Carla Novinger, also known professionally as Carla Howey, is an American acting coach, studio manager and publisher. She is best known as the mother of actor Steve Howey and the longtime teaching partner of her husband, acting coach Bill Howey.Most celebrity parents stay in the background. Carla Novinger is different. She spent more than four decades inside the acting world, first in Los Angeles, then in Denver, and later in Arizona.

Her story is real, but it is also thinly documented. Many bio sites repeat the same few lines and some get basic facts wrong. This guide sticks to what can be traced to the Howey family’s own studio pages, Backstage and NBC. Where nothing public exists, it says so.

Carla Novinger Profile Summary Table

Early Life and Childhood Foundations of Carla Novinger

Carla grew up in a military household. Her father served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and later retired in Denver, Colorado. That detail comes from the Howey Acting Studio’s own biography of her.

Her exact birth date, birthplace and maiden name history are not published by any reliable source. Several biography sites list “Novinger” as her family name, while her professional work appears under “Carla Howey.” Both names refer to the same person.

Military families move often and value discipline. It is fair to say those habits show up later in her steady, hands on teaching style, though she has never described her childhood in a public interview.

Education and Discovering a Passion for Performance

No public record lists Carla’s schools or degrees. Any article claiming a specific college or diploma is guessing.

What is documented is her professional training. She entered the acting world in Los Angeles around 1980 and worked alongside Bill at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, the well known school led by Milton Katselas.

She also built a second skill set outside the classroom. Years later she taught herself enough desktop publishing to lay out a full book in Adobe InDesign CS4. That mix of performance training and production know how shaped everything she did next.

Marriage to Bill Howey and Building a Creative Partnership

Carla and Bill Howey were partners at home and in business. The exact wedding date is not public, but their shared timeline is well documented.

Here is how their partnership unfolded:

• 1980: They begin teaching acting classes in Los Angeles.
• About five years later: They leave the Beverly Hills Playhouse and open their own studio in Culver City, California.
• Around 1985: They buy a sailboat and spend nearly a year sailing the Mexican coast with their son.
• After the voyage: They open a small studio in Burbank, California.
• Denver years: They move to Colorado and teach for 12 years.
• Later: They return to Los Angeles, then relocate to Arizona.

Bill Howey passed away in 2021, according to NBC. The couple had run their acting school together for decades before that.

Professional Career as an Acting Teacher and Coach

Carla’s main profession is acting coach. She also managed the business side of the studio, and Backstage lists her as the manager of Howey Acting Studio.

Her career includes:

1. Beverly Hills Playhouse (1980 onward): Early teaching in Los Angeles.
2. Culver City and Burbank studios: The couple’s first independent schools.
3. Denver (12 years): A full teaching practice plus film production.
4. Los Angeles (10 years): Four advanced or intermediate classes, one beginner class and one teen class.
5. Mesa, Arizona (2016 onward): A new studio serving actors in the Phoenix area.

A student writing on the studio’s site says Carla taught the class for months while Bill was away. The same student calls her a gifted coach in her own right. That testimonial is first hand, but it is also hosted on the studio’s own website, so readers should weigh it accordingly.

Raising a Family: Children Bret, Tammy, and Steve Howey

Carla and Bill have three children. NBC’s profile of Steve names his siblings as a brother, Bret, and a sister, Tammy.

The family’s work was also their lifestyle. The children grew up around rehearsals, scripts and student scenes. Steve later said that being coached by a parent was tricky but ultimately paid off, according to a 2011 Los Angeles Times interview cited by NBC.

Details about Bret and Tammy’s careers are not public. Their privacy is worth respecting.

Steve Howey’s Early Life and Motherly Influence

Steve Howey was born Steven Michael Robert Howey on July 12, 1977, in San Antonio, Texas. His family then moved to California, where much of his early childhood was spent on sailboats along the Pacific and Mexican coasts.

He later grew up in Colorado. He attended Green Mountain High School in Lakewood and then Northeastern Junior College in Sterling on a basketball scholarship.

Carla was the constant through those moves. When her own mother became ill, she and Bill relocated the family to Denver. That decision put Steve in the Colorado school system and, eventually, in front of the camera.

Steve Howey’s Rise to Fame on Reba and Shameless

Steve’s first screen credit was the independent film Class, a project his parents wrote and produced. It screened at the Denver International Film Festival.

His breakthrough came with the WB sitcom Reba, where he played Van Montgomery for six seasons. Fans still associate him with that role.

He later played Kevin Ball in Showtime’s Shameless. His other credits include Bride Wars, Something Borrowed, Stuber, Sons of Anarchy and SEAL Team. More recently he reunited with Reba McEntire on Happy’s Place, as noted by NBC.

The Role of Carla Novinger in Steve Howey’s Career Success

No public source measures Carla’s exact contribution to her son’s career. What the record does show is a clear pattern.

• She helped build the studios where Steve trained.
• She co-produced the first film that gave him screen experience.
• She moved the family to Denver, where he found his footing.
• She and Bill returned to Los Angeles once Reba was underway.

Her influence reached beyond Steve. His former wife, actress Sarah Shahi, publicly credited Bill Howey as her acting coach and called him her best kept secret in a Backstage feature. Carla and Bill ran the studio together, so the family teaching tradition clearly extended into the next generation.

Life in Denver and Personal Achievements

Denver was the most productive chapter of Carla’s career. She and Bill taught there for 12 years and wrote and produced three independent films.

Their first film, Class, was shown at the Denver International Film Festival. For a small family production, that was a real milestone.

Carla also launched Compass Publishing during this period of her career. The press published The Actor’s Menu, laid out by Carla herself in Adobe InDesign CS4.

Denver also had personal meaning. Her father retired there, and it was her own mother’s illness that first brought the family to Colorado.

Her Impact on Acting Coaching Methodologies

Carla did not publish her own coaching manual. Her influence shows up in how the Howey studio teaches.

The studio’s approach rests on a few clear ideas:

• Honest feedback: Students say Carla tells the truth about their work.
• Believable, vulnerable characters: The goal is real emotion, not showy acting.
• Fixing habits early: The Howeys say they address bad acting before it sets in.
• Try before you commit: New students can perform a one to three minute monologue and receive a free critique before joining.

The Actor’s Menu adds a framework. It teaches actors to build a personal character menu from their own life ingredients. Bill wrote the book and Carla published it.

Media Presence and Private Life

Carla keeps a low profile. No verified solo interviews, awards listings or social media accounts appear in reliable sources.

Her public footprint is mostly professional:

• Backstage lists Howey Acting Studio with Carla as manager.
• Bill Howey wrote advice columns as a Backstage acting expert.
• The studio website shows photos of Carla and Bill with George Clooney at a farewell party. It also hosts letters in which Clooney thanks Bill for helping with his first acting job.

Be careful with online biographies. Some low quality sites call her a homemaker, give Steve’s father the wrong first name or invent details. Always check claims against primary sources.

Relationship with Her Grandchildren and Extended Family

Carla has three grandchildren through Steve. Public reports name them as William Wolf, born in 2009, and the twins Violet Moon and Knox Blue, born in 2015.

Steve and Sarah Shahi divorced in 2021. Beyond birth dates and names, little about the grandchildren is public, and that is appropriate. They are minors.

Carla’s extended family includes her late husband’s students and generations of actors the couple trained. Many former students describe the Howeys as mentors who cared about their personal growth as well as their acting.

Key Achievements and Milestones of Carla Novinger

• 1980: Starts teaching acting in Los Angeles.
• About 1985: Opens a studio in Culver City after five years at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
• Denver era: Teaches for 12 years and helps produce three independent films.
• Film festival screening: Class plays at the Denver International Film Festival.
• Publishing: Founds Compass Publishing and releases The Actor’s Menu.
• Los Angeles return: Runs scene study classes for 10 years.
• 2016: Relocates to Arizona and helps open the Mesa studio.
• Parenting: Raises three children, including an actor who starred in two long running series.

What Makes Carla Novinger a Respected Figure in the Arts

Three qualities stand out.

1. Longevity: More than 40 years of teaching is rare in a field that churns quickly.
2. Versatility: She moved between coaching, publishing, film production and studio management.
3. Honesty: Students repeatedly highlight her direct feedback.

One caveat matters. Most praise comes from testimonials on the studio’s own site, so it should be read as supportive evidence rather than independent review.

Conclusion

Carla Novinger is more than Steve Howey’s mother. She is a working acting coach, publisher and producer whose career has spanned Los Angeles, Denver and Arizona.Her biggest strengths were consistency and teamwork. Alongside Bill Howey, she trained actors, produced films and shaped a family that produced a well known television actor.

Public details about her early life remain limited, and this profile avoids filling those gaps with guesses. If new reliable sources emerge, this picture may grow richer.

FAQs

Who is Carla Novinger?

Carla Novinger, also known as Carla Howey, is an American acting coach and studio manager. She is Steve Howey’s mother and Bill Howey’s longtime teaching partner.

When was Carla Novinger born?

Her birth date is not publicly disclosed in any reliable source. Treat any specific date you see online as unverified.

Who is Carla Novinger married to?

She was married to acting coach and director Bill Howey, who passed away in 2021, according to NBC.

How many children does Carla Novinger have?

She has three children: Bret, Tammy and actor Steve Howey.

What is her connection to actor Steve Howey?

She is his mother. She also co-ran the acting studios where he trained.

What is Carla Novinger’s primary profession?

She is an acting coach who also manages Howey Acting Studio. She has worked in publishing and independent film production as well.

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