Star Trek

He may be forever known as Ron Howard’s “little brother,” but Clint Howard is the only one in the family with three appearances on various Star Treks—including the original series!  That’s because of creative casting choices that used the then-7-year-old as the very short Balok, with voice redubbed by an adult male, in the classic episode “The Corbomite Manuever”—the first Star Trek production hour to be filmed after the two pilots (although “The Man Trap” would be aired first.)

As an adult, Howard also appeared as the mentally ill Sanctuary resident “Grady”  in DS9’s “Past Tense, Part II” and as the slow-witted Ferengi “Muk” in Enterprise’s first-year episode “Acquisition.”

Howard, like his brother a native of Burbank, Calif., was born in 1959—and had his first professional acting gig at age 3. His early career made him a household fixture as the young TV son of Dennis Weaver—and co-star to a bear, the title character—for two seasons on Ivan Tors’ Gentle Ben series. In later years, Howard appeared in 16 of the movies directed by his brother, including Apollo 13.