Early life

Howell was born in Van Nuys, California, the son of Christopher N and Candace Howell. He has two sisters, Stacy and Candi, and a brother, John. His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was even a child stunt performer. He began acting at the age of four, when he was cast in the Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People".

When Howell was young, his parents divorced, leaving his mother with both of her sons and daughter Stacy, and his father took little Candi with him. Howell shared his time with each parent and started his career through his father's job. When he was 12, he became a rodeo champion at the California Junior Rodeo Association and was named "All-Around Cowboy" in August 1979. While growing up, he also spent time golfing with his grandfather (he earned his nickname "CT" as that was how his name was recorded on the screen boards). Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984. Howell attended The National Conservatory for Drama Arts.

Career

Howell's showbiz debut was acting in the The Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People" as a little boy whose ears are being checked out by a doctor. When he got older, he tried stunt acting like his father and worked on commercials for a while. He tried rodeo riding for a few years. In 1982, He made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Afterward, he was cast as the lead role Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award. Following The Outsiders, he became a teen idol, appearing in teen magazines like Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, which referred to him as "Tommy" and "Tom".

1980s

In 1984 he and Outsiders co-star, Patrick Swayze, reunited for Grandview, U.S.A., also with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Red Dawn, with Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank, with James Garner and Jenilee Harrison. In 1985 he again starred in the lead role in Secret Admirer, opposite Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston. Howell was one of two final actors in the running to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future the other being Eric Stoltz, who was eventually selected. Michael J. Fox would later go on to replace Stoltz after filming had begun.

In 1986 he played a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher, another of his successful movies. The sequel was released in 2003. Following that, he starred as a white student who pretends to be black to receive a scholarship, in the poorly received Soul Man, which currently holds an aggregated score of 14% at Rotten Tomatoes. Howell has since stated that he does not regret playing the main character in blackface and that Soul Man was "an important part of life" and "an important film" for racial relations in America. In 1988 Howell played Arturo Toscanini in the story of the world-renowned conductor in Franco Zeffirelli's Il giovane Toscanini with Irma Capece Minutolo and Elizabeth Taylor, which was one of his very first straight-to-video releases. Howell and Kelly Preston reunited as lovers in A Tiger's Tale.

1990s

At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, Howell appeared in The Return of the Musketeers and Side Out. In 1993, he starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the campy thriller Acting on Impulse. After several straight-to-DVD features and a starring role in That Night, he achieved success again in the movie Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. He starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in Mad Dogs and Englishmen (U.S. title: Shameless) with Elizabeth Hurley. His made-for-television movie credits include Suspect Device, Sealed with a Kiss and Dead Fire. He starred in Dads, an unsold sitcom pilot. He also appeared in the short-lived TV series Kindred: The Embraced.

He started an interest in crime-thrillers after starring in Payback and playing gangster Baby Face Nelson in a film of the same name. He went on to direct and star in the 1996 direct-to-video release, Pure Danger, featuring alongside Teri Ann Linn and prop comic, Carrot Top.

2000s

Howell returned to the theater in the 2000s in movies such as Asylum Days, the Gods and Generals prequel to Gettysburg, and The Hillside Strangler, in which he played serial killer Kenneth Bianchi. In 2006, Howell starred in Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD movies.

In 2005, he starred in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Because of its success, Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008, which was heavily criticized. In 2005, he also reunited with his Secret Admirer co-star Lori Loughlin, when he had a recurring role on her television show Summerland as Zac Efron's father. After War of the Worlds, he spent time directing unsuccessful straight to-DVD movies. Also, in 2008, he directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, a mockbuster intended to capitalize on The Day the Earth Stood Still. For these reasons, 20th Century Fox have threatened legal action against The Asylum, but no action has yet been taken. He also appeared as a doctor in The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. Coincidentally, his father's first stunt co-ordination was for the original movie, though uncredited. He briefly hosted a show on KLSX later that year.

2010s

Howell appeared in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man.

Television work

After filming The Outsiders, Howell co-starred in his own television series, Two Marriages, which ended after four episodes, but letters of support got it back on air. Howell later expressed disappointment in the series, but eventually found it more satisfying.

After Two Marriages, Howell made guest appearances in shows like Moonlighting and The Hitchhiker. In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in Amazon. He initially turned down a guest role in ER after missing out on a role he wanted, but his wife signed him up after yet another offer. Following ER, he guest appeared in 24. He guest starred in five episodes of Criminal Minds on CBS as serial killer George Foyet / The Boston Reaper, a recurring villain based on the Zodiac Killer.

Howell has played the role of Officer Bill 'Dewey' Dudek, a wild, loudmouth, but efficient police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama Southland since 2009. He appeared in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 and was promoted to a series regular for Season 5, which began in February 2013. The series was cancelled on May 10, 2013.

In 2011, he guest starred on The Glades and in Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Off-screen

Howell has worked with Francis Ford Coppola many times and in other areas of making motion pictures including writing, producing, and directing. In 1995, he wrote and directed Hourglass, in which he starred with Sofia Shinas. The following year, he helped produce The Big Fall and Pure Danger. Howell did not write or direct another movie until 2004. He and his father co-wrote the made for television movie Hope Ranch and Howell produced the film as well. The film was a success and Howell went on to write and produce Blind Injustice the next year. Two years later he produced The Stolen Moments of September.

Personal life

In his single days, Howell shared a place with Darren Dalton, with whom he co-starred in The Outsiders, Red Dawn, and The Jailhouse. From 1989 to 1990, he was married to actress Rae Dawn Chong, his Soul Man co-star. He married Sylvie Anderson in 1992. They have three children: Isabelle (born February 17, 1993), Dashiell (born January 2, 1997), and Liam (born April 24, 2001). His family currently resides in Stevenson Ranch, California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Tyler
1983	The Outsiders	Ponyboy Curtis
1984	Grandview, U.S.A.	Tim Pearson
1984	Tank	William "Billy" Carey
1984	Red Dawn	Robert Morris
1985	Secret Admirer	Michael Ryan
1985	That Was Then... This Is Now	Ponyboy Curtis	Cameo
1986	The Hitcher	Jim Halsey
1986	Soul Man	Mark Watson
1988	A Tiger's Tale	Bubber Drums
1988	Giovane Toscanini II	Arturo Toscanini
1989	The Return of the Musketeers	Raoul
1990	Far Out Man	Himself
1990	Side Out	Monoroe Clark
1990	Kid	The Kid
1990	Curiosity Kills	Cat Thomas
1992	Tattle Tale	Bernard Sprat
1992	Nickel & Dime	Jack Stone
1992	To Protect and Serve	Egan
1992	Breaking the Rules	Gene Michaels
1992	That Night	Rick
1993	Gettysburg	Thomas Chamberlain
1994	Jailbait	Sgt. Lee Teffler
1994	Dangerous Indiscretion	Jim Lomax
1994	Teresa's Tattoo	Carl
1994	Treacherous	Micky Stewert
1994	Natural Selection	Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
1995	Payback	Oscar Bonsetter
1995	Baby Face Nelson	Baby Face Nelson
1995	Hourglass	Michael Jardine
1995	Mad Dogs and Englishmen	Mike	Also known as Shameless
1995	Suspect Device	Dan Jerico
1996	The Big Fall	Blaise Rybeck
1996	Sealed with a Kiss	Detective Mick Cullen
1996	The Sweeper	Mark Goddard
1996	Pure Danger	Jonnie Dean
1997	Matter of Trust	Michael D'Angelo	Also known as The Surgeon
1997	Laws of Deception	Evan Marino
1997	Dilemma	Detective Thomas Quinlan
1997	Dead Fire	Tucker
1997	Last Lives	Aaron
1998	Fatal Affair	Malcolm Maddox	Also known as Stalker
1998	Sleeping Dogs	Sanchez Boon
1998	Charades	Evan	Also known as Felons
1999	The Crimson Code	J.B. Gaines	Also known as Red Team
1999	Hot Boyz	Roberts
1999	Enemy Action	John Reed
1999	The Shepherd	Boris Dakota	Also known as Cyber City
1999	The Glass Jar	Lanois
1999	Avalanche	Jack	Also known as Escape from Alaska
1999	Hitman's Run	Tom Holly
1999	The Prince and the Surfer	Dean
2000	Lawless: Dead Evidence	Dean Riley
2000	The Million Dollar Kid	Valentino
2001	Separate Ways	Tom Milton
2001	Asylum Days	Nathan Devine
2001	WillFull	Nat Wolff
2001	XCU: Extreme Close Up	Geoffrey Liddy
2001	Askari	Joss McKinley
2002	Night of the Wolf	Sheriff Wade Messer
2002	Killer Bees!	Sheriff Lyndon Harris
2003	Net Games	Adam Vance	Also known as Deadly Web
2003	Gods and Generals	Thomas Chamberlain
2003	The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting	Jim Halsey
2004	The Lost Angel	Kuratha
2004	Hidalgo	Preston Webb
2004	The Hillside Strangler	Kenneth Bianchi
2004	A Killer Within	Addison Terrill
2004	Zolar	Hedion
2005	The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam	Coach Fielding
2005	Crimson Force	Captain Baskin
2005	H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds	George Herbert
2005	Glass Trap	Curtis
2005	Nursie	Zack
2005	Ordinary Miracles	Jim Powell
2005	The Poseidon Adventure	Doctor Matthew Ballard
2006	The Da Vinci Treasure	Michael Archer
2006	Hoboken Hollow	Clayton Connelly
2006	The Far Side of Jericho	Little Jimmy Thorton
2007	Dead Letters	KC
2007	The Haunting of Marsten Manor	Captain Williams
2007	Fighting Words	David Settles	Also known as Street Poet
2007	The Stolen Moments of September	Sisner
2008	Xenophobia	Stone
2008	Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!	David
2008	House of Fallen	Thomas
2008	Big Game	Cody "Sully" Sullivan
2008	A Gunfighter's Pledge	Horn
2008	Toxic	Joe
2008	The Grind	Luke
2008	The Thirst: Blood War	Jed
2008	War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave	George Herbert	Director
2008	The Day the Earth Stopped	Josh Myron	Director
2009	The Land That Time Forgot	Frost Michaels	Director
2009	Razor	Virgil
2009	Fuel	Shane
2009	Camouflage	Stanley
2009	Secret at Arrow Lake	Daniel Williams	Also known as Mia's Father
2009	American Pie Presents: The Book of Love	Alumnus Guy #2
2009	The Jailhouse	Seth Delray
2010	Cupid's Arrow	Professor Grimes
2010	The Terror Experiment	Chief Grasso	Also known as Fight or Flight
2010	Flatline	Mr. Thomas
2011	Camel Spiders	Sheriff Beaumont
2011	Restitution	John Youngstown
2012	Wedding Day	Russ
2012	Home Invasion	Ray
2012	Commander and Chief	Shrub
2012	The Amazing Spider-Man	Crane Dad
2012	Chilly Christmas	Patrick Cole
2012	MoniKa	Double
2012	Escape	Paul Jordan
2013	An Amish Murder	Nathan Detrick
2013	Don't Pass Me By	Jack
2013	The Devil's Dozen	Tom
2013	Lost on Purpose	Delbert Ferguson
2013	Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox	Professor Zoom	Voice
2013	Storm Rider	Mitch
2013	Christmas Belle	Rex Everhart	Also known as A Fairytale Christmas
2014	Confessions of a Womanizer	Tony	Also known as Confessions of a Sex Addict
2014	Bigfoot Wars	Zeke
2014	Category 5	Charlie DuPuis
2014	A Magic Christmas	Jack Carter
2014	Borrowed Moments	Jack	Also known as Sleight of Hand
2015	Beast Mode	Breen Nash
2015	Spirit Riders	Keith
2015	Rivers 9	Sheriff Quentin
2015	Justice League: Gods and Monsters	Dr. Will Magnus	Voice
2015	Woodlawn	Coach George "Shorty" White
2015	A Christmas Eve Miracle	Jack Carter
2015	Magic Hour	Tom Worthy
2015	Lazarus Rising	Silent Cal
2015	Blood Lust	Ryan	Also known as Siren Song
2015	Dirty Dealing	Carter
2016	Sick People	Dr. Sam Zimmerman	Also known as Intensive Care
2016	Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure	Alfieri Conti	post-production
2016	LBJ	Walter Jenkins	post-production
2016	Advance & Retreat	Nathan Shapiro	post-production
2017	Blue Weekend	Robert Crawford	post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Two Marriages	Scott Morgan	Episode: "Relativity"
1989	Nightmare Classics	Jenner Brading	Episode: "The Eyes of the Panther"
1996	Kindred: The Embraced	Frank Kohanek	8 episodes
1998	The Outer Limits	Captain Miles Davidlow	Episode: "The Joining"
1998	V.I.P	Phil Sherman	Episode: "Val Got Game"
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	John	Episode: "Affairs to Remember"
1999	Dead Man's Gun	Henry Hubble	Episode: "The Phrenologist"
1999-2000	Amazon	Dr. Alex Kennedy
2000	Twice in a Lifetime	Tony	Episode: "The Escaped Artist"
2002	Son of the Beach	Jason Dudikoff	Episode: "In the Line of Booty"
2004	The District	Chris Gunner	Episode: "On Guard"
2004-2005	Summerland	Kyle Bale	2 episodes
2005	ER	Vincent Janeson	Episode: "The Human Shield"
2006	24	Barry Landes	2 episodes
2008	Celebracadabra	Himself (contestant)	Crowned "Best Celebrity Magician"
2009-2013	Criminal Minds	George Foyet / The Boston Reaper	5 episodes
2009-2013	Southland	Bill "Dewey" Dudek
2010	Psych	Agent Camden Driggs	Episode: "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out"
2011	The Glades	Peyton Robinson	Episode: "Second Skin"
2011	Torchwood: Miracle Day	The Gentleman	Episode: "Escape to L.A."
2011	CHAOS	Carson Simms	Episode: "Proof of Life"
2012	Alphas	Eli Aquino	Episode: "The Quick and the Dead"
2012	Revolution	Bounty Hunter	Episode: "Chained Heat"
2012	Castle	John Campbell	Episode: "Swan Song"
2012	Longmire	Ray Stewart	Episode: "A Damn Shame"
2012	Hawaii Five-0	Martin Cordova	Episode: "Death Wish"
2013	Horror Haiku	John Asher	Episode: "I Know What You Know"
2013	Sons Of Anarchy	Agent Frank Eagan	Episode: "One One Six"
2013	Blue Bloods	Alex Polanski	Episode: "Justice Served"
2014	Grimm	Agent Weston Steward	6 episodes
2014-2015	Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce	Nate	4 episodes
2015	Motive	Joe Hillis	Episode: "Reversal of Fortune"
2015	Stitchers	Daniel Stinger	3 episodes
2015	Ties That Bind	Mr. Witherspoon	Episode: "Controlled Substance"
2015	Sleepy Hollow	Agent Mick Granger	Episode: "I, Witness"
2014-2015	Stitchers	Daniel Stinger	3 episodes

[ Source: Wikipedia ]