Terrence Howard Biography

Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and film roles between 2004 and 2006. His roles in movies includes Winnie, Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Idlewild, August Rush and The Brave One. Howard co-starred in Iron Man and reprised the role in the video game adaptation.

His debut album, Shine Through It, was released in September 2008.

Early life

Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Anita Williams (née Hawkins) and Tyrone Howard. His maternal great-grandmother, Minnie Gentry, was a stage actress, as were his mother and uncles. Both of his parents were biracial, of African American and European American descent; he experienced racism in his childhood. His father was involved in what has been termed the Santa Line Slaying (1971), serving eleven months in prison on manslaughter charges after stabbing another man. At the age of 16, Howard emancipated himself from his parents and was put on welfare; at 18, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. He wanted to be a science teacher, though he had a low GPA in high school and was admitted to the Pratt Institute in New York only after convincing them to give him a special entrance exam. Howard did not complete his education, as he had joined his brother on an audition for The Cosby Show and was cast in the role.

Career

Howard first entered the entertainment world when he portrayed Jackie Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream, an ABC miniseries. Three years later, he made his big film break in 1995's Mr. Holland's Opus. He continued being cast in television and movie roles and co-starred as Greg Sparks in the late-1990s television series Sparks, with James L. Avery, Sr. and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. Howard also appeared in The Best Man in 1999, in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single "Foolish", and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You". Howard also made an appearance on the TV series Family Matters. It has also been announced that Howard will re-team with Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer for a film based on the life of country music legend Charley Pride.

Howard has stated that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself" when choosing his film roles. Howard has also worked as a film producer, receiving such a credit for the film Pride. As of 2008, Howard hosts the PBS' series Independent Lens.

Howard was the highest-paid cast member of the 2008 film Iron Man. He did not appear in either of the follow-up sequels because it was reported that he would have had to take a 50 to 80 percent pay cut.

In 2008, he made his Broadway debut, playing Brick in an all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and also starring James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rash?d (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie). During rehearsals he allegedly attacked and seriously injured musical composer Tex Allen (brother of the director), who claimed to have suffered multiple injuries as a result of being punched multiple times in the head and face. In October 2008, Allen filed a $5 million lawsuit against Howard.

In October 2008, Howard made a guest appearance in the short film For All Mankind directed by Daniel L. Clifton, filmed on location in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. In 2009, he starred in the movie Fighting.

It was reported on July 30, 2010, that Howard joined the cast of the new Law & Order: Los Angeles installment of the Law & Order franchise, wherein he will play Deputy District Attorney Joe Dekker. He will alternate shows with Alfred Molina, who portrays Deputy District Attorney Ricardo Morales.

In 2011, Howard played Nelson Mandela in Winnie Mandela alongside Jennifer Hudson.

Personal life

Howard, who lives outside Philadelphia in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, was married to Lori McCommas for 14 years. The couple have three children: two daughters (Aubrey and Heaven) and a son (Hunter). Howard and his wife divorced in 2003 and remarried again in 2005, but have since separated. Press reports had since noted that Howard was "trying to reunite" with his wife, and that he had stated that he was "chasing after" her. His wife was born Jewish but is raising their children as Jehovah's Witnesses. In an interview with NPR, he said he wanted to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses as well.

Howard married his girlfriend Michelle Ghent, a 33-year-old commercial production employee, in a secret ceremony in January 2010. On February 2, 2011, it was reported by TMZ that Michelle Ghent had filed for divorce. In December 2012 Howard became a grandfather for the first time when his daughter Aubrey and her husband welcomed their first child.

Though he did not complete his engineering degree, Howard thinks of himself as an engineer and intends to return one day to complete the "three credits" of which he is currently short. This claim, however, has not been confirmed, and the Pratt Institute which he claims to have attended has no Engineering degree program. On February 26, 2013, Howard claimed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he had earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from South Carolina State University that year. Although he was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters from SCSU in 2012, he never attended the university and never earned a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Arrest

In February 2009, it was reported on The Smoking Gun that Howard was arrested in 2001 for a variety of charges related to a violent attack on his estranged wife, including simple assault, terrorist threats, harassment and stalking. According to police reports, he arrived at her house after an argument on the phone, forced entry into her home by breaking in doors, and chased her into the back yard where he punched her twice in the face with a closed fist. The violent attack ended when Howard's brother stopped it. In 2002 he pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace.

These issues came to light after he reportedly downplayed singer Chris Brown's 2009 arrest for attacking his girlfriend Rihanna. When Howard was asked about the allegations of domestic violence against Brown, he told a reporter from Hollywood.TV "It's just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He'll be all right, and Rihanna knows he loves her, you know? They'll be all right."

According to The Smoking Gun, Howard was also arrested for assaulting a Continental Airlines flight attendant after refusing her request to return to his seat because the seat belt sign was on.

According to Philadelphia magazine, Howard punched a woman in a Pennsylvania diner in 2005 and was charged with simple assault and harassment. Those charges were later withdrawn, and Howard plead guilty to disorderly conduct. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend of Howard accused him of punching and kicking her at his home. No charges were filed against Howard, but charges were filed against the ex-girlfriend. These charges were later withdrawn, and according to a lawsuit filed in Philadelphia, Howard paid the woman $75,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the incident at his home. In August 2013, Howard's second ex-wife, Michelle Ghent, obtained a restraining order against him after showing up in court with a black eye she says he gave her. Howard has denied hitting her.

Music

Howard released his debut, adult alternative album, "Shine Through It" in 2008 on Columbia Records. He described the album as "urban country" and either wrote or co-wrote all the tracks on the album.

For the movie Hustle and Flow, Howard performed all the tracks for his rapper character including "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Adult Jackie Jackson
1993	Who's the Man?	Customer
1995	LottoLand	Warren
1995	Dead Presidents	Cowboy
1995	Mr. Holland's Opus	Louis Russ
1996	Sunset Park	Spaceman
1996	Johns	Jimmy the Warlock
1997	Double Tap	Ulysses
1998	Butter	Dexter Banks
1998	Spark	Byron
1998	'	K.C.
1999	Valerie Flake	Hitchhiker
1999	Best Laid Plans	Jimmy
1999	'	Quentin Spivey	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated "? Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor Nominated "? Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
2000	Big Momma's House	Lester Vesco
2000	Love Beat the Hell Outta Me	Chris
2001	Investigating Sex	Lorenz
2001	Angel Eyes	Robby
2001	Glitter	Timothy Walker
2002	Hart's War	Lt. Lincoln A. Scott
2003	Love Chronicles	T-Roy
2003	Biker Boyz	Chu Chu
2004	Crash	Cameron Thayer	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Cast Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated "? Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated "? Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2004	Ray	Gossie McKee	Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005	'	Patrick
2005	Lackawanna Blues	Bill Crosby	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated "? Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor
2005	Hustle & Flow	Djay	Austin Film Critics Association Award for Breakthrough Artist BET Award for Best Actor Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Black Reel Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song Satellite Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated "? Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated "? Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Motion Picture Drama Nominated "? Gotham Award " Breakthrough Award Nominated "? NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated "? Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated "? Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated "? Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
2005	Four Brothers	Lt. Green	Nominated "? Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
2005	Animal	Darius Allen
2005	Get Rich or Die Tryin'	Bama
2006	Idlewild	Trumpy
2007	Pride	Jim Ellis	Nominated "? NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
2007	'	Duck (journalist)
2007	'	Detective Mercer
2007	August Rush	Richard Jeffries (child counselor)
2007	Awake	Dr. Jack Harper
2007	'	Mr. Bah Humbug
2008	Iron Man	USAF Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes	Nominated "? Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor
2008	Phillies World Series Champions DVD	Narrator
2009	Fighting	Harvey Boarden
2009	'	James	Voice role
2011	Little Murder	Drag Hammerman
2011	'	Hollis Lucetti
2011	Winnie Mandela	Nelson Mandela
2012	Red Tails	Col. A.J. Bullard
2012	On The Road	Walter
2012	The Company You Keep	Cornelius
2013	Movie 43	Coach Jackson	Segment "Victory's Glory"
2013	Dead Man Down	Alphonse Hoyt
2013	The Butler	Howard
2013	Prisoners	Franklin Birch
2013	The Best Man Holiday	Quentin Spivey	Post-production
2013	Lullaby		Filming
2014	Sabotage	Sugar	Filming

Television films

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1992	'	Jackie Jackson
1993	Tall Hopes	Chester Harris
1994	Family Matters	John	cameo appearance
1995	'	Young A.C.
1996-98	Sparks (TV series)	Greg Sparks
2000	King of the World	Cassius Clay
2001	Boycott	Ralph Abernathy	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated "? NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
2005	Their Eyes Were Watching God	Amos Hicks

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Family Matters	Johnny	1 episode
1994	Living Single	Brendan King
1994	Coach	Johnny Williams
1995	New York Undercover	Buster Goings
2010-11	Law & Order: LA	Senior D.D.A. Jonah "Joe" Dekker
2011	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Senior D.D.A. Jonah "Joe" Dekker	Episode "Reparations"
2012	Hawaii Five-0	Billy	Episode "I Ka Wa Mamua"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Iron Man	USAF Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes	Voice role

Discography

• Shine Through It (2008)