Birth Name: Ronald William Howard
Place of Birth: Duncan, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: March 1, 1954
Ethnicity: German, English, Scottish, Irish, remote Dutch
Ron Howard is an American director, producer, and actor. He has directed some of the most successful films in Hollywood history, after a career as a child actor. He is the son of actors Rance Howard (born Harold Rance Beckenholdt) and Jean Speegle Howard (born Jean Frances Speegle). He is married to writer Cheryl (Alley) Howard. Among their children is actress Bryce Dallas Howard. Ron’s brother is actor Clint Howard.
Ron’s father changed his surname from “Beckenholdt” to “Howard” when he became an actor, before Ron was born. Ron’s paternal grandfather was of German descent, and Ron also has more distant German ancestry from his mother’s “Speegle” line. Ron’s other roots are English, Scottish, Irish, and remote Dutch. Ron has also been described as having Cherokee Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this Cherokee ancestry has been documented/verified.
Ron’s paternal grandparents were Engel Beckenholdt (the son of J. Heinrich/Henry Beckenholdt and Caroline Engelking) and Ethel Cleo Tomlin (the daughter of Ralph Jedediah Tomlin and Carrie Melissa Freeman).
Ron’s maternal grandparents were William Allen Speegle (the son of William T. Speegle and Lela Allen) and Louise Dewey (the daughter of Edward Chancy Dewey and Sallie Ballard Johnston). Sallie was the daughter of Pulaski Lafayette Fate Johnston and Sallie E. Ballard.
Source: Genealogy of Ron Howard – http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
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