USS Houston appeared as the fictional Red October in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October.
The film adapted Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel about a Soviet Typhoon-class submarine captain attempting to defect to the United States. Filmmakers used the real Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Houston for exterior footage representing Red October and other underwater scenes.
Houston entered U.S. Navy service in 1982. Its appearance helped give the film a convincing submarine setting, although the fictional Red October is a much larger ballistic-missile submarine with an experimental silent propulsion system. The real Houston was a fast-attack boat, not a Typhoon-class vessel.
The movie also used specially built sets, miniatures, and visual effects. USS Dallas, another Los Angeles-class submarine, represented the American submarine pursuing Red October in many scenes. That distinction is a common source of confusion when identifying the vessels seen in the film.