# What is the best acting performance by Ron Howard?

> Long before he became one of Hollywood's most bankable directors, Howard charmed audiences for decades as an actor — from a lisping small-town boy to the face of American teen nostalgia. Which role defines him?

*By YPB Team · Published April 11, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-acting-performance-by-ron-howard*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Opie Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)**
   The sweet, fatherless small-town boy raised by Sheriff Andy Taylor in the beloved CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968).
2. **Richie Cunningham (Happy Days)**
   The wholesome, optimistic teenager navigating 1950s Milwaukee life in the iconic sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984).
3. **Steve Bolander (American Graffiti)**
   A recent high school graduate facing the crossroads of college vs. small-town life in George Lucas's American Graffiti (1973).
4. **Winthrop Paroo (The Music Man)**
   The lisping young boy whose shyness is transformed by Harold Hill's band in The Music Man (1962).
5. **Clint (Eat My Dust!)**
   The sheriff's car-crazy son who steals a race car and leads a wild chase in the low-budget comedy Eat My Dust! (1976).
6. **Sam Freeman (Grand Theft Auto)**
   A young man eloping with his girlfriend who sparks a wild cross-country car chase in Grand Theft Auto (1977) — Howard's directorial debut.
7. **Young Opie / Early Child Roles**
   Howard's earliest screen appearances as a child actor in Westerns and TV shows before The Andy Griffith Show (1955–1959).

Tags: movies, directors, usa, actors, tv shows, classics, ron howard