Actor Rance Howard has died, his son, filmmaker Ron Howard, announced on Twitter Saturday afternoon.

Howard was 89 years old.

"Clint & I have been blessed to be Rance Howard’s sons. Today he passed at 89. He stood especially tall 4 his ability to balance ambition w/great personal integrity. A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love & miss U Dad," Ron wrote on Twitter.

Born in Oklahoma, Howard is a Hollywood veteran, starring in both film and television since the 1950s. He appeared in many of his son's films including "A Beautiful Mind" and "Apollo 13."

Speaking about getting his start in acting in a seventh-grade Christmas school play, Howard told The Oklahoman in 2014: "I was suddenly transformed into the character I was playing and realized I had control of the audience. When I came back to Earth a few days later, I knew I wanted to be an actor."



Howard is also the father of actor Clint Howard and grandfather to actresses Brynce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard.