Bryce Dallas Howard

Bryce Dallas Howard is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World trilogy (2015–2022), as well as her performances in films such as The Village, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Help, and Rocketman. In addition to acting, she has directed projects including the feature documentary Dads and episodes of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Howard was born on March 2, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, to writer Cheryl Howard and actor-director Ron Howard. She was raised in Armonk, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut. Coming from a family in the entertainment industry, her grandparents Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard, as well as her uncle Clint Howard, were actors, and actor Henry Winkler is her godfather. She began training at Stagedoor Manor alongside Natalie Portman, attended Greenwich Country Day School and Byram Hills High School, and studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before completing her degree in 2020. She also trained at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's School, The Actors Center, and Theater Mitu.

Howard began her professional career appearing in New York stage productions, including House & Garden, Tartuffe, and a 2003 production of As You Like It. Her stage performance caught the attention of director M. Night Shyamalan, who cast her as the lead in the fantasy thriller film The Village (2004). She subsequently appeared in Lars von Trier's drama Manderlay (2005) and reunited with Shyamalan for Lady in the Water (2006). In 2006, she starred in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of As You Like It and directed her first short film, Orchids.

Her film career expanded into major commercial releases starting with her role as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3 (2007). She followed this with appearances in Terminator Salvation (2009), The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2009), and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). In 2011, Howard starred as Hilly Holbrook in the critical hit The Help, appeared in the comedy-drama 50/50, produced the film Restless, and became the first celebrity ambassador for Kate Spade. Her later acting roles included Pete's Dragon (2016), Gold (2016), the "Nosedive" episode of Black Mirror (2016), and the musical biopic Rocketman (2019).

Alongside her acting roles, Howard expanded her work as a director. After directing the short film When You Find Me, she made her feature directorial debut with the documentary film Dads, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. She went on to direct three episodes of the space western series The Mandalorian between 2019 and 2023, as well as an episode of The Book of Boba Fett in 2022.

Over her career, Howard has earned several notable award nominations and achievements. She received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her lead performance in the 2006 adaptation of As You Like It. For her ensemble work in The Help, she won a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Additionally, her performance in Black Mirror earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.