'Happy Days' celebrates 50 years: ‘I look back now and feel so fortunate'
"Happy Days" aired on ABC for 11 seasons and brought joy to families all over America as it followed the Cunningham family navigating middle-class life in Wisconsin.
"Happy Days" is celebrating its 50th anniversary!
From 1974 to 1984, the show brought joy to households all over America. For 10 years, audiences followed the Cunninghams as they navigated their lives as a middle-class family living in Wisconsin in the ‘50s and ’60s. For so many fans of the show, it represents a simpler time, which is why they continue to seek it out.
Not only is the show itself famous, but it also helped launch the careers of its iconic actors. Fifty years after the start of the show, Ron Howard has become a top Hollywood director, Henry Winkler has found a new generation of fans and Anson Williams dipped his toe into politics.
When it comes to a potential reboot, Williams told Fox News Digital in August 2022, "anything is possible" and that "Any way we can be together, whether it’s reuniting for a baseball game or a new television show, would just be a phenomenal gift."
"Who would have thought that this lower-middle-class kid would end up being on the number one show in the world?" he shared. "And not only that, but you end up with four decades of friendship? It’s been such a pleasure to be with such talented, successful people with even bigger hearts that truly care consistently."
Here is a look at the cast.
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While Marion Ross has appeared in several movies and television shows, she is most recognized for her role as matriarch of the Cunningham family, Marion Cunningham, in "Happy Days." Ross appeared on the spinoff, "Joanie Loves Chachi," which was focused on her TV daughter Joanie and her boyfriend Chachi, who were trying to make it on their own in Chicago.
"I love that people still care about us after all these years," she told Fox News Digital in honor of the show's anniversary in 2018.
She said the cast often came together to play softball, revealing: "we had a wonderful softball team because all the boys were very good athletes."
"Ron Howard played right field [and] Scott Baio was a wonderful first base," Ross said. "And I had a uniform with my own mitt with my name on it and my own bat! And we played so much softball. It kept the cast together. I don’t know if we would have survived if we didn’t have that softball team."
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After the show ended, Ross starred in a critically acclaimed show called "Brooklyn Bridge" about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The show won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award but was canceled after two seasons. She also won a Golden Globe for her performance in "The Evening Star."
Since then, Ross has guest starred or appeared as a recurring character in several shows, including "Gilmore Girls," "Greys Anatomy" and "That 70s Show." She also dipped her toe in voiceover acting, lending her talent to shows like "Handy Manny," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "King of the Hill." She has also made appearances in "The Middle," "Senior Entourage" and "Viral Vignettes."
Ross was married to Freeman Meskimen from 1951 to 1969, and they share two children, Jim and Ellen.
Thomas Bosley portrayed Howard Cunningham on "Happy Days," but prior to making a name for himself in the world of television, he had already won a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway musical "Fiorello." Howard is his most well-known role, and many of his acting credits occurred concurrently.
These roles included voiceover work for children’s shows such as "The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater" and "The World of David the Gnome."
After returning to the stage in 1994 as part of the original cast of Broadway’s "Beauty and the Beast," he returned to screen acting in 2008, starring in the Hallmark Channel’s "Charlie & Me." In 2010, he starred in his last two films "The Back-Up Plan" and "Santa Buddies."
"My wife says my tombstone will read ‘Here lies Mr. C, who used to be Mr. B. So I think that’s probably what I'll be remembered for," Bosley told The Television Academy in September 2000.
He was married to Jean Eliot from 1962 to 1978, and they share a daughter, Amy Bosley Baer. He then married Patricia Carr in 1980. Bosley died at the age of 83 in October 2010.
Erin Moran won the role of Joanie Cunningham on "Happy Days" at just 15 years old, and it remained her most well-known role until her death.
There was a slight pause in her acting career after the '90s, but in that time, she remained on TV screens, appearing as herself on shows such as 2008’s "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp." She also acted in "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Not Another B Movie" and her final movie, "The Deceit," released in 2012.
Moran was married to Rocky Ferguson from 1987 to 1993, and then to Steven Fleischmann in 1993 until her death. In April 2017, Moran died at the age of 56 due to complications from throat cancer.
Ron Howard played Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days" for eight seasons, before leaving the show to focus on a career as a director. He started his directing career with small projects, but quickly worked his way up to major box office successes such as "Splash" and "Parenthood," the latter receiving two Academy Award nominations.
One of Howard’s biggest successes came when he directed "Apollo 13," which garnered critical praise and nine Academy Award nominations, including for best picture. He went on to direct many other films, including "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," starring Jim Carrey, and "A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe, for which Howard would win the Oscar for best director.
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Another Academy Award nomination came in 2008, for directing "Frost/Nixon," a film based on the former president's interviews with broadcaster David Frost. Howard joined the list of directors to work on a Star Wars film when he directed "Solo: A Star Wars Story."
Most recently, he directed the movies "Hillbilly Elegy," "We Feed People" and "Thirteen Lives," all of which he also produced, as well as four films in various stages of production.
He also produced, "Under the Banner of Heaven," "Lucy and Desi" and "Genius," and has 15 upcoming projects. Since focusing on directing, he's acted sporadically, appearing in "The Odd Couple," "This Is Us" and was the narrator for all episodes of "Arrested Development."
Howard married Cheryl Alley in 1975, and they have four children, Bryce, Jocelyn, Paige and Reed.
Anson Williams' breakthrough role was Potsie Weber on "Happy Days." He stayed on the show for all 11 seasons, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance, although his appearances in the later seasons were more sporadic.
"Garry Marshall was a teacher. He cared about his four young stars and inspired us to use Paramount Studios as a college," Williams told Fox News Digital earlier this week about the show's director, who passed away in 2016. "Take advantage and, instead of having large egos and getting in the way of ourselves, learn all you can about the entertainment business, directing, writing, producing, and so much more. This is why all of us are still productive in so many areas of the business."
"He also inspired us to create projects that give people hope, strength, education and still entertain," he continued. "All of us have followed his sage advice."
Much like Howard, Williams turned his focus to directing once the show was over. However, he primarily worked in television. He directed episodes of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "7th Heaven," "Melrose Place" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." As an actor, he appeared in episodes of "Boy Meets World," "Baywatch" and "The Odd Couple."
Williams was married to Lorrie Mahaffey from 1978 to 1986, and then to Jackie Gerken from 1988 to 2019. He married Sharon MaHarry in May 2023. In July 2022, Williams announced his run for mayor of Ojai, California.
The actor told Fox News Digital that he is directing a one-woman show called "Crazy Mama," set to debut in April 2024 at Bethel Woods Center For the Arts in New York. It tells the story of a woman dealing with her mother's mental illness. "I know that Garry is watching from above and is so proud," he said. "He’s on my shoulder still inspiring me every single day."
Don Most was a leading actor in "Happy Days," playing jokester Ralph Malph until the show's eighth season. After leaving, he made appearances on a number of shows, such as "ChIps," "Star Trek: Voyager" and "Glee."
"I can remember shooting my very first scene in the pilot episode of 'Happy Days,'" Most told Fox News Digital. "How could I have possibly imagined then, that 50 years later, ‘Happy Days’ would still be being aired and watched by so many people. I look back now and feel so fortunate that I got to work with such a talented and amazing group of people."
"From the brilliant cast to our two inimitable leaders – the creator and executive producer, Garry Marshall… and our director, Jerry Paris," he continued. "Even today when I’m working on productions such as my current film, ‘Far Haven,’ I’m grateful for the foundation that the show and Garry gave us."
He also made appearances on "Charles in Charge," alongside fellow "Happy Days" star Scott Baio. Like most actors from the show, Most went into voice acting for shows such as "Dungeons & Dragons," "Teen Wolf" and "Family Guy."
In 1976, Most released a pop music album, and released a swing album in 2016. In 2021, he released the singles, "Ooo Baby Baby" and "Smoke from a Distant Fire," both of which were included in his 2023 album, "New York High."
Most married actress Morgan Hart in 1982, and they have two daughters, Madison and Mackenzie.
Henry Winkler turned the role of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli from a small part to the iconic one it is today. He appeared in several TV and movie roles while appearing on "Happy Days," but found it hard to find work after the show came to an end.
"I learned a lot from Ron," Winkler told Fox News Digital about his relationship with co-star Ron Howard, in October 2023. "He was completely grounded by his parents, who never allowed any bad behavior. He was being a professional. This was his job, and I learned from watching him. I’m older – 10 years older – so I had the experience of theater and commercials on the East Coast on how to be a professional. I never doubted my responsibility for what I had to do, but I still had a lot to learn."
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Due to being typecast, Winkler started his own production company and began producing and directing his own projects. After several guest appearances, and leading roles in "Click," "Parks and Recreaction," "Children's Hospital," "Royal Pains" and "Hank Zipper," Winkler landed a recurring role on "Arrested Development."
In 2018, he landed the role of Gene Cousineau on HBO Max’s "Barry," a character he played for four seasons from 2018 to 2023. He won the first Primetime Emmy Award of his career for the role and was nominated for various other awards. In that time, he also appeared in "Black Adam," "Extinction," "Monsters at Work" and "Rugrats."
Winkler married Stacey Weitzman in 1978. They have two children, Max and Joe, and Weitzman's son from her previous marriage, Jed.
Al Molinaro left his successful career as a real estate agent to pursue acting after being discovered by director Garry Marshall. He initially found stardom on the original "The Odd Couple," before playing Al Delvecchio, owner of the malt shop where the gang hung out, for most of the 11 seasons of "Happy Days."
While on the show, Molinaro appeared in "Freaky Friday," "The Love Boat" and "Joanie Loves Chachie." After "Happy Days" came to an end, Molinaro had trouble finding success on another show, mostly taking on guest roles in "Punky Brewster," "The Family Man" and "Step By Step," as well as making commercials. He starred in 42 commercials from 1987-2003.
He was married to Jacquelin Martin from 1948 to 1980, and they have a son, Michael. He later married Betty Farrell in 1981. Molinaro died in October 2015 in Glendale, California.
Scott Baio was a latecomer to the "Happy Days" cast, joining in season 5 as Chachi Arcola to provide a love interest for Moran’s character Joanie. After the show ended, Baio was cast as the lead in another successful TV show, "Charles in Charge," which was on the air for six years.
Once that show ended, he had a number of guest starring roles throughout the '90s and early 2000s, the last of which aired in 2014. After a long break from acting, Baio appeared in the 2021 movie "Courting Mom and Dad."
In 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges after his former "Charles in Charge" costar, Nicole Eggert, accused him of sexual assault, citing the "statute of limitations."
Baio married Renee Sloan-Baio in 2007, and they share a daughter, Bailey. Baio is also stepfather to Sloan-Baio's daughter from a previous relationship, Kayln.