The daughter of child-actor-turned-Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, this delicate redhead opted not to coast on her famous surname. After a few uncredited bit parts in her father's films, she dropped her last name when applying to drama school. Although she enrolled in the prestigious acting department at New York University, she soon left in order to tackle professional stage roles. It was during an off-Broadway revival of Shakespeare's As You Like It that film director M. Night Shyamalan caught her act and tapped her to replace Kirsten Dunst in 2004's The Village. Howard earned glowing reviews for her ethereal turn as a blind girl and confirmed that she was a star on the rise.