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Ron Howard's wife had never seen The Andy Griffith Show when they started going out
Cheryl met Ron Howard in high school but had never had the pleasure of meeting Opie Taylor.
For someone who grew up in the bright spotlight of television, Ron Howard has managed to stay relatively humble and down to earth throughout his decades-long career, both as an actor and director. Obviously, this is credited to a number of things, with one of them undoubtedly being Cheryl Howard, Ron's high school sweetheart and wife.
The two met when they were still young, but even then, Howard was considered a celebrity due to his work on Happy Days and The Andy Griffith Show. Surprisingly enough, Cheryl had actually never seen The Andy Griffith Show by the time she and Ron had met. In fact, Ron's fame may have actually hurt his chances with Cheryl rather than helped. In an interview with The Charlotte Observer, Cheryl said, "Besides, my father, who rented apartments to actors, didn't have a high opinion of the whole profession." As such, Cheryl had adopted her father's perspective on actors.
Even so, the two began a romance that eventually blossomed into a marriage that resulted in three children. Of Ron, Cheryl said, "I'm just glad I met him. I couldn't get along with anybody else."
Moreover, the two made sure that their children were raised with the same humble values that Cheryl and Ron both prioritized. Ron commented, "The last thing in the world Cheryl and I want to do is make our kids feel they've got to go into the business. I would probably discourage them from getting into the business as children, but if I saw that it was their burning desire to try this, then I would do everything I could to help them become good. Cheryl and I have decided to try and make other professions seem as enticing as possible."
While the life of a celebrity may be the sort of thing people dream of, it's not a reality that Howard necessarily embraced. He said, "I think I'd rather not be a celebrity. I've given this a lot of thought. I would know I'd be trading off a lot of wonderful things, but privacy would be the winner. But I wouldn't trade off my career for privacy."
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4 Comments
Quite a family of talent.