Howard Joel Wolowitz is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg. Among the four main male characters in the show, Howard is distinctive for being an engineer—rather than a physicist—and lacking a PhD. He is named after and based on a computer programmer known by the show's co-creator; Bill Prady. Howard is the only starring character who has been to the International Space Station. Along with Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, and Raj Koothrappali, Howard is part of the central cast of the show.

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers and head writers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. It aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.