Terrence Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to parents Tyrone Howard and Anita Williams, both of whom were biracial and of African and English descent. Howard’s early childhood was troubled as he suffered physical abuse at the hands of his father. When Howard was two years old, his father was imprisoned for 11 months for manslaughter. His parents divorced shortly after his release. His father, however, remained a constant presence in his life.
At the age of 16, Howard emancipated himself from his parents, and at the age of 18, he moved to New York to pursue acting. His acting career began to flourish with small roles in popular television series such as Coach, Family Matters, and Picket Fences, to name a few. In 1995, Howard got his big break with the film Dead Presidents. He has since carved out a name for himself in Hollywood and is best known for his work in the Oscar-nominated Hustle and Flowand the television series Empire.
In 2019, the actor made a statement stating he was retiring from acting, however, just one year later, Howard was linked to Delta Blues, a one-hour drama about “The Father of The Blues” William Christopher Handy. You can also catch Howard in the upcoming horror-flick Skeletons in the Closet, opposite actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Until then, here are Terrence Howard’s best movies, ranked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Iron Man
Marvel Studios
In the first installment of Marvel’s Iron Man franchise, Howard starred as Tony Stark’s best friend James Rhodes a.ka. Rhodey. Howard’s time as Rhodey was ultimately cut short, however, as the notoriously difficult actor butted heads with the studio. Despite having a contract to star in the sequel for $8 million, Howard was offered just $1 million and decided to part ways with the blockbuster franchise. Howard has since spoken out against Marvel for the Iron Man 2 firing.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 The Brave One
Village Roadshow Pictures & Warner Bros.
The Brave One chronicles the tale of Erica Bain (Jodie Foster), a local radio host who falls victim to a brutal attack that leaves her fiancé dead, and her traumatized. Erica soon becomes hellbent on revenge and seeks vigilante justice against her attackers. Howard gives an emotional and believable performance as the conflicted cop hot on her trail. The Brave One is a tremendous revenge movie that shakes things up by casting a strong woman lead in the usual tough-guy role.
7 Dead Presidents
Hollywood Pictures & Caravan Pictures
Dead Presidents is loosely based on the book Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans by Haywood T Kirkland. The film marks Howard’s first credited role in a film as Cowboy. His role is small, however, helps propel the plot when he reveals to the main protagonist, Anthony Curtis, that his girlfriend was cheating on him while he was away at war. Dead Presidents is a vastly underrated film that touches on important issues theBblack community was facing at the time and is also a very entertaining heist movie.
6 August Rush
Southpaw Entertainment & Warner Bros.
August Rush is a musical drama about an orphaned child named Evan (Freddie Highmore), who runs away to New York and becomes a street performer as he believes his gift of music will help reunite him with his birth parents. Howard gives a thoughtful performance as Richard Jeffries, a caring social worker assigned to Evan’s case.
5 The Butler
Laura Ziskin Productions & Lee Daniels Entertainment
The Butler is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, an African-American man that served as a butler in the White House for decades. The real-life exploits of Allen inspired a Washington Post article titled “A Butler Well Served By This Election” by Wil Haygood. The film stars Forest Whitaker as the titular butler and boasts a star-studded supporting cast. Among the supporting cast is Howard, who ironically stars as Howard. In a 2013 interview with Paste Magazine, Howard shared the story about how director Lee Daniels thought he was too pretty for the role, so they needed to ugly him up. Howard would eventually have a dentist remove a crown on one of his teeth to secure the role.
4 Ray
Universal Pictures & Bristol Bay Productions
Jamie Foxx stars as the titular Ray in the Oscar-winning biopic about Black music icon Ray Charles. Ray chronicles the life and career of legendary musician Ray Charles. The film is an emotional rollercoaster that gives an inside look at the childhood trauma that would ultimately lead to Charles’ issues with substance abuse in his adult life. Howard stars as Gossie McGee, one of Charles’s managers who skims money off the top and accepts kickbacks. Although Howard’s character was based on Charles’ real-life business partner Garcia McKee, McKee never stole money from Charles in reality — that part was fictionalized for dramatic effect.
3 Prisoners
8:38 Productions & Alcon Entertainment
Prisoners is a crime thriller about the abduction of two young girls and their respective fathers’ desperate attempts to rescue them. When the only suspect is set free due to lack of evidence, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) goes rogue and tries to get the girls back on his terms. Franklin Birch (Howard) reluctantly accompanies him on his vigilante mission. Prisoners is a fantastic crime thriller that was named one of the top ten films of 2013.
2 Crash
Bob Yari Productions & DEJ Productions
Crash interweaves several disparate storylines into a bleak picture of class and racial divides in a post-9/11 Los Angeles. The movie features an impressive ensemble cast, including Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Ryan Phillipe, and Thandiwe Newton in one of her best performances. Howard plays a wealthy and successful film director, who is humiliated when his wife (Newton) is assaulted by a white police officer at a routine traffic stop, and he is powerless to help her. Howard’s performance in the film was praised by critics.
1 Hustle and Flow
Crunk Pictures & Paramount Vantage
Howard has been nominated for a slew of awards for his powerful performance as Djay, a small-time Memphis pimp with big musical aspirations in Hustle and Flow. Unlike most portrayals of drug dealers, which are merely surface level, Howard digs deep and crafts a complicated character with care and consideration. He delivers a truly nuanced performance of a highly intelligent, and ambitious man grasping any opportunities that life affords him.
