Quick answer: Ron Howard's real name is Ronald William Howard. He was born March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma, and was billed as "Ronny Howard" as a child star (Britannica; Library of Congress). He's trending today because Avedon, his 104-minute documentary about photographer Richard Avedon, starts streaming on Netflix on Nov. 11, 2026 (Netflix Tudum; Gagosian).
From Ronny Howard to Oscar-winning director
Before he directed Apollo 13 and won the best-director Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, Ron Howard was Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days (Britannica). In 1986 he co-founded Imagine Entertainment with Brian Grazer (Britannica), and Imagine's documentary arm produced Avedon along with Fifth Season, in association with the Richard Avedon Foundation (Gagosian; Netflix Tudum). Get the full story in our Ron Howard real name bio and our bio of his brother, Clint Howard.
What is "Avedon" about?
According to Netflix, the film traces the life and legacy of Richard Avedon, the fashion and portrait photographer who shot "movie stars and presidents, coal miners and drifters" over more than half a century and died in 2004 (Netflix Tudum). It premiered at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May 2026 (Gagosian) and draws on what Gagosian and Netflix call unprecedented access to Avedon's personal archives: never-before-seen stills, behind-the-lens footage and new interviews with his closest collaborators.
The Guardian reports that the film covers his stark white-backdrop portraits, his 1957 portrait of Marilyn Monroe often called "Sad Marilyn," his book Nothing Personal with his high school friend James Baldwin, and his In the American West project. Producer Dallas Brennan Rexer told the paper the archive held 16,000 sittings. Models Penelope Tree and Lauren Hutton, and Avedon's son John Avedon, appear in the film (The Guardian, Nov. 10, 2026). Read the real name behind Avedon's most famous sitter in our Marilyn Monroe bio.
In a statement provided by Netflix and quoted by The Guardian, Howard said Avedon "defied the idea that there must be a division between art and commerce, highbrow and lowbrow, beauty and brutality."
Reviews so far
The Wall Street Journal reviewed the film this week (“‘Avedon’ Review: Netflix’s Documentary on a Defining Portraitist”), and TODAY aired a segment with Howard sharing a rare look at the photographer's work (TODAY.com).
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FAQ
What is Ron Howard's real name?
Ronald William Howard (Britannica; Library of Congress).
When does Avedon come out on Netflix?
Nov. 11, 2026 (Netflix Tudum; Gagosian).
How long is the Avedon documentary?
104 minutes, or 1 hour 44 minutes (Gagosian).
Who was Richard Avedon?
An American fashion and portrait photographer, known for Harper's Bazaar work and stark white-background portraits, who became The New Yorker's first staff photographer in 1992 and died in 2004 (The Guardian; Netflix Tudum).
Is Clint Howard Ron Howard's brother?
Yes. The two co-wrote the 2021 memoir The Boys (Britannica).