C. Thomas Howell, born Christopher Thomas Howell on December 7, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, is an American actor, director, and musician who rose to fame as a teen idol in the 1980s. He made his film debut with a supporting role in the iconic blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, but his breakout came the following year when he landed the lead role of Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's coming-of-age classic The Outsiders. This performance established Howell as one of the most promising young actors of his generation, leading to a string of high-profile starring roles throughout the mid-1980s.
Following his success in The Outsiders, Howell starred in a series of notable films including the war drama Red Dawn alongside Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, the comedy-drama Grandview, U.S.A., and the thriller The Hitcher opposite Rutger Hauer. However, his career took a controversial turn with the 1986 comedy Soul Man, in which he played a white character who uses a tanning drug to pose as an African American to qualify for a scholarship. The film's premise sparked significant backlash, and the controversy damaged his status as a leading man in Hollywood, though he continued to work steadily.
In the 1990s, Howell shifted to a mix of film and television work, appearing in the sports comedy Side Out and the historical epic Gettysburg, where he portrayed a young Union officer. He took on the role of Detective Frank Kohanek in the short-lived but cult-favorite Fox horror series Kindred: The Embraced in 1996 and later starred as Dr. Alex Kennedy in the syndicated series Amazon from 1999 to 2000. He also portrayed notorious gangster Baby Face Nelson in the 1995 biographical film Baby Face Nelson. The 2000s saw Howell return to historical drama with a role in the Civil War film Gods and Generals and a supporting part in the adventure film Hidalgo. He also gained renewed critical attention for his recurring and later main role as the grizzled veteran officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek on the NBC and TNT crime drama Southland from 2009 to 2013, a performance that showcased his dramatic range.
Howell continued to work extensively in the 2010s and beyond, appearing in the faith-based sports drama Woodlawn and the superhero blockbuster The Amazing Spider-Man. He lent his voice to several DC Comics animated films, including Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Justice League: Gods and Monsters, and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. He also portrayed Walter Jenkins in the political drama LBJ and played Caspar Weinberger in the 2024 biographical film Reagan. In 2023, he took on a main role as Hagerty in the Netflix action-comedy series Obliterated. Alongside his acting career, Howell has pursued a passion for music in the 2020s, performing under the name Tommy Howell. He released his debut single "Rose Hill" in 2022, followed by "Whiskey Demon," and issued his first full-length album, "American Storyteller," in 2023, blending his love for storytelling with a roots-rock sound.