<P> Howell was born in Van Nuys, California, the son of Christopher N and Candace Howell . He has two sisters, Stacy and Candi, and a brother, John . His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer . As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was even a child stunt performer . He began acting at the age of four, when he was cast in the Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People". </P> <P> When Howell was young, his parents divorced, leaving his mother with both of her sons and daughter Stacy, and his father took little Candi with him to raise on his own . Howell shared his time with each parent and started his career through his father's job . When he was 12, he became a rodeo champion at the California Junior Rodeo Association and was named "All - Around Cowboy" in August 1979 . While growing up, he also spent time golfing with his grandfather (he earned his nickname "CT" as that was how his name was recorded on the screen boards). Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984 . Howell attended The National Conservatory for Drama Arts . </P> <P> Howell's showbiz debut was acting in The Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People" as a little boy whose ears are being checked out by a doctor . When he got older, he tried stunt acting like his father and worked on commercials for a while . He tried rodeo riding for a few years . In 1982, he made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Afterward, he was cast as the lead role Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award . Following The Outsiders, he became a teen idol, appearing in teen magazines like Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, which referred to him as "Tommy" and "Tom". </P> <P> In 1984 he and Outsiders co-star, Patrick Swayze, reunited for Grandview, U.S.A., also with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Red Dawn, with Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson . Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank, with James Garner and Jenilee Harrison . In 1985 he again starred in the lead role in Secret Admirer, opposite Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston . Howell was one of two final actors in the running to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future the other being Eric Stoltz, who was eventually selected . Michael J. Fox would later go on to replace Stoltz after filming had begun . </P>

Who was the actor that played ponyboy in the outsiders
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