Notable Movies by Ron Howard, 3-6

Ron Howard's penchant for one-word titles continues into the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this period, Howard also begins to tackle action and drama.

3. Willow (1988)

If you were a kid in the 1980s, chances are good you saw Willow at least once. This sci-fi/fantasy story, penned by George Lucas, follows the adventures of a diminutive farmer and amateur magician named Willow as he attempts to save a baby princess from death at the hands of evil queen Bavmorda. With the help of a swordsman named Madmartigan (played by Val Kilmer), Willow executes his quest with courage, will, and more than a few lucky breaks. The movie did pretty well at the box office, but not well enough for a sequel. Willow was a big break for Ron Howard, who, until the movie's release, had been pigeonholed as a director of light comedy.

4. Parenthood (1989)

Producer Brian Grazer, along with writers Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, teamed up with Ron Howard to develop this story, loosely based on their own experiences as parents. Steve Martin stars as a hapless dad with a wildly extended middle-class family, including Dianne Wiest as a frazzled mother of two, Rick Moranis as a type-A father, Jason Robards as Grandpa, and a host of other quirky characters. Parenthood was a hit, grossing more than $100 million, a coup for a character-driven, non-action film at the time.

5. Backdraft (1991)

Ron Howard established himself as a bona fide blockbuster director with Backdraft in 1991. The story follows a pair of fire-fighting brothers as they work and toil in the Chicago Fire Department. Kurt Russell and William Baldwin star as the brothers who play cat and mouse with a mysterious arsonist. Robert De Niro stars as the cut-the-crap arson investigator and Donald Sutherland shines as his creepy nemesis. While some of the lines in Backdraft are a little heavy-handed, the filming of the fire is proof of Howard's directorial prowess. The fire itself was often cited by critics as being the most interesting character in the film.

6. Far and Away (1992)

Years before he was lambasted for his frenetic behavior, Tom Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman made a respectable movie with Ron Howard about two young Irish immigrants in the Oklahoma Territory in the late 19th century. Life is hard for the young couple, but with love on their side, anything is possible. Well, except for good reviews and a big box office draw. Though Far and Away had many fans, the studio was disappointed with the box office returns and confused about why it wasn't a bigger hit. After all, Cruise and Kidman were huge stars at the time, and Howard had more than established his reputation.

On the next page, Ron Howard delves deeper into drama and takes a stab at Seuss-aided whimsy.