Howell made his show business debut in the situation comedy
The Brian Keith Show. When he was older, he acted in commercials.
1980s In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in
Steven Spielberg's
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In 1981, aged 15, Howell was cast in
The Outsiders,
Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 cinematic adaptation of
S. E. Hinton's
novel. Howell played the lead role of
Ponyboy Curtis, "the soulful tagalong greaser through whose eyes we see the events of the 1960s-set film unfold." The coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic, and featured an ensemble cast that included
Tom Cruise,
Matt Dillon,
Emilio Estevez,
Leif Garrett,
Diane Lane,
Rob Lowe,
Ralph Macchio, and
Patrick Swayze. Howell's portrayal of Ponyboy was his breakthrough role, and it earned him a
Young Artist Award. In 1984, Howell and his
Outsiders co-star
Patrick Swayze reunited for
Grandview, U.S.A. and
Red Dawn, Howell also had a pivotal role in
Tank. In 1985, he starred in
Secret Admirer. After filming
The Outsiders, Howell co-starred in his own television series
Two Marriages, which ended after four episodes, but letters of support got it back on air. He later expressed disappointment in the series. Howell was one of two final actors in the running for the lead role of
Marty McFly in
Back to the Future (1985); the other was
Eric Stoltz. Ultimately,
Michael J. Fox was cast as Marty after Stoltz was deemed wrong for the part. In 1986, Howell was a hitchhiker's target in the horror film
The Hitcher. He also starred in the 2003 sequel ''
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting. In 1986, Howell starred in the satire Soul Man'', a controversial film in which Howell appears in
blackface.
1990s In 1992, Howell starred in romantic drama
That Night alongside actress
Juliette Lewis. A film based on the novel of the same name by
Alice McDermott. In 1993, Howell starred with
Linda Fiorentino and
Nancy Allen in the thriller
Acting on Impulse. He then achieved success in the film
Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. In 1995, he starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in the poorly received
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (U.S. title:
Shameless) with
Elizabeth Hurley. Following this, Howell starred in
Payback and then played gangster
Baby Face Nelson in
the film of the same name. He starred in and made his directorial debut with the 1996 direct-to-video release
Pure Danger, which also featured
Teri Ann Linn and comic
Carrot Top.
2000s In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in the television show
Amazon. In 2004, he played
serial killer Kenneth Bianchi in
The Hillside Strangler. In 2005, he starred in ''
H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008. Also in 2005, he reunited with his Secret Admirer
co-star Lori Loughlin when he had a recurring role on her television show Summerland'' as
Zac Efron's father. Howell appeared as a doctor in
The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the
1972 film of the same name. His father's first (uncredited) stunt co-ordination was for the original film. In 2006, Howell starred in
Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company
The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD films. In 2008, Howell directed and starred in
The Day the Earth Stopped, a
mockbuster intended to capitalize on
The Day the Earth Stood Still. Beginning in 2009, Howell
guest starred in
Criminal Minds on
CBS as serial killer George Foyet (The Boston Reaper), a recurring villain based on
The Boston Strangler. Also beginning in 2009, he played the role of Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek, a police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama
Southland.
2010s and 2020s In 2011, Howell guest starred as an inmate on
The Glades and in
Torchwood: Miracle Day. Howell appeared in the 2012 film
The Amazing Spider-Man. Starting in 2015, Howell has had a
recurring role as Dr. Daniel Stinger in the Freeform show
Stitchers. In 2017, he had a recurring role as Ash Spenser, a retired Navy SEAL, in the CBS show
SEAL Team. In 2016 and 2018, Howell had a recurring guest-star role as Paul Belmont, a
United States Navy Lieutenant Commander at
Camp Pendleton, in Seasons 1 and 3 of
Animal Kingdom. In 2023, Howell starred in
Obliterated on
Netflix as Harry Haggerty. ==Personal life==