Who played the title role of Ed in Ron Howard's "Edtv" from 1999?

Explanation

The American film director Ron Howard (born 1954) started his film career as a young child - he was only 2 when he had his first role, and continued acting in tv series and films throughout his childhood and youth. In 1973, he played in George Lucas' "American Graffiti". Howard is primarily known for his career as a director however. He established a solid reputation in the 1990s with films such as "Backdraft" and "Edtv" - the latter starring Matthew McConaughey. In 2002, he won Academy Awards for best motion picture and best director with "A Beautiful Mind". Since then, he has seen success with "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons". Ron Howard's four children are all named after the places where they were conceived - his daughter Bryce Dallas Howards was thus conceived in Dallas, Texas.