Born in San Antonio, Texas, Howey spent several years of his early childhood living on boats with his parents. They eventually settled in a Los Angeles suburb where he attended junior high and most of high school.
After moving to Denver to complete his senior year, Howey earned a basketball scholarship to a junior college in Colorado. When he found his desire to play beginning to wane in his second year, he turned to his father, acting coach Bill Howey, for inspiration. He took his parents' acting classes to find the thrill of competition and instead discovered a love for acting and has been at it ever since.
