When Ron Howard was given the opportunity to make his directorial debut with "Grand Theft Auto" (1977), he tapped his brother for a small role. The brothers have worked together on numerous occasions since including co-writing the NBC TV-movie "Cotton Candy" (1978). Among the many roles he has played in Ron's films are a wedding guest in "Splash" (1984), a nursing home worker in "Cocoon" (1985) and a NASA employee in "Apollo 13" (1995). While he has perhaps become best known for his association with his sibling, Howard has proven to be an effective character player, working frequently in TV and films. He had regular roles on the series "Gung Ho" (ABC, 1986-87) and "Space Rangers" (CBS, 1993), appeared in "That Thing You Do!" (1996) and "Twilight" (1998) and had a rare leading role in "The Ice Cream Man" (1995).