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IMDbPro

C. Thomas Howell

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000165
C. Thomas Howell
Dysfunctional siblings reunite to witness the cremation of their mother. Back under one roof for the holidays, all decency is lost when a feud over her ashes tests the boundaries of family and a Christmas Eve tradition becomes difficult to digest.

STARRING: Angela Stern, Christine Nyhart, Josh Drennen, & Tyler Meridith, WITH C. Thomas Howell

Film Co-Directed by Angela Stern & Christine Nyhart Written by Angela Stern Produced by Alyssa Roehrenbeck

becausewerefamilymovie.com On Instagram @BecauseWereFamily On Facebook www.facebook.com/becausewerefamily
Play trailer2:21
Because We're Family (2022)
57 Videos
99+ Photos
After an eye-catching performance in the teen coming-of-age epic The Outsiders (1983), ex-child rodeo star C. Thomas Howell was one a promising young actor in the mid-1980s.

Christopher Thomas Howell was born in Los Angeles to Candice (Webb) and Chris Howell (a professional bull rider turned stuntman). He started working in the film industry at the age of seven. In 1981, he was cast as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Shortly thereafter, he nabbed the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's classic The Outsiders (1983). Earmarked as an up-and-coming actor, his career soon skyrocketed with roles in films including the comedy Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, and the violent Cold War invasion drama Red Dawn (1984). His career was not helped by the controversial racial comedy Soul Man (1986), which was not well-received. However, he did meet and fall in love with his co-star from that movie, Rae Dawn Chong, whom he later married. He has notched up in excess of 90 feature film appearances. including starring roles in Side Out (1990), Gettysburg (1993), Baby Face Nelson (1996), Fatal Affair (1998), Asylum Days (2001) and Hoboken Hollow (2006).

He played unpredictable Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek in the TNT drama series Southland (2009) and as the sadistic serial killer "The Reaper" on CBS's Criminal Minds (2005). More recent television appearances include The Glades (2010) (A&E) and Torchwood (2006) (Starz Channel). He appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) (Sony). A budding film director, he has directed a number of films, including The Big Fall (1997), Pure Danger (1996), The Land That Time Forgot (2009), and The Day the Earth Stopped (2008).

Outside his acting career, Howell is an accomplished team roper.
BornDecember 7, 1966
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 7, 1966
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000165
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 3 wins

Photos189

C. Thomas Howell and Peter Horton in Side Out (1990)
Rutger Hauer, Bryan Brown, C. Thomas Howell, Alexa Hamilton, and Rory Copus in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell and Amber Sainsbury in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell in Storm Rider (2013)
C. Thomas Howell and Danielle C. Ryan in Storm Rider (2013)
C. Thomas Howell in Storm Rider (2013)
C. Thomas Howell and Amber Sainsbury in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell, Alexa Hamilton, Amber Sainsbury, and Rory Copus in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell and Amber Sainsbury in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
C. Thomas Howell, Alexa Hamilton, and Rory Copus in The Poseidon Adventure (2005)

Known for:

Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio in The Outsiders (1983)
The Outsiders
7.0
  • Ponyboy Curtis
  • 1983
The Hitcher (1986)
The Hitcher
7.2
  • Jim Halsey
  • 1986
Henry Thomas in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
7.9
  • Tyler(as Tom Howell)
  • 1982
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn
6.3
  • Robert
  • 1984

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Crimson Point
    • Frank
    • Completed
    • 2023
  • Reagan
    • Post-production
  • Old Dads
    • Post-production
  • Obliterated
    • Hagerty, Haggerty
    • Post-production
    • TV Series
  • Ride
    • John Hawkins
    • Post-production
  • David Boreanaz in SEAL Team (2017)
    SEAL Team
    • Ash Spenser
    • Ash Spenser 2001
    • TV Series
    • 2017–2022
  • C. Thomas Howell, Josh Drennen, Christine Nyhart Kaplan, Tyler Meridith, and Angela Stern in Because We're Family (2022)
    Because We're Family
    • Peter
    • 2022
  • Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, and Michael James Shaw in The Walking Dead (2010)
    The Walking Dead
    • Roy
    • Hilltop Resident
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2021
  • Creepshow (2019)
    Creepshow
    • Sam Spinster (segment "Dead and Breakfast")
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • The Wrong Path (2021)
    The Wrong Path
    • Dr. Eric Peselowe
    • 2021
  • Beast Mode (2020)
    Beast Mode
    • Breen Nash
    • 2020
  • High School Crimes & Misdemeanors (2020)
    High School Crimes & Misdemeanors
    • Chris
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Criminal Minds (2005)
    Criminal Minds
    • George Foyet
    • The Reaper
    • TV Series
    • 2009–2020
  • Jared Harris in The Terror (2018)
    The Terror
    • Major Bowen
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Dauntless: The Battle of Midway (2019)
    Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
    • Captain Browning
    • 2019
  • Control (2019)
    Control
    • Control (voice)
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Titus Welliver in Bosch (2014)
    Bosch
    • Louis Degner
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Rich Boy, Rich Girl (2018)
    Rich Boy, Rich Girl
    • Blake
    • 2018
  • The Original Play James Play (2018)
    The Original Play James Play
    • Kirk
    • 2018
  • C. Thomas Howell, M.C. Gainey, Richard Riehle, Quinn Lord, and Luke Arnold in Deadman Standing (2018)
    Deadman Standing
    • The Stranger
    • 2018

Producer

  • A Christmas Eve Miracle (2015)
    A Christmas Eve Miracle
    • executive producer
    • 2015
  • Sick People (2015)
    Sick People
    • co-producer
    • 2015
  • Lance Henriksen, C. Thomas Howell, Alexandria DeBerry, Kim Jackson Davis, and Olivia Osteen in Spirit Riders (2015)
    Spirit Riders
    • executive producer
    • 2015
  • A Magic Christmas (2014)
    A Magic Christmas
    • executive producer
    • 2014
  • CMT's All Jacked Up (2009)
    CMT's All Jacked Up
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2009
  • The Stolen Moments of September
    • co-producer
    • 2007
  • Jamie Luner in Blind Injustice (2005)
    Blind Injustice
    • co-producer
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • Bruce Boxleitner, Lorenzo Lamas, and Brad Hawkins in Hope Ranch (2002)
    Hope Ranch
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 2002

Director

  • The Genesis Code (2010)
    The Genesis Code
    • Director
    • 2010
  • Timothy Bottoms, C. Thomas Howell, Stephen Blackehart, Darren Dalton, Lindsey McKeon, David H. Stevens, and Anya Benton in The Land That Time Forgot (2009)
    The Land That Time Forgot
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2009
  • The Day the Earth Stopped (2008)
    The Day the Earth Stopped
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2008
  • War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)
    War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2008
  • C. Thomas Howell, Sophie Ward, and Titus Welliver in The Big Fall (1997)
    The Big Fall
    • Director
    • Video
    • 1997
  • C. Thomas Howell and Teri Ann Linn in Pure Danger (1996)
    Pure Danger
    • Director
    • Video
    • 1996
  • Hourglass (1995)
    Hourglass
    • Director
    • Video
    • 1995

Videos60

The Far Side of Jericho
Full Movie 2:12
The Far Side of Jericho
The Terror Experiment
Clip 1:23
The Terror Experiment
The Terror Experiment
Clip 1:17
The Terror Experiment
The Terror Experiment
Clip 0:53
The Terror Experiment
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:11
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:33
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:26
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:58
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:21
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:45
Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook Music Page
    • Instagram
  • Alternative name
    • Tom Howell
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • December 7, 1966
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Spouses
      Sylvie AndersonJuly 25, 1992 - 2015 (divorced, 3 children)
  • Children
      Isabelle Howell
  • Parents
      Candice Webb
  • Other works
    In 1997, co-starred with Adam Ferrara, Steven Eckholdt, Jane Sibbett, Rue McClanahan and child actors Mercedes Kastner, Chelsea Parnell and Scotty Leavenworth in an unsold television pilot called "Dads". It was about three divorced dads, a woman fashion executive, a grunge-rock singer and an architect in the throws of raising their precocious preschooler kids. C. Thomas Howell played one of the dads, and his character's name was "Carl". The pilot producer was Mark Ganzel.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In 2003 he was hospitalized for 4 weeks because of a ruptured appendix, a very serious illness, fatal if not treated on time.

    He lost 45 pounds and surgeons had to take out 3 feet of his intestine among other things in order to save his life. That's the real reason behind his gaunt look in all his movies between 2003 and 2005.
  • Quotes
    [2013, on The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003)] That was probably a mistake, to be honest. It was mishandled. There was a time when Rutger was involved as well, so I sort of committed with the understanding that that was what was taking place, but then that didn't happen. It was a bit of a mess. The whole thing was just a real mess, and there was nothing I could do at that point. It probably should've never been made. And thankfully, nobody really even knows it exists. I don't even really call it a sequel. It's not really a sequel. It's almost a completely different movie, really.
  • Nicknames
    • C.T.
    • Tommy

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