Veteran Hollywood actor Rance Howard, the father of director Ron Howard, has died aged 89.

Ron announced his father's death on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.

He praised his father for the ability to balance ambition with great personal integrity.

"A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history," he wrote. "We love & miss U Dad."

Rance had an acting career that spanned several decades since the 1950s, appearing in several of his son's films including Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Splash, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Parenthood and Grand Theft Auto.

Other film credits include Chinatown and the 2013 drama Nebraska. On television, he appeared in many series including Seinfeld, Murder She Wrote, NCIS: Los Angeles, Grey's Anatomy and Happy Days.

He had been married to the late Jean Speegle Howard, having met as teenagers doing a touring children's production in Oklahoma of classic fairy tales.

They married on the tour dressed in their costumes, with the bride dressed as Snow White and the groom as a huntsman.

Rance is survived by Ron, his other son actor Clint Howard, and grandchildren Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard.