Happy Days Cast: Where Are They Now?

Believe it or no longer, Happy Days started out as a failure. Created by Garry Marshall, the pilot didn’t get picked up, so it aired as a part of the anthology series Love, American Style. It didn’t simply slip throughout the cracks, even though; looking at it satisfied George Lucas to cast Ron Howard in the movie American Graffiti, and ABC to show it into a chain. Smart determination on ABC’s phase: the display became their second-longest-running sitcom of all time.

The ’Happy Days’ Cast. Pictured, most sensible row, left: Henry WInkler (Fonzie), Tom Bosley (Howard), Anson Williams (Potsie), Marion Ross (Marion); bottom row, left: Donny Most (Ralph), Erin Moran (Joanie), Ron Howard (Richie).

Set in Nineteen Fifties Milwaukee, the show focused around the Cunningham family: parents Howard and Marion, and kids Richie and Joanie, in addition to the mysterious Chuck, who disappeared someday all over Season 2 and used to be never mentioned once more. With their friends Ralph Malph, Potsie and The Fonz, they made their manner throughout the lighter facet of existence in 1950s America, once in a while dipping their feet into quite extra critical problems like racial equality and drug use. Mostly, regardless that, the series was once known for its memorable tag lines like "Sit on it!" "I've still got it!," Fonzie’s inability to mention the phrases “wrong” or “love,” and Richie's happy recitation of the primary few lines of the Fats Domino hit "Blueberry Hill."

Among its multiple spin-offs, Happy Days introduced two bona fide hits: Laverne & Shirley, which ran for eight seasons, and Mork & Mindy, which made Robin Williams a family identify.

One of its extra dubious distinctions? Happy Days used to be where the expression "jump the shark" was once born. After Fonzie jumped over a shark on water skis in a single fateful episode, fanatics felt the display went into a top quality tailspin. Nothing dulled the superstar power of its cast, though: let's check out where they are now.

Ron Howard (Richie Cunningham)

Ron Howard has gone directly to have a shockingly prominent career in film and tv. His get started wasn’t too shabby, either: before he grew to become 10 he was once already making a reputation for himself in motion pictures like The Music Man and TV methods like The Andy Griffith Show. But he was always more concerned with directing than appearing and left Happy Days in 1980 to focus on it complete time.

He didn’t flip his back at the show totally. Along with Henry Winkler and Don Most, he loaned his voice abilities to the hard-to-watch-but-findable-on-You-Tube caricature sequence The Happy Days Gang, narrated via Wolfman Jack. The premise: Richie, Fonzie, Ralph, a canine named Mr. Cool and a "chick from the future" traveled thru time in a quest to search out their as far back as 1957 Milwaukee.

His a lot of directing credits come with Cocoon, Apollo 13, Night Shift, Splash, Backdraft, Parenthood (co-written with other individuals of the Happy Days ingenious workforce) and EDtv, amongst others, and in 2002, he gained Oscars for steering and producing A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. Howard has confirmed himself as an award-winning, immensely proficient director who coaxes sensible performances out of his stars: 8 other actors and actresses have won Oscars underneath his direction. He was once also a manufacturer, the narrator and someday guest celebrity on Arrested Development, which has additionally incorporated recurring appearances through different members of the Happy Days gang.

Henry Winkler (Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli)

When Happy Days used to be at its height, pushed in no small manner by means of the recognition of The Fonz, Henry Winkler determined to stay his salary relatively modest in alternate for a percentage of syndication income, making him a magnate.

His post-Happy Days credit may just fill pages. In addition to his more celebrated stints on Arrested Development, Royal Pains and Parks and Recreation, he’s additionally a standard on Children’s Hospital. He’s additionally a director, a producer, a cool animated film voice on a couple of shows and an writer: he’s written virtually 20 books in his Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Under-Achiever collection a few 4th grader with dyslexia. He’s also written a guide about fly fishing, and is an achieved photographer. He has also gave the impression in 4 Adam Sandler films, starting with The Waterboy. He won his first Emmy in 2018 for his work on the hit show Barry.

Tom Bosley (Howard “Mr. C” Cunningham)

Until he stepped into the position of Howard Cunningham, Tom Bosley used to be absolute best identified for his Tony Award-winning position as Fiorello La Guardia within the Broadway musical “Fiorello!” He additionally had some small TV roles, including an look in the 1969 pilot for Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, which starred Joan Crawford and was once directed via Steven Spielberg. His different TV appearances incorporated Bonanza, Bewitched and The Streets of San Francisco.

After his longer term on Happy Days, Bosley stayed in America’s residing rooms by means of starring in Glad Bag commercials during the Nineteen Seventies and '80s. He was at all times on hand for more than a few Happy Days reunion specials and events, continuously taking the chance to tease Howard about by no means casting him in any of his motion pictures. He starred in Father Dowling Mysteries, and had a habitual function on Murder, She Wrote, having first labored with famous person Angela Lansbury again in 1964 within the movie The World of Henry Orient. He additionally appeared on The Love Boat as part of a couple with former TV wife Marion Ross.

Sadly, Tom Bosley died of lung cancer in 2010, at age 83.

Marion Ross (Marion “Mrs. C” Cunningham)

While Howard got his big smash at age six, Marion Ross didn’t get hers till she used to be 46. She’d had some small portions in quite a lot of movies and TV, but once Happy Days kick-started her career, she never stopped. In her 90s, she’s still going sturdy.

She did some visitor roles on The Love Boat (marrying Captain Stubing within the ultimate episode), Night Court and MacGyver, however it was her work at the short-lived series Brooklyn Bridge that scored her two Emmy nominations. She went again to the level after that, co-starring in Arsenic and Old Lace with every other famous TV mother, Jean Stapleton (All In The Family). She were given herself another Emmy nomination for her routine role on Touched By An Angel, and appeared multiple occasions on That 70s Show, The Drew Carey Show, Gilmore Girls and Brothers & Sisters.

Ross isn’t limited to live-action: she also plays SpongeBob SquarePants’ grandmother and Mr. Lopart’s mother on Handy Manny. And more moderen guest spots have incorporated Hot in Cleveland, Anger Management, The Exes, and Two and a Half Men.

She speaks fondly of her Happy Days cast, in particular Winkler (with whom she’s still close), and credits the common baseball video games the cast played for their excellent courting. She’s nonetheless so pleased with her time at the display that she refers to her San Fernando Valley house because the “Happy Days Farm.”

Anson Williams (Potsie Webber)

You may not see Anson Williams’ face on the small display a lot these days, but he’s nonetheless there, following within the footsteps of Howard and making a reputation for himself as a director.

In addition to directing episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and Star Trek: Voyager, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Charmed, Baywatch, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, he was once a mainstay on The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, directing the collection for 5 years.

He's also a a hit businessman: Williams co-owns Starmaker Cosmetics, and Physicians Prefer, which specializes in "drug-free solutions to debilitating problems." Entrepreneurship came early: throughout the show’s run, he opened a sequence of diners called “Big Al’s” with co-star Al Molinari.

And, of course, someone who watched the show recalls him as a singer. Getting clearance for unique, fashionable songs from the Nineteen Fifties wasn’t reasonable, so they frequently had Williams re-record the songs, which is what viewers heard taking part in at the jukebox at Arnold's. In 2014, he also revealed his memoir − Singing to a Bulldog: From 'Happy Days' to Hollywood Director, and the Unlikely Mentor Who Got Me There − where he unearths some behind-the-scenes scoop like the fact that John Lennon visited the Happy Days set with his son Julian, and Ringo Starr stopped via too.

Don Most (Ralph Malph)

Don Most initially auditioned for the role of Richie Cunningham. He didn’t get it, clearly, yet Marshall appreciated him sufficient to create the sensible joker Ralph Malph, who stayed on the show till 1980 and then left, at the side of Richie, to join the Army.

After Happy Days, he seemed on numerous hit TV shows, together with CHiPs, Baywatch, The Love Boat, Sliders, Star Trek: Voyager and Diagnosis: Murder, which co-starred former castmate, Scott Baio. He additionally gave the impression on Baio’s Charles in Charge. He’s voiced a number of cool animated film characters, had some small film roles (including one in Howard’s Edtv), and is understood to Glee lovers as “ginger supremist” Rusty Pillsbury.

Erin Moran (Joanie Cunningham)

Erin Moran performed Richie’s little sister Joanie for almost all of the run of the sequence, leaving for a yr in 1982 to co-star within the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi. When it was canceled, she returned to Happy Days and stayed until the show’s end.

Afterward, she did guest appearances on shows like The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote and Diagnosis: Murder (which co-starred Baio). She appeared as a contestant on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club in 2008 but since then, issues haven’t long gone so smartly for her. Moran's lifestyles took a sad flip in 2010 area in California was once foreclosed on. Pal Winkler was making efforts to get her a task on Arrested Development, but that didn’t determine.

Moran passed on to the great beyond on April 22, 2017, at the age of 56 in Corydon, Indiana. The local sheriff's department and county coroner's workplace launched a observation which said an post-mortem "revealed that Mrs. Moran likely succumbed to complications of Stage 4 cancer.”

Scott Baio (Chachi Arcola)

Scott Baio were given a taste of Hollywood early on and has stayed at the display, large and small, ever since. At 16, he starred in the film Bugsy Malone, along with fellow kid big name Jodie Foster. They labored in combination once more four years later in Foxes, Adrian Lyne’s directorial debut.

Baio is a staunch conservative, which has caused a lot of controversy online. But he’s never been afraid to wear his life on his sleeve: he’s starred in two different reality shows about his own life on VH1.

While he was still working on the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi, he co-starred in the movie Zapped! with Eight is Enough star Willie Aames. After that, he and Aames moved on to Charles In Charge, which ran for 6 years. He did 41 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder with Dick Van Dyke, and guest-starred in dozens of other shows, including The Nanny, Veronica's Closet, and Touched By An Angel. He also joined Howard and Winkler in a recurring role on Arrested Development.

Baio additionally starred in See Dad Run from 2012-2015, which was once shot on the outdated Happy Days degree at Paramount, and he occupied the place of work as soon as utilized by former boss Marshall.

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