Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Known for his performances on film and television, he has received a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Independent Spirit Awards. Howard made his film debut in a minor role in buddy comedy Who's the Man? (1993). He later was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a pimp and drug dealer in Hustle & Flow (2005). He played James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the first Iron Man (2008) film. During his career he acted in films such as Biker Boyz (2003), Ray (2004), Crash (2004), Four Brothers (2005), August Rush (2007), Winnie Mandela (2011), Red Tails (2012), The Butler (2013), and Prisoners (2013). He also voiced James in the Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog (2009). He played Quentin Spivey in the films The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man Holiday (2013) and the miniseries The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022). On television, he portrayed Jackie Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), Al Cowlings in The O. J. Simpson Story (1995), Cassius Clay in King of the World (2000), and Ralph Abernathy in Boycott (2001). He won an NAACP Image Award for his role in Lackawanna Blues (2005). He starred as the lead character Lucious Lyon in the Fox musical drama series Empire from 2015 to 2020. Howard made his Broadway debut playing Brick in the revival of the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008). His debut album, Shine Through It, was released in September 2008. In December 2022, he announced that he planned to retire from acting.

Early life

Howard was born in Chicago, on March 11, 1969, to Tyrone and Anita (née Williams) Howard, who were both of African and English ancestry. His great-grandmother was actress Minnie Gentry. Howard was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he had a rocky childhood. He has claimed that he endured beatings from his physically abusive father, and that he saw his father stabbing another man in the Santa Line Slaying when Terrence was two years old. His father was convicted of manslaughter and served 11 months in jail. Howard's parents divorced upon his father's release. He was raised by his great-grandmother. She died at the age of 77 in 1993.

Career

Howard first entered the entertainment industry in 1992 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 and Dead Presidents. He continued being cast in television and movie roles, and co-starred as Greg Sparks in the late-1990s short-lived television series Sparks, with James L. Avery Sr. and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. Howard also appeared in The Best Man (1999), in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single "Foolish", and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You". Howard made an appearance on the TV series Family Matters. Howard has said that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself" when choosing his film roles. For the 2005 film Hustle & Flow, Howard portrayed a pimp and aspiring rapper. He performed all the character's tracks, including "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards. Howard has also worked as a film producer, as when he was credited for the 2007 film Pride. In 2008, Howard hosted the PBS series Independent Lens. Howard was contracted to play Colonel James Rhodes in the 2008 film Iron Man. Howard was signed on before any of the other major actors and was the highest paid actor in the film. He was replaced by actor Don Cheadle in the film's sequels. Entertainment Weekly reported that Howard was offered a 50 to 80 percent pay cut for Iron Man 2, though it said that it was unclear whether Howard turned down the role or whether Marvel withdrew their offer. Howard released his debut adult alternative album, Shine Through It, in 2008 on Columbia/SME Records. He described the album as urban country, and either wrote or co-wrote all the songs on it. In 2008, he made his Broadway debut, playing Brick in an all-African-American production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen. During rehearsals, he allegedly attacked and seriously injured musical composer Tex Allen (brother of the director). Allen said he suffered multiple injuries and in October 2008, Allen filed a $5 million lawsuit against Howard. In 2010, Howard joined the cast of Law & Order: Los Angeles, playing Deputy District Attorney Joe Dekker. He alternated shows with Alfred Molina, who portrayed Deputy District Attorney Ricardo Morales. The series was cancelled after one season. In 2011, Howard played Nelson Mandela in the film Winnie Mandela. Since 2015, Howard has starred on the television series Empire, playing Lucious Lyon, a hip-hop mogul who discovers he is dying and must ensure the survival of his music empire. He also appeared in the television series Wayward Pines portraying Sheriff Arnold Pope, a main character in the first season in 2015 and a guest character in the second and final season. On hosting the ninth annual Guys Choice Awards in 2015 Howard said, "I got the other guy on my side. Big Devil. Big D is my rolling buddy!". At the ceremony he was also awarded Most Dangerous Man. In February 2021, it was announced that Howard would star in British sci-fi/thriller film Beneath. In February 2022, he was cast in the horror film Skeletons in the Closet. Howard said in December 2022 that he had retired "for the most part" two years prior and that "this is the end for me".

Personal life

Marriages

, Howard lives outside Philadelphia in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. He has been married four times to three women, and has five children. Howard married his first wife, Lori McCommas, in 1993. They had three children together, two daughters and a son. Howard has two grandchildren, a granddaughter and a grandson. Howard and McCommas' divorce was filed in 2000 and finalized in 2001, but they remarried in 2005. They subsequently filed for divorce a year later and finalized for a second time in 2007. Howard married his second wife, Michelle Ghent, in 2010. Ghent filed for divorce in February 2011. Ghent filed for a restraining order in December 2011, accusing Howard of being physically abusive toward her. Their divorce was finalized in May 2013, though the agreement was overturned in 2015 after a judge ruled Howard had signed it under duress of Ghent threatening to sell nude pictures of Howard and other personal information. Howard wed his third wife, model and restaurateur Mira Pak, in late 2013. They have two sons, born 2015 and 2016. The two divorced in 2015 and then were engaged to remarry in December 2018.

Educational claims

Howard has stated that he "went to school for chemical engineering and applied materials". 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 claims he is currently short. On February 26, 2013, Howard also said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he had earned a PhD degree in chemical engineering from South Carolina State University (SCSU) that year. Howard never attended SCSU, and SCSU does not confer doctorates in chemical engineering. Instead, Howard was awarded an honorary degree of "Doctorate of Humane Letters" (DHL) from SCSU after speaking at its commencement ceremony in 2012.

Patent claims

Howard applied for a patent in 2010 on a "System and method for merging virtual reality and reality to provide an enhanced sensory experience" (U.S. patent application no. 12/765,485 ). He later pursued two additional patent applications (U.S. patent application nos. 12/725,097 and 12/567,400 ), related to jewelry. All three patent applications were abandoned without any patent being granted.

Pseudoscientific theories

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Howard explained that he had formulated his own language of logic, which he called "Terryology", and which he was keeping secret until he had patented it. This logic language, he claimed, would be used to prove the statement "1 × 1 = 2". "'How can it equal one?' he said. 'If one times one equals one that means that two is of no value because one times itself has no effect. One times one equals two because the square root of four is two, so what's the square root of two? Should be one, but we're told it's two, and that cannot be.'" Howard blames his leaving Pratt over disagreements with a professor regarding this hypothesis. He also stated that he spends many hours a day constructing models of plastic and wire that he patented and claims to confirm his belief. In 2017, Howard published his "proof" of the claim that "1 × 1 = 2" on his Twitter account. Concerns were raised about the logical consistency of Howard's thinking. In May 2024, Howard was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he attempted to debunk the Pythagorean theorem, claimed he can kill gravity, said he does not believe in the 0|number zero, and claimed he remembers the events of the day he was born. In July 2024, Howard returned to The Joe Rogan Experience in order to debate his theories with Eric Weinstein, who has a doctorate in mathematical physics from Harvard University. Howard's statements and beliefs, along with his use of language and terminology, have been criticized as blatantly erroneous, nonsensical, conspiratorial, and misleading by many scholars, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, who posted a video to YouTube in June 2024 in response to Terryology.

Legal issues

Howard was arrested in 2001 for a variety of charges related to a violent attack on his estranged first wife, including simple assault, terroristic 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 backyard where he punched her in the face twice. The violent attack ended when Howard's brother stepped in. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace. Howard was also arrested in August 2000 for assaulting a Continental Airlines flight attendant after refusing her request to return to his seat because the seat belt sign was on. On December 5, 2011, a judge granted Howard's then-wife Michelle Ghent a restraining order based on her claims that Howard had caused her physical injuries that required medical attention, once broke her computer in half, repeatedly threatened her, and stalked her by telephone and on the Internet. In August 2013, Ghent obtained a second restraining order against him after showing up in court with a black eye she said he gave her. In a September 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Howard admitted to hitting his first wife in 2001, saying: "She was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids."

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Music videos

Video games

Awards, nominations and honors

Honorary frat member

In 2010, Howard was inducted as an honorary member into the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Discography