C. Thomas Howell

His lead role in the commercially successful yet controversial film Soul Man (1986) damaged his status as a leading man in Hollywood. In the 1990s, Howell starred in the films Side Out (1990), That Night (1992), and Gettysburg (1993), and had main roles as Detective Frank Kohanek on the Fox horror television series Kindred: The Embraced (1996) and Dr. Alex Kennedy on the syndicated series Amazon (1999–2000). He portrayed Baby Face Nelson in the biographical film Baby Face Nelson (1995). In the 2000s, Howell starred in the film Gods and Generals (2003) and had a recurring, later main, role as Bill "Dewey" Dudek on the NBC and TNT crime drama series Southland (2009–2013). He had a supporting role in the film Hidalgo (2004). In the 2010s, Howell starred in the films Woodlawn (2015) and A Question of Faith (2017), and had a supporting role in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). He had voice roles in the superhero animated films Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015), and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018). Howell also portrayed Walter Jenkins in the political drama film LBJ (2016). In the 2020s, Howell had a main role as Hagerty on the Netflix series Obliterated (2023) and portrayed Caspar Weinberger in the biographical film Reagan (2024). In addition to his acting career, Howell began pursuing music professionally in the 2020s under the name Tommy Howell. He released his debut single, "Rose Hill," in 2022, followed by "Whiskey Demon," and later issued his first full-length album American Storyteller in 2023.

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.

Howell made his show business debut in the situation comedy The Brian Keith Show. When he was older, he acted in commercials.

In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In 1981, aged 15, Howell was cast in The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 cinematic adaptation of S. E. Hinton's novel. 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." The coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic, and featured an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Leif Garrett, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, and Patrick Swayze. Howell's portrayal of Ponyboy was his breakthrough role, and it earned him a Young Artist Award. In 1984, Howell and his Outsiders co-star Swayze reunited for Grandview, U.S.A. and Red Dawn, Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank. In 1985, he starred in Secret Admirer. 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. He later expressed disappointment in the series. Howell was one of two final actors in the running for the lead role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985); the other was Eric Stoltz. Ultimately, Michael J. Fox was cast as Marty after Stoltz was deemed wrong for the part. In 1986, Howell was a hitchhiker's target in the horror film The Hitcher. He also starred in the 2003 sequel The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting. In 1986, Howell starred in the satire Soul Man, a controversial film in which Howell's character appears in blackface. The film was widely condemned and while it was a box office success, it did not help Howell's career. Howell then played the young Arturo Toscanini in Franco Zeffirelli's 1988 film Young Toscanini alongside Elizabeth Taylor.

In 1992, Howell starred in romantic drama That Night alongside Juliette Lewis. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Alice McDermott. In 1993, Howell starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the thriller Acting on Impulse. He then achieved success in the film Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. In 1995, he starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in the poorly received Mad Dogs and Englishmen with Elizabeth Hurley. Following this, Howell starred in Payback and then played gangster Baby Face Nelson in the film of the same name. He starred in and made his directorial debut with the 1996 direct-to-video release Pure Danger, which also featured Teri Ann Linn and comic Carrot Top. In 1999, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in the television show Amazon.

In 2004, he played serial killer Kenneth Bianchi in The Hillside Strangler. 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. Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008. Also in 2005, he 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. Howell appeared as a doctor in The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. His father's first (uncredited) stunt co-ordination was for the original film. In 2006, Howell starred in Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD films. In 2008, Howell directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, a mockbuster intended to capitalize on The Day the Earth Stood Still. Beginning in 2009, Howell guest starred in Criminal Minds on CBS as serial killer George Foyet (The Boston Reaper), a recurring villain based on The Boston Strangler. Also beginning in 2009, he played the role of Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek, a police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama Southland.

In 2011, Howell guest starred as an inmate on The Glades and in Torchwood: Miracle Day. Howell appeared in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man. Starting in 2015, Howell has had a recurring role as Dr. Daniel Stinger in the Freeform show Stitchers. In 2017, he had a recurring role as Ash Spenser, a retired Navy SEAL, in the CBS show SEAL Team. In 2016 and 2018, Howell had a recurring guest-star role as Paul Belmont, a United States Navy Lieutenant Commander at Camp Pendleton, in seasons 1 and 3 of Animal Kingdom. In 2023, Howell starred in Obliterated on Netflix as Harry Haggerty.

In the 1980s, Howell dated actress Kyle Richards. In 1989, he married actress Rae Dawn Chong, whom he met while co-starring with her in the 1986 film Soul Man. They divorced the following year. Howell married his second wife, Sylvie Anderson, in 1992, and the couple had three children. Anderson filed for divorce in 2016. In November 2001, Howell was acquitted of five misdemeanor charges, including hit and run and brandishing a weapon arising out of a confrontation with a skateboarder in Southern California.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1972–1974 — The Brian Keith Show — Unknown — Unknown episodes • 1983 — Two Marriages — Scott Morgan — Episode: "Relativity" • 1985–1986 — Moonlighting — Waiter / Postal Worker — 2 episodes • 1989 — Nightmare Classics — Jenner Brading — Episode: "The Eyes of the Panther" • 1990 — Curiosity Kills — Cat Thomas — Television film • 1992 — Tattle Tale — Bernard Sprat • 1993 — Acting on Impulse — Paul Stevens • 1994 — Natural Selection — Ben Braden / Alex Connelly • 1995 — Suspect Device — Dan Jerico • 1996 — Kindred: The Embraced — Frank Kohanek — 8 episodes • 1997 — Dead Fire — Tucker — Television film • 1998 — Sealed with a Kiss — Detective Mick Cullen • The Outer Limits — Captain Miles Davidlow — Episode: "The Joining" • V.I.P. — Phil Sherman — Episode: "Val Got Game" • 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 — 22 episodes • 2000 — Twice in a Lifetime — Tony — Episode: "The Escaped Artist" • Lawless: Dead Evidence — Dean Riley — Television film • 2002 — Son of the Beach — Jason Dudikoff — Episode: "In the Line of Booty" • Night of the Wolf — Sheriff Wade Messer — Television film • Killer Bees! — Sheriff Lyndon Harris • 2004 — The District — Chris Gunner — Episode: "On Guard" • Zolar — Hedion — Television film • 2004–2005 — Summerland — Kyle Bale — 2 episodes • 2005 — Crimson Force — Captain Baskin — Television film • Ordinary Miracles — Jim Powell • H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds — George Herbert • The Poseidon Adventure — Doctor Matthew Ballard • ER — Vincent Janeson — Episode: "The Human Shield" • 2006 — 24 — Barry Landes — 2 episodes • 2008 — Celebracadabra — Himself — Contestant • Xenophobia — Stone — Television film • A Gunfighter's Pledge — Horn • War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave — George Herbert — Television film; also director • 2009–2013 — Southland — Bill "Dewey" Dudek — 27 episodes • 2009–2020 — Criminal Minds — George Foyet / The Boston Reaper — 6 episodes • 2010 — Psych — Agent Camden Driggs — Episode: "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out" • 2011 — The Glades — Peyton Robinson — Episode: "Second Skin" • Torchwood: Miracle Day — The Gentleman — Episode: "Escape to L.A." • CHAOS — Carson Simms — Episode: "Proof of Life" • Camel Spiders — Sheriff Ken Beaumont — Television film • 2012 — Alphas — Eli Aquino — Episode: "The Quick and the Dead" • Revolution — Bounty Hunter — Episode: "Chained Heat" • Castle — John Campbell — Episode: "Swan Song" • Longmire — Ray Stewart — Episode: "A Damn Shame" • Hawaii Five-0 — Martin Cordova — Episode: "Death Wish" • Home Invasion — Ray — Television film • 2013 — Horror Haiku — John Asher — Episode: "I Know What You Know" • Sons of Anarchy — Agent Frank Eagan — Episode: "One One Six" • Blue Bloods — Alex Polanski — Episode: "Justice Served" • An Amish Murder — Nathan Detrick — Television film • Christmas Belle — Rex Everhart • 2014 — Grimm — Agent Weston Steward — 5 episodes • Category 5 — Charlie DuPuis — Television film • 2014–2015 — Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce — Nate — 4 episodes • 2015 — Motive — Joe Hillis — Episode: "Reversal of Fortune" • Ties That Bind — Mr. Witherspoon — Episode: "Controlled Substance" • Sleepy Hollow — Agent Mick Granger — Episode: "I, Witness" • 2015–2017 — Stitchers — Daniel Stinger — 7 episodes • 2016 — Advance & Retreat — Nathan Shapiro — Television film • 2016–2018 — Animal Kingdom — Paul Belmont — 9 episodes • 2017 — Ray Donovan — Dr. Brogan — 4 episodes • Outcast — Simon Barnes — 3 episodes • The Punisher — Carson Wolf • 2017–2021 — SEAL Team — Ash Spenser — 5 episodes • 2018 — The Blacklist — Earl Fagen — 2 episodes • MacGyver — Vasil — Episode: "Guts + Fuel + Hope" • Dynasty — Max Van Kirk — 2 episodes • The Good Cop — Chuck Everett — Episode: "Why Kill A Busboy?" • 2018–2021 — The Walking Dead — Roy — 6 episodes • 2019 — Bosch — Louis Degner — 2 episodes • The Terror — Major Bowen — 4 episodes • 2021 — Creepshow — Samuel Spinster — Episode: "Dead and Breakfast/Pesticide " • 2023 — Will Trent — Warden Sturgill Hardly — Episode: "It's The Work I Signed Up For" • Obliterated — Harry Haggerty — 8 episodes • 2025 — 1923 — Anders — 3 episodes

• Year — Title — Voice role • 2017 — Injustice 2 — Leonard Snart / Captain Cold • 2018 — Lego DC Super-Villains — Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash

• Year — Title — Album • 2022 — "Rose Hill" — Non-album single • 2022 — "Whiskey Demon" — Non-album single • 2022 — "Ponygirl" — Non-album single

• Year — Title • 2023 — American Storyteller