Topic: C. Thomas Howell

Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), usually credited as C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped and Gods and Generals. He is scheduled to appear in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man.

Christopher Thomas Howell, nicknamed either "Tommy" or "CT", was born on December 7, 1966 in Van Nuys, California, one of four children of Chris and Candice Howell. He has two sisters, Stacy and Candi, and a brother, John. His father worked as a stunt coordinator since Howell was six. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was even a child stunt player. He began acting at the age of four, when cast in the Brian Keith Show in an episode called "The Little People".

When Howell was young his parents divorced, leaving his mother with both of her sons and daughter Stacy, and his father took little Candi with him. Howell shared his time with each parent and started his career through his father's job. When he was twelve, he became a rodeo champion at the California Junior Rodeo Association and was named "All-Around Cowboy" in August 1979. While growing up, he also spent time golfing with his grandfather (where his nickname "CT" came because that's how he was recorded on screen boards).