A well-known director among Northern Ontario theatre groups has passed away.    Richard Howard passed away in Sault Ste. Marie at the age of 85.  Howard worked with more than 50 theatre groups across Ontario including the Espanola Little Theatre.  He was also an acting coach and had a career that spanned 65 years.  Howard worked across Canada, as well as the U-S, Australia and several European countries.  For 32 years he was married to Russian actress Lila Kedrova who won a Best Supporting Oscar for the 1964 movie Zorba the Greek.