Rance Howard, Actor and Father of Ron Howard, Dies at 89

Rest in peace, Rance Howard. 

The actor died on Saturday, his son, director Ron Howard, announced on Twitter. Rance, who is also dad to actor Clint Howard, was 89. 

"Clint & I have been blessed to be Rance Howard’s sons. Today he passed at 89," Ron wrote. "He stood especially tall 4 his ability to balance ambition w/great personal integrity. A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love & miss U Dad."

Rance's acting career spanned more than six decades. After his first movie role in 1956's Frontier Woman, Rance appeared in films like An Eye for an Eye (1966), Chinatown (1974), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Nebraska (2013). 

He also acted in several of Ron's films, like Splash, Cocoon, Parenthood and Apollo 13, as well as Ron's feature film directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto. He also worked with his son in TV, on the sitcom Happy Days, as well as in other shows like Seinfeld, Diagnosis Murder, Dallas, Murder, She Wrote, Married with Children and Babylon 5.

Rance last appeared in Broken Memories, a movie about a son struggling with his father's Alzheimer's. Though Rance was unable to attend the film's premiere earlier this month, Ron and his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, attended in his place. 

Touched by an Angel star Della Reese died last Sunday. See more in the video below. 

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