C. Thomas Howell started working in the film industry at the young age of seven.  In 1981, he was cast as ‘Tyler’ in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.  Shortly thereafter, he nabbed the lead in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic, The Outsiders, starring opposite the likes of Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise. The coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic. Howell’s gripping performance as the tough, yet vulnerable ‘Ponyboy Curtis’ made him a household name virtually overnight, earning him a Young Artist Award.

In 1984 he appeared in the commercially successful film Red Dawn, the first movie to be released in the U.S. with a PG-13 rating. Howell joined stars such as Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey in their depiction as members of a teenage guerilla warfare group, known as the Wolverines, during a WWIII invasion. Earmarked as one of the most promising young actors of his time, Howell’s career continued to skyrocket with roles in films such as The Hitcher and Secret Admirer. He also worked alongside greats such as Elizabeth Taylor in The Young Toscanini, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and Anne Margaret in A Tiger’s Tale. Since then, Howell, with over 250 tv/film projects under his belt, has been in consistent demand for the last thirty years, appearing in favorites such as The Amazing Spiderman, Gettysburg, Criminal Minds, Southland, Seal Team, The Walking Dead, and Netflix’s world-wide number one series Obliterated.

With the outbreak of a pandemic, when the world came to a screeching halt, Howell decided to step out of his comfort zone and pick up a guitar. Growing up in a musical-less family and with zero experience, Tommy worked diligently day and night slowly learning the instrument that would soon open an entirely different world to him. Less than a year later, he moved to Nashville, released his debut album, ‘American Storyteller’, and began performing. He has opened for iconic music artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker. He will soon release his second album, ‘Cowboys Don’t Cry’, which features his most recent single climbing the country charts, “Take The Reins” and “RIDE”, the title track in this summer’s theatrical release in which he also plays a leading role.

You can catch C. Thomas Howell most recently in ABC’s Will Trent and Bill Burr’s movie Old Dads. He is currently touring the country with screenings of his most popular projects, musical performances, and speaking to schools under his non-profit, The Stay Gold Foundation, promoting the importance of literacy and the arts.