Howard Joel Wolowitz[1] is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists on the 2007-2019 CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.

In the universe of The Big Bang Theory, Howard is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics and an ex-astronaut for NASA who, in the show, is often seen at the apartment of Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).

Until he returned from space in season six, his personal transportation was a Vespa motor scooter, which he eventually traded for a Mini Countryman.

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.

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.

'[6] Howard is allergic to nuts, particularly peanuts and pistachios; they can induce a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction in him, which has the side effect of disfiguring his face horribly.

Another time, when he was depressed about Leslie Winkle dumping him in season 2, and while he was in Las Vegas with Raj and Leonard, he tweeted that he was considering suicide by consuming a can of peanuts due to loneliness and not having his desires met.

When he and Raj posed as goths to pick up women, he wore fake-tattoo sleeves and refused to get real ones (although he attempted to get one but was too scared of the needle).

He has also formed a filk band with Raj (and later Bert) named "Footprints on the Moon" and has written songs about popular heroes such as Thor and Indiana Jones.

Howard has also been considered for a top-secret government project, a polar exploration mission, and a position on the International Space Station.

When this proved unsuccessful, he decided to erase the hard drives of the facility and destroy all the files connected to his treachery to cover up his meddling, only to later find out that the rover had discovered the first clear signs of life on Mars.

The solution proved unsuccessful and an incident on the station ensued (Raj referred to this as the "zero-gravity human-waste distribution system").

Her nosy nature and her barrage of questions make Howard's life tense at home, which prompts him to call her a "crazy old lady".

[15] Following the death of Carol Ann Susi, it was decided Mrs. Wolowitz would die in the season 8 episode "The Comic Book Store Regeneration".

While at first upset at the notion that his father went on to have another family, Howard bonds with Josh when the latter shows admiration for his journey to space and possesses a lecherous nature similar to his original one.

As of season 11, they are expecting another baby, this time a son, to whom Howard is desperately nervous about bonding: in "The Neonatal Nomenclature", their son is born, and after a lot of dispute (initially due to Bernadette picking a name before he was born), is named Neil (for Armstrong, Gaiman, and Diamond) Michael (after Bernadette's father).

For example, he develops a mathematical formula for the likelihood of his having relations by applying and modifying the Drake equation to include the "Wolowitz coefficient", which he defines as "neediness times dress size squared".

After yet another approach by Howard, Penny finally confronts him about the way he treats women, giving a brutal assessment of him from the woman's point of view.

[21] When the guys travel by train to a symposium in San Francisco, Howard gets a chance to talk to Summer Glau (portraying herself).

[22] During a camping trip with Leonard and Raj, in which they all get stoned by eating cookies laced with a drug (likely marijuana), Howard reveals he lost his virginity to his second cousin Jeanie after his uncle's funeral.

Subsequently, Howard realizes Bernadette represents a real opportunity to develop a lasting relationship and, in an impulsive manner, he proposes to her.

This marks a fundamental shift in Howard's character, as he stops perusing random women and focuses solely on his new relationship.

During their engagement, Bernadette is awarded her doctorate degree and reveals that she has gotten a job at a pharmaceutical company which promises a "buttload of money".

The situation reaches its breaking point when he and Bernadette have an argument after she buys him a Rolex, which he interprets as a sign that she will be the main breadwinner;[29] more recently, he appears to be more accepting of that situation, since (after falling out over the idea of starting a family) they have discussed that if they have children, he will probably become a stay-at-home dad while she continues to work (a possibility they revisit in season 11 prior to and immediately after the birth of their son).

[31] At his bachelor party, an inebriated Raj describes Howard losing his virginity to his second cousin, his Las Vegas prostitute experience, and their threesome with an overweight Sailor Moon cosplayer at Comic-Con.

Bernadette picks them up and is furious after seeing the video and is wondering how she can marry a man that she doesn't seem to know, though she does forgive him after he gives an enrapturing apology for Penny to transfer, which sends her into tears.

Bernadette is escorted down the aisle by her father and is married by Raj, Leonard, Penny, Sheldon and Amy who all became ministers for the occasion.

During this time, Raj's kindness and helpful nature inadvertently reveal that Howard and Bernadette's relationship has deteriorated to the extent that they no longer pay attention to each other, but they insist that they are content with merely "half-assing" their way through their marriage.

Due to an upset stomach caused by gas station sushi, Howard used and subsequently clogged Emily's toilet.

During the episode, Howard and Amy are randomly paired-up to take part in a scavenger hunt organized by Raj, much to the former's relief due to Bernadette's competitiveness, and subsequently bond over their mutual love of Neil Diamond's music, even agreeing to attend one of his concerts together and performing his songs at the Cheesecake Factory.