Though he began as an actor, Ron Howard certainly wasn't willing to limit or stifle himself in the entertainment industry. Although he was an incredibly successful performer after appearing in programs like The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, Howard credited his first television appearance to entertainer Red Skelton, who cast him in one of his programs.

"Red Skelton - I guess because I had red hair or something - kind of liked me and gave me a couple of lines," said Howard. Though his part was small, Howard found that the appearance suddenly kickstarted his new career. "To be a little kid and come through in that situation - I all of a sudden started getting a lot of work," said Howard.

But despite a long and successful career as an actor, Howard found that he actually preferred the view from behind the camera. He turned his efforts toward directing and has since become one of the most prolific directors of our age.

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But directing wasn't something that Howard had discovered a love for as he got older. According to an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Howard had sustained a love for film production since childhood. He even confessed that he'd often stay later on sets like The Andy Griffith Show to get an inside peek at the behind-the-scenes process of the series.

"If I didn't have to go back to school, I'd get to hang around with the rest of the cast while they would pitch story revisions, talk about strengthening characters, things like that," said Howard.

Even these small moments helped Howard become the talented director that he is today.