Leo Howard (born July 13, 1997
) is an American actor and martial artist. Howard is known for incorporating his karate skills into his feature film and television roles; as "Young
Snake-Eyes" in the 2009 action film ''
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'', as "Young Conan" in the 2011 fantasy film ''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
'', and as Jack on the
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
comedy series ''
Kickin' It
''Kickin' It'' is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, and ...
''. Howard was certified as the youngest TV director ever by the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for his work on the episode "Fight at the Museum" in the
fourth season of the ''Kickin' It'' TV series at age 16. He also played CeCe's rival Logan on ''
Shake it Up Shake It Up may refer to:
* ''Shake It Up'' (Boney James & Rick Braun album), 2000
* ''Shake It Up'' (The Cars album), 1981
** "Shake It Up" (The Cars song), the title song
* "Shake It Up" (Divine song), 1983
* "Shake It Up" (Koda Kumi song), ...
'' in the third season.
Early life
Howard was born July 13, 1997, in
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
. He is the son of Randye and
Todd "The Big Bulldog" Howard.
His parents are professional
dog breeder
Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by ...
s and operate The Big Bulldog Ranch, where they specialize in breeding
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
French bulldogs.
His father is also an eviction specialist and process server starring in
Spike TV
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles.
The channel was o ...
's ''
World's Worst Tenants''. He attended
Tri-City Christian Schools in
Vista, California
Vista (; Spanish for "view") is a city in San Diego County, California. Vista is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Area and has a population of 101,638. Vista's sphere of influence also includes portions of un ...
. Howard spent much of his childhood growing up in the small town of
Fallbrook
Fallbrook is a CDP in northern San Diego County, California. Fallbrook had a population of 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census.
Fallbrook's downtown is not on a major highway route. It is west of Interstate 15 or n ...
in Northern
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...
, before devoting himself to a full-time acting career.
Career
Martial arts
Howard developed an interest in martial arts at age four and began studying when his parents enrolled him at a dojo in
Oceanside, California
Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...
.
A year later, his parents enrolled him at another dojo which specialized in the
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
n discipline of
Shōrin-ryū
Shōrin-ryū (少林流) is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts and is one of the oldest styles of karate. It was named by Choshin Chibana in 1933, but the system itself is much older. The characters 少林, meaning "sparse" or "scanty ...
and at the age of seven, he began developing his
extreme martial arts
Michael Chaturantabut (born April 30, 1975) is a Thai American actor, martial artist and stuntman, best known for his role as Chad Lee, the Blue Ranger in ''Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue''. He was born in Rayong Province, Thailand.
Extreme m ...
skills by adding gymnastics to his routine.
Howard began training under martial arts world champion
Matt Mullins
Matthew Mullins is an American actor and martial artist. At the age of 16, in 2000, he won his first World Kickboxing Association title in Dublin, Ireland. This would be his first of five championships in the next three years.
Martial arts car ...
when Mullins made an exception allowing Howard to become the youngest student in his class.
By the age of eight, Howard had won three world championships.
His specialty is Shōrin-ryū, in which he holds two black belts.
At age nine, Howard became the youngest member to perform with Mullins' Sideswipe Performance Team, a traveling martial arts-based group that entertains audiences across the country with a combination of martial arts, dance and acrobatics.
In June 2011, Howard spoke of the experience performing with Sideswipe: "I think that's what really got me addicted to performing. My role changed as I've grown as a performer and just plain grown. I was OK, I wasn't that great at the start, so they would do cool moves and then poof! There'd be this cute kid running out there to do some karate. But for the last couple of years I've been one of the main performers."
Acting
From a young age, Howard was a fan of
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
and
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...
films, and admired their ability to incorporate martial arts into their acting.
At the age of seven, Howard told his mother that he wanted to be an actor.
It was at a martial arts tournament that Howard was first spotted by someone who thought he had the looks to go into show business and referred him to their talent agent.
This led to work as a
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...
for print advertorials and then as an
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
in commercials.
In 2010, Howard remembered his excitement about breaking into show business, saying, "The commercials were just insane to me. Getting a commercial was like getting a lead role in a movie to me."
In 2005, Howard made his television debut shortly before his eighth birthday with a small guest-starring role on the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
series, ''
Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
'' dressed as a "little karate kid" for Halloween, his one line in the episode being "Maybe he's afraid of karate".
Howard would spend the next several years performing with Sideswipe Performance Team before returning to acting in 2009.
In 2009, Howard landed his first steady job interviewing celebrities as "Leo Little", the host of the short-form
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
talk show series, ''
Leo Little's Big Show
This article lists past, present and future television programming on American basic cable channel and former premium channel, Disney Channel, since its launch on April 18, 1983.
Current programming Original Live-action
Animated
Shorts
...
'' and made his feature film debut as "Eric Brooks" in the family film ''Aussie and Ted''.
In August of that year, Howard gained notoriety for his martial arts skills when he appeared as "Young
Snake-Eyes", performing all of his own stunts in a flashback scene for the
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
action-adventure film ''
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra''.
Later that same month, he appeared in a co-starring role as "Laser", one of the three "Short" brothers in the family comedy film ''
Shorts
Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...
'', which earned the cast the
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
for that year as "Best Young Ensemble Cast".
In November 2009, Howard began a recurring role as "Hart Hamlin" on the
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
series, ''
Zeke and Luther
Zeke is a masculine given name and nickname, sometimes a shortened form (hypocorism) of Ezekiel, which may refer to:
People
*Caleb Bailey (nickname "Zeke", 1898-1957), US Marine Corps brigadier general and athlete
*Zeke Bella (1930–2013), Amer ...
''.
In 2010, Howard landed in his first leading role playing "Logan Hoffman" in the independent feature film, ''Logan''.
In August 2010, Howard starred as "Young Conan", once again performing all of his own stunts in the
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...
film, ''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
''.
The film received mixed reviews, but Howard was praised for his performance, with film critic,
Ty Burr
Ty Burr (born August 17, 1957) is an American film critic, columnist, and author who currently writes a film and popular culture newsletter "Ty Burr's Watchlist" on Substack. Burr previously served as film critic at ''The Boston Globe'' for two ...
of
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
writing, "The star (
Jason Momoa
Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the ...
) is arguably outshined by Leo Howard, the feral 13-year-old actor who plays the young Conan in the opening scenes."
In an interview with ''
Empire Magazine
''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989.
History
David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other title ...
'', director
Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel is a German film director and producer, Fulbright Scholar, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', as well as an extensive career in television commercials and music videos. H ...
spoke of working with Howard: "After we finished the film, I went to Lionsgate and said 'Y'know, the movie to do next is ''Conan: The Early Years''.' Leo absolutely blew me away. Almost the entire first act of ''Conan'' is the kid, which is unheard of. At the start, reading the script, everyone was like 'We have to cut that down to ten minutes'. And now everyone's like ‘Can we make that longer?!' He worked out like a charm. There aren't many young actors who could carry that sort of weight."
In June 2010, Howard landed a starring role as "Jack", a teenage karate expert who befriends a group of high school misfits on the
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
comedy series, ''
Kickin' It
''Kickin' It'' is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, and ...
''.
Howard recalled his reaction when he first got the script to audition for the show, saying, "I saw it was a martial arts show and I thought, 'Oh! I have to do this!'"
With Howard receiving top billing and performing all of his own stunts, the series quickly became Disney XD's number 1 original series in the network's history,
and would run for four seasons. Howard directed the
Season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...
episode "Fight At The Museum."
In 2014, Howard played one of main roles in the film ''Andròn – The Black Labyrinth''. In the film he played from Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover. He also guest starred on ''
Lab Rats: Bionic Island''. In March 2016, he directed an episode of ''
Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything
''Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything'' is an American comedy television series created by Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton that aired on Disney XD from July 22, 2015 to January 2, 2017. The series stars Cameron Boyce, Murray Wyatt Rundus, Felix ...
''.
In 2019, Howard landed a recurring role in ''
Why Women Kill
''Why Women Kill'' is an American dark comedy-drama anthology television series created by Marc Cherry. Set in multiple time periods, the series depicts the events leading to deaths caused by women. It premiered on August 15, 2019, on CBS All ...
'' as "Tommy", an eighteen year-old butler who leads Simone, a woman dealing with a divorce after she realized her husband was
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
, into having an affair with him. In 2019, he joined the second season of
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
television series ''
Legacies
In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property.
Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' in recurring capacity,
before being promoted to a series regular role for the series' third season.
Music
In 2017, Howard and his Band - Ask Jonesy & Company, composed of Troy Romzek (lead vocals/guitar), Leo (lead guitar/vocals) and Ricky Ficarelli (bass/vocals), released their first single, Burning Fire. They are due out with their first album June 2018.
Personal life
Howard was home schooled to accommodate his busy work schedule on ''
Kickin' It
''Kickin' It'' is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, and ...
'' and spent most of his time living in the Howard family's home in
Studio City, California
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
when he worked, but still considered his childhood town of
Fallbrook
Fallbrook is a CDP in northern San Diego County, California. Fallbrook had a population of 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census.
Fallbrook's downtown is not on a major highway route. It is west of Interstate 15 or n ...
home.
While still devoted to his passion for martial arts, Howard has stated that he has become more careful when it comes to "fighting" and "sparring" matches, due to the potential for injuries that could interfere with his obligations as an actor.
Howard's hobbies include cooking, playing guitar and collecting antique weapons, including swords and knives.
The centerpiece of his collection being the big "Conan" sword that was presented to him after filming was completed on ''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
''.
Howard has expressed a love for animals and has a pet sheepdog named "Murphy". He is also interested in
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
and volunteers at his local veterinary clinic in his free time.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music video
* "History" (2016), by
Olivia Holt
Olivia Hastings Holt (born August 5, 1997) is an American actress and singer. She starred in the Disney XD series ''Kickin' It'', Disney Channel Original Movie '' Girl vs. Monster'', and the Disney Channel Original Series '' I Didn't Do It''. Fr ...
, as Love interest
Awards
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Leo
1997 births
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male karateka
Shōrin-ryū practitioners
American male television actors
Living people
Male actors from Newport Beach, California
People from Vista, California
21st-century American male actors
People from Fallbrook, California
People from Studio City, Los Angeles