One Mile: Chapter One
2026 · Movie
as Stanley Dixon
C. Thomas Howell
1966-12-07
•
Los Angeles, California, USA
Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), usually credited as C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped and Gods and Generals. 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. In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. At the age of 15 in 1981, Howell was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders (1983). 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." Based on S.E. Hinton's bestselling 1967 novel of the same name,the coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic. 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 Patrick Swayze reunited for Grandview, U.S.A. and Red Dawn. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank (1984). 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 film The Hitcher. He also starred in the sequel, which was released in 2003. In 1986, Howell starred in Soul Man, a film in which Howell appears in Blackface. Rounding out the 1980s , Howell played the young Arturo Toscanini in Franco Zeffirelli's 1988 film Young Toscanini.
Filmography
One Mile: Chapter Two
2026 · Movie
as Stanley Dixon
Where the Wind Blows
2025 · Movie
as Nathan
Ride
2024 · Movie
as John Hawkins
Reagan
2024 · Movie
as Caspar Weinberger
The Open Door
2024 · Movie
as Mr. Sapp
Old Dads
2023 · Movie
as Ed Cameron
Obliterated
2023 · TV Show
as Hagerty
Will Trent
2023 · TV Show
as Warden Sturgill Hardly
Crimson Point
2022 · Movie
as Frank
Because We're Family
2022 · Movie
as Peter
1923
2022 · TV Show
as Anders
The Wrong Path
2021 · Movie
as Dr. Eric Peselowe
Beast Mode
2020 · Movie
as Breen Nash
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
2019 · Movie
as Captain Miles Browning
I Am Patrick Swayze
2019 · Movie
as Self
Control
2019 · Movie
as Control (voice)
Creepshow
2019 · TV Show
as Sam Spinster
Dirty Dealing
2018 · Movie
as Carter
Rich Boy, Rich Girl
2018 · Movie
as Blake
Urban Country
2018 · Movie
as Jim Craft
Shifting Gears
2018 · Movie
as Jenkins
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.
2018 · Movie
as Narrator
Deadman Standing
2018 · Movie
as The Stranger
The Rack Pack
2018 · Movie
as Ted
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
2018 · Movie
as Zoom (voice)
The Good Cop
2018 · TV Show
as Businessman
The Terror
2018 · TV Show
as Major Bowen
LBJ
2017 · Movie
as Walter Jenkins
The Shadow People
2017 · Movie
as Kaine
A Question of Faith
2017 · Movie
as John Danielson
Disconnected
2017 · Movie
as Robert Crawford
Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
2017 · Movie
Marvel's The Punisher
2017 · TV Show
as Carson Wolf
SEAL Team
2017 · TV Show
as Ash Spenser
My B.F.F.
2016 · Movie
as Ben Wilkins
Blood Lust
2016 · Movie
as Ryan
Attack of the Killer Donuts
2016 · Movie
as Officer Roberts
Advance & Retreat
2016 · Movie
as Nathan Shapiro
MacGyver
2016 · TV Show
as Vasil
No image
Borrowed Moments
2015 · Movie
as Jack
Woodlawn
2015 · Movie
as George 'Shorty' White
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
2015 · Movie
as Dr. Will Magnus (voice)
Rivers 9
2015 · Movie
as Sheriff Quentin
Spirit Riders
2015 · Movie
as Keith
Magic Hour
2015 · Movie
as Tom Worthy
Lazarus Rising
2015 · Movie
as Silent Cal
A Christmas Eve Miracle
2015 · Movie
as Jack Carter
The Sin Seer
2015 · Movie
as Detective Riggers
Stitchers
2015 · TV Show
as Daniel Stinger
Ties That Bind
2015 · TV Show
as Mr. Witherspoon
Bosch
2015 · TV Show
as Louis Degner
Confessions of a Womanizer
2014 · Movie
as Tony
Bigfoot Wars
2014 · Movie
as Zeke
Category 5
2014 · Movie
as Charlie DuPuis
Rescuing Madison
2014 · Movie
as Rad
Fruits De Mer
2014 · Movie
A Magic Christmas
2014 · Movie
as Jack Carter
An Amish Murder
2013 · Movie
as Nathan Detrick
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
2013 · Movie
as Professor Zoom / Thawne (voice)
Lost on Purpose
2013 · Movie
as Delbert Furgeson
Storm Rider
2013 · Movie
as Mitch Fielding
Don't Pass Me By
2013 · Movie
as Jack
Christmas Belle
2013 · Movie
as Rex Everhart
Sleepy Hollow
2013 · TV Show
as SAC Mick Granger
The Blacklist
2013 · TV Show
as Earl Fagen
MoniKa
2012 · Movie
as Double
Chilly Christmas
2012 · Movie
as Patrick Cole
Home Invasion
2012 · Movie
as Ray
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012 · Movie
as Jack's Father
Wedding Day
2012 · Movie
as Russ
Escape
2012 · Movie
as Paul Jordan
The 'E.T.' Journals
2012 · Movie
as Self
Revolution
2012 · TV Show
as Bounty Hunter
Longmire
2012 · TV Show
as Ray Stewart
Camel Spiders
2011 · Movie
as Sheriff Beaumont
Restitution
2011 · Movie
as John Youngstown
Cross
2011 · Movie
as Jake
Alphas
2011 · TV Show
as Eli Aquino
Grimm
2011 · TV Show
as Weston Steward
The Terror Experiment
2010 · Movie
as Chief Grasso
Cupid's Arrow
2010 · Movie
as Professor Grimes
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!
2010 · Movie
as David
The Glades
2010 · TV Show
as Peyton Robinson
The Walking Dead
2010 · TV Show
as Roy, Hilltop Resident
Blue Bloods
2010 · TV Show
as Alex Polanski
Hawaii Five-0
2010 · TV Show
as Martin Cordova
The Land That Time Forgot
2009 · Movie
as Frost Michaels
The Grind
2009 · Movie
as Luke
Secret at Arrow Lake
2009 · Movie
The Jailhouse
2009 · Movie
as Seth Delray
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
2009 · Movie
as Alumnus Guy #2
Southland
2009 · TV Show
as Officer Dewey Dudek
Castle
2009 · TV Show
as John Campbell
Celebrity Ghost Stories
2009 · TV Show
as Self
Big Game
2008 · Movie
as Sully
Toxic
2008 · Movie
as LIttle Joe
The Day the Earth Stopped
2008 · Movie
as Josh Myron
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
2008 · Movie
as George Herbert
A Gunfighter's Pledge
2008 · Movie
as Horn
No image
Xenophobia
2008 · Movie
as Stone
House of Fallen
2008 · Movie
as Thomas
The Thirst: Blood War
2008 · Movie
as Jed
Celebracadabra
2008 · TV Show
Sons of Anarchy
2008 · TV Show
as Agent Frank Eagan
Cold Ones
2007 · Movie
as K.C. Corcoran
The Haunting of Marsten Manor
2007 · Movie
as Captain Williams
Hoboken Hollow
2006 · Movie
as Clayton Connelly
Fighting Words
2006 · Movie
as David Settles
The Da Vinci Treasure
2006 · Movie
as Michael Archer
Psych
2006 · TV Show
as Camden Driggs
Torchwood
2006 · TV Show
as The Gentleman
Glass Trap
2005 · Movie
as Curtis
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
2005 · Movie
as George Herbert
The Poseidon Adventure
2005 · Movie
as Doctor Ballard
Ordinary Miracles
2005 · Movie
as Jim Powell
Crimson Force
2005 · Movie
as Capt. Baskin
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
2005 · Movie
as Coach Fielding
The Lost Angel
2005 · Movie
as Kuratha
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
2005 · Movie
as Self
Criminal Minds
2005 · TV Show
as The Reaper / George Foyet
Hidalgo
2004 · Movie
as Preston Webb
A Killer Within
2004 · Movie
as Addison Terrill
The Hillside Strangler
2004 · Movie
as Kenneth Bianchi
Nursie
2004 · Movie
as Zack
Zolar
2004 · Movie
as Hedion
Summerland
2004 · TV Show
as Kyle Bale
Net Games
2003 · Movie
as Adam Vance
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
2003 · Movie
as Jim Halsey
Gods and Generals
2003 · Movie
as Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
2003 · Movie
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003 · TV Show
as Self
Killer Bees
2002 · Movie
as Sheriff Lyndon Harris
WillFull
2002 · Movie
as Nat Wolff
Night of the Wolf
2002 · Movie
as Sheriff Wade Messer
Lawless: Dead Evidence
2001 · Movie
as Dean Riley
Askari
2001 · Movie
as Joss Mckinley
Asylum Days
2001 · Movie
as Nathan Devine
Burning Down the House
2001 · Movie
as Concierge
Separate Ways
2001 · Movie
as Tom Milton
XCU: Extreme Close Up
2001 · Movie
as Geoffrey Liddy
24
2001 · TV Show
as Barry Landes
Hot Boyz
2000 · Movie
as Officer Roberts
The Million Dollar Kid
2000 · Movie
as Valentino
Son of the Beach
2000 · TV Show
The District
2000 · TV Show
as Chris Gunner
Fatal Affair
1999 · Movie
as Malcolm 'Mack' Maddox
Escape from Alaska
1999 · Movie
as Jack
Hitman's Run
1999 · Movie
as Tom Holly
The Prince and the Surfer
1999 · Movie
as Dean
Red Team
1999 · Movie
as J.B. Gaines
Cybermaster: Shepherd II
1999 · Movie
as Dakota
Enemy Action
1999 · Movie
as John Reed
The Glass Jar
1999 · Movie
as Lanois
Twice in a Lifetime
1999 · TV Show
as Tony Tremaine / Phil Barlow
Amazon
1999 · TV Show
as Dr. Alex Kennedy
The Shepherd
1998 · Movie
as Boris Dakota
Charades
1998 · Movie
as Evan
Sealed with a Kiss
1998 · Movie
as Detective Mick Cullen
Matter of Trust
1998 · Movie
as Michael D'Angelo
V.I.P.
1998 · TV Show
as Phil Sherman
Sleeping Dogs
1997 · Movie
as Sanchez Boon
Last Lives
1997 · Movie
as Aaron
Dilemma
1997 · Movie
as Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan
Dead Fire
1997 · Movie
as Tucker
Hourglass
1997 · Movie
as Michael Jardine
Laws of Deception
1997 · Movie
as Evan Marino
The Big Fall
1997 · Movie
as Blaise Rybeck
The Sweeper
1996 · Movie
as Mark Goddard
Pure Danger
1996 · Movie
as Johnie Dean
Baby Face Nelson
1996 · Movie
as Baby Face Nelson
Kindred: The Embraced
1996 · TV Show
as Det. Frank Kohanek
Payback
1995 · Movie
as Oscar Bonsetter
Suspect Device
1995 · Movie
as Dan Jericho
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
1995 · Movie
as Mike
Dangerous Indiscretion
1995 · Movie
as Jim Lomax
The Outer Limits
1995 · TV Show
as Capt. Miles Davidow
Teresa's Tattoo
1994 · Movie
as Carl
Natural Selection
1994 · Movie
as Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
ER
1994 · TV Show
as Vincent Jansen
Acting on Impulse
1993 · Movie
as Paul Stevens
Treacherous
1993 · Movie
as Micky Stewert
Jailbait
1993 · Movie
as Sergeant Lee Teffler
Tattle Tale
1993 · Movie
as Bernard Sprat
Gettysburg
1993 · Movie
as Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
That Night
1992 · Movie
as Rick
Breaking the Rules
1992 · Movie
as Gene Michaels
Nickel & Dime
1992 · Movie
as Jack Stone
To Protect and Serve
1992 · Movie
as Egan
Far Out Man
1990 · Movie
as Himself
Side Out
1990 · Movie
as Monroe Clark
Kid
1990 · Movie
as Kid
Curiosity Kills
1990 · Movie
as Cat Thomas
The Return of the Musketeers
1989 · Movie
as Raoul
The Eyes of the Panther
1989 · Movie
as Jenner Brading
Nightmare Classics
1989 · TV Show
as Jenner Brading
A Tiger's Tale
1988 · Movie
as Bubber Drumm
Young Toscanini
1988 · Movie
as Arturo Toscanini
Into the Homeland
1987 · Movie
as Tripp Wilson
Soul Man
1986 · Movie
as Mark Watson
The Hitcher
1986 · Movie
as Jim Halsey
Secret Admirer
1985 · Movie
as Michael Ryan
Moonlighting
1985 · TV Show
as Waiter (uncredited)
Red Dawn
1984 · Movie
as Robert
Tank
1984 · Movie
as Billy
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984 · Movie
as Tim Pearson
The Outsiders
1983 · Movie
as Ponyboy Curtis
The Hitchhiker
1983 · TV Show
as Gerald
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982 · Movie
as Tyler
Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story
· Movie
as Self
No image
The Greatest Actress in the World
· Movie
No image
The Horseman
· Movie
Crew Credits
A Christmas Eve Miracle
2015 · Movie
Executive Producer
A Magic Christmas
2014 · Movie
Executive Producer
The Genesis Code
2010 · Movie
Director
The Land That Time Forgot
2009 · Movie
Director
The Day the Earth Stopped
2008 · Movie
Director
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
2008 · Movie
Director
Blind Injustice
2005 · Movie
Story, Producer
Hope Ranch
2002 · Movie
Screenplay, Producer
Hourglass
1997 · Movie
Director, Screenplay
The Big Fall
1997 · Movie
Director
Pure Danger
1996 · Movie
Director
Night of the Juggler
1980 · Movie
Stunts
