C. Thomas Howell
Known for Acting · 209 credits
- Born
- 1966-12-07 (age 59)
- Place of birth
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Also known as
- Christopher Thomas Howell · Tom Howell · Си Томас Хауэлл · C·湯瑪斯·哈威爾 · سی توماس هاول
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (44)
Criminal Minds
2005
as The Reaper / George Foyet
The Blacklist
2013
as Earl Fagen
Blue Bloods
2010
as Alex Polanski
The Walking Dead
2010
as Roy / Hilltop Resident
Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Martin Cordova
Castle
2009
as John Campbell
24
2001
as Barry Landes
Grimm
2011
as Weston Steward
Sons of Anarchy
2008
as Agent Frank Eagan
ER
1994
as Vincent Jansen
Marvel's The Punisher
2017
as Carson Wolf
Psych
2006
as Camden Driggs
Bosch
2015
as Louis Degner
SEAL Team
2017
as Ash Spenser
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self
MacGyver
2016
as Vasil
Will Trent
2023
as Warden Sturgill Hardly
1923
2022
as Anders
V.I.P.
1998
as Phil Sherman
Longmire
2012
as Ray Stewart
The Terror
2018
as Major Bowen
Sleepy Hollow
2013
as SAC Mick Granger
The Outer Limits
1995
as Capt. Miles Davidow
Moonlighting
1985
as Waiter (uncredited)
The District
2000
as Chris Gunner
Torchwood
2006
as The Gentleman
Celebrity Ghost Stories
2009
as Self
The Glades
2010
as Peyton Robinson
Obliterated
2023
as Hagerty
The Hitchhiker
1983
as Gerald
Southland
2009
as Officer Dewey Dudek
Creepshow
2019
as Sam Spinster
Revolution
2012
as Bounty Hunter
Alphas
2011
as Eli Aquino
Twice in a Lifetime
1999
as Tony Tremaine / Phil Barlow
Stitchers
2015
as Daniel Stinger
Son of the Beach
2000
Summerland
2004
as Kyle Bale
The Good Cop
2018
Kindred: The Embraced
1996
as Det. Frank Kohanek
Ties That Bind
2015
as Mr. Witherspoon
Amazon
1999
as Dr. Alex Kennedy
Nightmare Classics
1989
as Jenner Brading
Celebracadabra
2008
Movies (165)
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012
as Jack's Father
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982
as Tyler
The Outsiders
1983
as Ponyboy Curtis
The Hitcher
1986
as Jim Halsey
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
2009
as Alumnus Guy #2
Red Dawn
1984
as Robert
One Mile: Chapter One
2026
as Stanley Dixon
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
2013
as Professor Zoom / Thawne (voice)
Hidalgo
2004
as Preston Webb
Gettysburg
1993
as Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
One Mile: Chapter Two
2026
as Stanley Dixon
Reagan
2024
as Caspar Weinberger
Old Dads
2023
as Ed Cameron
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
2018
as Zoom (voice)
Secret Admirer
1985
as Michael Ryan
LBJ
2017
as Walter Jenkins
Where the Wind Blows
2025
as Nathan
Soul Man
1986
as Mark Watson
Tank
1984
as Billy
The Poseidon Adventure
2005
as Doctor Ballard
Payback
1995
as Oscar Bonsetter
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
2015
as Dr. Will Magnus (voice)
Glass Trap
2005
as Curtis
Toxic
2008
as LIttle Joe
Urban Country
2018
as Jim Craft
Gods and Generals
2003
as Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
Woodlawn
2015
as George 'Shorty' White
Home Invasion
2012
as Ray
Restitution
2011
as John Youngstown
That Night
1992
as Rick
Side Out
1990
as Monroe Clark
Dead Fire
1997
as Tucker
Wedding Day
2012
as Russ
Lazarus Rising
2015
as Silent Cal
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
2005
as George Herbert
Separate Ways
2001
as Tom Milton
The Return of the Musketeers
1989
as Raoul
Ride
2024
as John Hawkins
Cross
2011
as Jake
Fighting Words
2006
as David Settles
A Question of Faith
2017
as John Danielson
Hot Boyz
2000
as Officer Roberts
A Killer Within
2004
as Addison Terrill
The Land That Time Forgot
2009
as Frost Michaels
Askari
2001
as Joss Mckinley
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
2003
as Jim Halsey
I Am Patrick Swayze
2019
as Self
Tattle Tale
1993
as Bernard Sprat
Into the Homeland
1987
as Tripp Wilson
The Shepherd
1998
as Boris Dakota
Last Lives
1997
as Aaron
The Jailhouse
2009
as Seth Delray
Crimson Force
2005
as Capt. Baskin
Jailbait
1993
as Sergeant Lee Teffler
Zolar
2004
as Hedion
Acting on Impulse
1993
as Paul Stevens
Bigfoot Wars
2014
as Zeke
The Hillside Strangler
2004
as Kenneth Bianchi
Rivers 9
2015
as Sheriff Quentin
The Sweeper
1996
as Mark Goddard
Camel Spiders
2011
as Sheriff Beaumont
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
2008
as George Herbert
Shifting Gears
2018
as Jenkins
Curiosity Kills
1990
as Cat Thomas
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984
as Tim Pearson
Deadman Standing
2018
as The Stranger
Attack of the Killer Donuts
2016
as Officer Roberts
Nursie
2004
as Zack
Ordinary Miracles
2005
as Jim Powell
Spirit Riders
2015
as Keith
Category 5
2014
as Charlie DuPuis
The Shadow People
2017
as Kaine
Rescuing Madison
2014
as Rad
Big Game
2008
as Sully
Treacherous
1993
as Micky Stewert
A Tiger's Tale
1988
as Bubber Drumm
Enemy Action
1999
as John Reed
Natural Selection
1994
as Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
MoniKa
2012
as Double
An Amish Murder
2013
as Nathan Detrick
Dangerous Indiscretion
1995
as Jim Lomax
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
2005
as Self
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
1995
as Mike
Beast Mode
2020
as Breen Nash
Cold Ones
2007
as K.C. Corcoran
Blood Lust
2016
as Ryan
Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story
as Self
Dilemma
1997
as Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan
Nickel & Dime
1992
as Jack Stone
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
2019
as Captain Miles Browning
The Terror Experiment
2010
as Chief Grasso
Kid
1990
as Kid
The Grind
2009
as Luke
Teresa's Tattoo
1994
as Carl
Net Games
2003
as Adam Vance
The Day the Earth Stopped
2008
as Josh Myron
Burning Down the House
2001
as Concierge
Killer Bees
2002
as Sheriff Lyndon Harris
Breaking the Rules
1992
as Gene Michaels
The Million Dollar Kid
2000
as Valentino
Hoboken Hollow
2006
as Clayton Connelly
Sleeping Dogs
1997
as Sanchez Boon
Young Toscanini
1988
as Arturo Toscanini
Storm Rider
2013
as Mitch Fielding
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
2005
as Coach Fielding
Pure Danger
1996
as Johnie Dean
Hitman's Run
1999
as Tom Holly
The 'E.T.' Journals
2012
as Self
A Gunfighter's Pledge
2008
as Horn
Christmas Belle
2013
as Rex Everhart
Magic Hour
2015
as Tom Worthy
Suspect Device
1995
as Dan Jericho
Disconnected
2017
as Robert Crawford
Asylum Days
2001
as Nathan Devine
Far Out Man
1990
as Himself
The Wrong Path
2021
as Dr. Eric Peselowe
A Christmas Eve Miracle
2015
as Jack Carter
Baby Face Nelson
1996
as Baby Face Nelson
Red Team
1999
as J.B. Gaines
The Lost Angel
2005
as Kuratha
About 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.… With 209 credits spanning from 1982 to 2026, C. Thomas Howell has appeared in 165 films and 44 TV shows.
Fans searching for C. Thomas Howell movies, C. Thomas Howell filmography, or the latest projects starring C. Thomas Howell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular C. Thomas Howell Movies
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) — as Jack's Father
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — as Tyler
- The Outsiders (1983) — as Ponyboy Curtis
- The Hitcher (1986) — as Jim Halsey
- American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009) — as Alumnus Guy #2
Where to Watch C. Thomas Howell Films
Most C. Thomas Howell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring C. Thomas Howell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.