Arliss Howard Bio
Leslie Richard “Arliss” Howard, born on October 18, 1954, is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director whose work spans stage, film, and television. A native of Independence, Missouri, he studied English literature at Columbia College before launching a film career in the early 1980s. Howard is admired for intense, versatile performances and his ability to move between blockbuster features and independent productions. His marriage to actress Debra Winger and his long collaboration with his brother, James Howard, have also shaped his public profile.
Howard’s film credits include Full Metal Jacket (1987), Tequila Sunrise (1988), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009), Moneyball (2011), and Mank (2020). He is also a familiar face on television, with notable roles in the series Rubicon and Medium. Beyond acting, Howard has written and directed projects such as Big Bad Love (2001) and Dawn Anna (2005), often working alongside family members.
Early Life and Background
Howard was born in Independence, Missouri, and raised in the American Midwest. He attended Truman High School, where he completed his secondary education before pursuing higher studies. His Midwestern upbringing, paired with a developing interest in storytelling, gave him a grounded perspective that later influenced his acting style and his choices as a writer and director.
After high school, Howard enrolled at Columbia College, where he earned a degree in English literature. The study of literature sharpened his appreciation for character, dialogue, and narrative structure, skills that would later support his transition from acting into screenwriting. Following college, he worked in the Wyoming oil industry, on a ranch in New Mexico, and spent time in Hawaii, gaining a range of life experiences outside the entertainment industry.
Path to Acting
Howard’s path to acting began in the late 1970s, when he started building his resume on the stage. He developed his craft through years of theatre work, including appearances at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These early stage roles allowed him to refine his presence and connect with directors and fellow actors who would later become long-term collaborators.
His screen career took shape through supporting roles in feature films during the 1980s and 1990s. Projects such as Full Metal Jacket, Tequila Sunrise, Men Don’t Leave, Ruby, The Sandlot, Natural Born Killers, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar helped establish him as a dependable character actor. Television work also played a key role in his development; he earned two CableACE Award nominations for the television films Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture and The Man Who Captured Eichmann, winning for the former.
Arliss Howard Career
Early Career (1979–1995)
Howard began his professional career in 1979, with early credits focused on stage and supporting screen roles. His first widely seen film work came in the late 1980s, including a memorable turn in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) and a part in the crime drama Tequila Sunrise (1988). These early films introduced him to major directors and set the stage for a steady run of character roles.
Throughout the early 1990s, Howard continued to appear in a wide variety of projects. He featured in films such as Men Don’t Leave (1990), Ruby (1992), The Sandlot (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). He also built his television profile with CableACE-nominated performances, signaling that he could carry demanding dramatic material in shorter formats.
Breakthrough (1997–2020)
Howard’s breakthrough as a major-screen presence came in 1997, when he played Peter Ludlow, the corporate antagonist in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun in Amistad. Both films were directed by Steven Spielberg, giving Howard a chance to work at the highest level of studio filmmaking and to reach a worldwide audience.
He followed those films with a recurring role on the NBC drama series Medium, where he also directed episodes, and with leading parts in independent projects he helped create. He starred in and directed Big Bad Love (2001) and Dawn Anna (2005), both co-written with his brother, James Howard, and both starring his wife, Debra Winger. In 2009, he appeared in the science fiction drama The Time Traveler’s Wife, and in 2010, he played Kale Ingram in the AMC series Rubicon. He went on to appear in the sports drama Moneyball (2011) and David Fincher’s Mank (2020), reinforcing his reputation for thoughtful, character-driven work.
Notable Works and Milestones
Howard’s signature projects include Full Metal Jacket, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Big Bad Love, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Moneyball, and Mank. His CableACE Award win for Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture marked an early career milestone, while his direction of Big Bad Love and Dawn Anna demonstrated his range behind the camera. Stage work, including a 2009 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, has remained a steady part of his artistic life.
Arliss Howard Award Nominations
Howard earned two CableACE Award nominations during the early stages of his television career. The nominations recognized his performances in the television films Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture and The Man Who Captured Eichmann. These nods reflected his early standing within the cable television industry and helped pave the way for his later recurring roles in network and cable dramas.
Arliss Howard Awards Won
Howard won a CableACE Award for his performance in the television film Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture. The award remains one of the clearest early honors of his career and highlighted his strength in dramatic, single-storytelling formats. Additional major award wins are not documented in the verified sources available for this profile.
Arliss Howard Family
Howard’s brother, James Howard, is a writer and creative collaborator who has co-written several of his directorial projects, including Big Bad Love and Dawn Anna. The two have maintained a long-standing professional partnership, with James contributing to scripts that often explore family, regret, and rural American life.
Personal Life
Howard was previously married to talent agent Karen Mary Sellars, with whom he has a son, Sam, born in 1987. He is currently married to actress Debra Winger, with whom he has a son, Gideon, born in 1997. The couple has often worked together on screen and stage, including productions at the American Repertory Theater and Howard’s own directorial features.