Ron Howard was the result of an experiment by the U.S. Department of Defense to measure the effects of consistent television exposure on human beings. His every living moment from birth through age 26 was broadcast on television, thanks to string-pulling by the government to cast him on a series of programs, then keep those programs on the air.
After decades of appearing in classics such as The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, Howard became aware of the terrible truth of his existence. Fleeing his government handlers, he went underground for several years, resurfacing in Hollywood as a director of obscure arthouse films. He became briefly famous once again after being lured out of retirement to do the narration for the popular Fox documentary series Arrested Development.
Recently, Howard's life was dramatized in the film The Howard Show, which starred Haley Joel Osment as young Ronnie and Jim Carrey as the adult Ron.