Howard Wolowitz

Lore & Background

In the universe of The Big Bang Theory, Howard is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics and an astronaut for NASA who, in the show, is often seen at the apartment of Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper. He grew up in Altadena, California, not Pasadena. Howard received his master's degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, though his undergraduate degree is from an unspecified institution. He lived with his mother for several seasons before eventually moving in with his wife Bernadette Rostenkowski.

Until he returned from space in season six, his personal transportation was a Vespa motor scooter, which he eventually traded for a Mini Countryman. Howard is a polyglot. Besides English, Howard knows nine languages: French, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Latin, Persian, Japanese, American Sign Language, and the constructed language Klingon from the Star Trek franchise. He also knows some words in Sindarin and understands the computer language Binary ASCII, but these are not counted among his nine spoken languages.

The episode "The Hawking Excitation" reveals that he also understands the computer language Binary ASCII. As in "The Love Spell Potential" (Season 6, ep 23), Howard frequently does impersonations of Nicolas Cage, and is capable of impersonating Al Pacino and Christopher Walken. Until his marriage, Howard fancied himself as a "ladies' man" and he provided outrageous and often sexist pick-up lines whenever there was a woman present, resulting in humiliating rejections.

Howard describes himself as a romantic, although he usually comes across as overtly sexual, and in the words of Penny, disgusting. However, Penny's dislike of Howard mellowed since Howard started dating Penny's colleague Bernadette, whom he later married. When Howard found an ALF doll and revealed that it filled a void for him when his father left, Penny felt sympathy for him and began to empathize more when she understood his behavior a little bit better.

Like the rest of the group, Howard dislikes many of Sheldon's antics. He has grown accustomed to them, but he is the quickest to get frustrated with Sheldon.

Reader's Guide

Howard Wolowitz begins the series as a self-centered mechanical engineer living with his overbearing mother in Pasadena. His defining trait is a mix of technical brilliance and social awkwardness, often clashing with Sheldon Cooper while remaining loyal to Leonard Hofstadter. Over time, Howard matures significantly through his relationship with Bernadette Rostenkowski. Their romance transforms him from a womanizing bachelor into a devoted husband and father. He eventually fulfills his childhood dream of space travel, becoming an astronaut for NASA aboard the International Space Station. Key moments include marrying Bernadette in season 5 finale "The Countdown Reflection", having twin children named Halley and Neil Wolowitz, and finally leaving Earth orbit.