Life and Career
Howard was born Jean F. Speegle in Duncan, Oklahoma, the daughter of Louise (née Dewey) and William Allen Speegle. She married actor Rance Howard, also from Duncan, Oklahoma in 1949. Their sons are actor/director Ron Howard and actor/director Clint Howard. She was also the grandmother of actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
She starred in the 1996 film Matilda as the librarian, Mrs. Phelps. Also she had been in the U.S show 'Two of a kind' starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen age 12-14. In a 1995 episode of Roseanne, Howard appeared as an elderly neighbor who prefers to be nude while in her own home, much to the chagrin of Dan and Roseanne, who often see from their own bedroom window. Howard also starred in the hit children's programme 'Two of a kind' alongside Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. One of her last on-camera speaking roles, Howard portrayed astronaut James Lovell's mother in the 1995 motion picture Apollo 13. When circumstances appear bleak for the crew, Howard's character says confidently, "If they could get a washing machine to fly, my Jimmy could land it."
In the 1986 Christmas film A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Howard along with her husband appear in the film. She played Old Lady Jezebel and her husband played Dr. Jennings.
On September 2, 2000, Howard died in Los Angeles, California of heart and respiratory illness. She was 73 years old. The 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, directed by her son Ron, and featuring her son Clint and her husband Rance and her granddaughter Bryce, includes a dedication to her at the beginning of the end credits, saying that she was "who loved Christmas the most". She is buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.
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