includes [[Steve Martin]], [[Tom Hulce]], [[Rick Moranis]], [[Martha Plimpton]], [[Joaquin Phoenix]], [[Keanu Reeves]], [[Jason Robards]], [[Mary Steenburgen]], and [[Dianne Wiest]]. The film opened at {{No.|1}} in its opening weekend, earning $10{{nbsp}}million. It eventually grossed over $100{{nbsp}}million domestically and $126{{nbsp}}million worldwide.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2221508097/ |title=''Parenthood'' (1989) |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |date=March 5, 2007 |access-date=January 7, 2010}}</ref> The film was a critical hit and received two [[Academy Award]] nominations.

[[File:Apollo 13 filming at KSC (KSC-94pc1510).jpg|thumb|Howard (right) with [[Tom Hanks]] and the production crew of ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'' (1995)]]
Howard continued directing through the 1990s, including the American drama ''[[Backdraft (film)|Backdraft]]'' revolving around firefighters. The film starred [[Kurt Russell]], [[Donald Sutherland]], and [[Robert De Niro]]. Film critics [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite web |title='Backdraft' A Spectacle Graced By Fine Acting |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-24-9102160488-story.html |publisher=Gene Siskel |date=May 24, 1991 |access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> and [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film a positive review.<ref>{{cite web |title=Backdraft (1991) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/backdraft-1991 |publisher=Roger Ebert |date=May 24, 1991 |access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> In 1992, he directed the western film epic ''[[Far and Away]]'' starring [[Tom Cruise]] and [[Nicole Kidman]]. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics the film was a financial success, earning 137 million against its budget of 60 million. In 1994, Howard directed the newspaper comedy drama ''[[The Paper (film)|The Paper]]'' with an ensemble starring [[Michael Keaton]], [[Glenn Close]], [[Marisa Tomei]], [[Jason Alexander]], [[Jason Robards]], and [[Robert Duvall]]. The film received rave reviews with many praising Keaton's leading performance.