# Jean Speegle Howard
**Jean Speegle Howard** (born Jean Frances Speegle; January 31, 1927 – September 2, 2000) was an American character actress from Duncan, Oklahoma, best known for late-career film roles such as [Mrs. Claus](https://www.edgepedia.org/mrs-claus) in *Scrooged* (1988) and astronaut [Jim Lovell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-lovell)'s mother in her son [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard)'s *Apollo 13* (1995).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) She was the mother of director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | January 31, 1927, Duncan, Oklahoma; birth name Jean Frances Speegle[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/) |
| Died | September 2, 2000, Burbank, California, aged 73, of complications from heart and respiratory illnesses[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) |
| Marriage | Married actor and writer Rance Howard on October 5, 1949; the marriage lasted until her death[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/) |
| Training | American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) |
| Signature role | Blanch Lovell, mother of Jim Lovell, in *Apollo 13* (1995)[3](https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/7/20087091/film-review-apollo-13/) |
| Career pattern | Set acting aside for nearly 30 years to raise her sons, then worked steadily as a character actress in the final 15 years of her life[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) |
## Early life and training
Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, to Louise (née Dewey) and William Allen Speegle.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/) After high school she moved to New York City to study acting at the [American Academy of Dramatic Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-academy-of-dramatic-arts).[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) Her training was interrupted in 1946 when she was struck by a truck and unable to walk for several months; she returned to the stage a year later at the [University of Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oklahoma).[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html)
At the University of Oklahoma, through the actor and fellow student [Dennis Weaver](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-weaver), she met [Rance Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/rance-howard) (born Harold Beckenholdt), who would become her husband.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000165/bio/) The two were married in Kentucky while touring with a children's theater company.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html)
## Raising a family in the business
She continued acting professionally through the early 1950s, then concentrated on being a wife and mother for nearly 30 years while Ron and Clint worked as child actors.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) The family moved to Hollywood in 1958, the year before Clint's birth.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000165/bio/) In an earlier stint in New York, Howard had supported the household herself, working as a typist for CBS, at a Macy's perfume counter, and as a hatcheck girl at the Copacabana.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/)
Ron and [Clint Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-howard)'s 2021 memoir, *The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family*, centers on how their parents shaped them and their careers; Ron Howard has said his mother was gregarious, energetic, and funny, and that the brothers' survival in Hollywood had everything to do with their upbringing.[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-10-07/la-ca-jc-ron-howard-clint-howard-the-boys-memoir)
## Late-career comeback
The entertainer known professionally as Jean Speegle made what the *Los Angeles Times* called a spectacular comeback as an aging character actress during the last 15 years of her life.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) Her film roles included one of the senior citizens in *Cocoon* (1985), Mrs. Claus in *[Scrooged](https://www.edgepedia.org/scrooged)* (1988), an elderly woman in *I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore* (1992), a hospital volunteer in *The Paper* (1994), and, in 1996, an elderly woman in *Black Sheep*, Miss Phelps in *Matilda*, and an asthmatic tourist in *My Fellow Americans*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) • [6](https://thetvdb.com/people/252147-jean-speegle-howard) On television she appeared in series including *Homeboys in Outer Space*, *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman*, *Ellen*, *Roseanne*, *Grace Under Fire*, *Married... with Children*, *[Unhappily Ever After](https://www.edgepedia.org/unhappily-ever-after)*, *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, *Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place*, *Two of a Kind*, and *Norm*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html)
**Apollo 13.** In her son's 1995 film *[Apollo 13](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-13-film)*, she portrayed Blanch Lovell, the mother of astronaut Jim Lovell, played by [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks).[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) A contemporary review in the *Deseret News* singled her out: while Clint and Rance Howard appeared in small roles as usual, it was Jean Speegle Howard who delivered a touching performance as Lovell's mother.[3](https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/7/20087091/film-review-apollo-13/) Ron Howard later said he had been nervous about casting her in the pivotal role until his father twisted his arm and encouraged him to give her a chance.[7](https://www.etonline.com/ron-howard-reflects-on-making-apollo-13-following-the-films-25th-anniversary-exclusive-150395) Her line in the film, "If they could get a washing machine to fly, my Jimmy could land it," became one of its most-quoted moments.[8](https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/ars-reflects-on-apollo-13-turning-30/)
## Death
Howard died on September 2, 2000, in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), at age 73, survived by her husband, her sons, and four grandchildren.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html) Her final screen credit is listed as the 2000 film *The Hiding Place*.[6](https://thetvdb.com/people/252147-jean-speegle-howard)
## References
1. [Jean Speegle Howard – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397362/bio/)
2. [Myrna Oliver, "Jean Speegle Howard; Actress Was Mother of Ron Howard," Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2000](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-me-16379-story.html)
3. [Film review: Apollo 13, Deseret News, July 7, 1995](https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/7/20087091/film-review-apollo-13/)
4. [Ron Howard – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000165/bio/)
5. [Ron and Clint Howard open up in Hollywood memoir 'The Boys', Los Angeles Times, October 7, 2021](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-10-07/la-ca-jc-ron-howard-clint-howard-the-boys-memoir)
6. [Jean Speegle Howard – Filmography, TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/people/252147-jean-speegle-howard)
7. [Ron Howard Reflects on Making 'Apollo 13' Following the Film's 25th Anniversary, Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/ron-howard-reflects-on-making-apollo-13-following-the-films-25th-anniversary-exclusive-150395)
8. [Ars reflects on Apollo 13 turning 30, Ars Technica, 2025](https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/ars-reflects-on-apollo-13-turning-30/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actors and actresses by country or nationality › American actors and actresses › Surnames G to O*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license