Scott Baio was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 22, 1961. The youngest of three children, Baio approached his mother at the age of nine and told her directly, "I want to be on television." The parents obliged and took him on a few interviews in New York. Before long, their son had achieved his dream and was appearing in commercials.
While still a novice performer, Baio was selected from a field of 2,000 other child actors for the starring role in the 1976 film "Bugsy Malone." Following his feature-film debut, he appeared in the television movie "Luke Was There" and his television career was born.
In 1977, he became a regular on "Happy Days" as Fonzie's cousin, Chachi Arcola. In 1978, his family relocated to Hollywood to keep up with his demanding career. Besides playing Chachi, the busy teenager also appeared in the films "Skatetown, USA" (1979), "Foxes" (1980), and "Zapped!" (1982). In 1982, Baio co-starred with Erin Moran in their own show, "Joanie Loves Chachi," a "Happy Days" spin-off. The series was cancelled after a single season and both actors returned to "Happy Days" in 1983 for the final year.
In 1984, Baio won the starring role in "Charles in Charge" and found the success he had wanted for "Joanie Loves Chachi." The show lasted five seasons. Next to Chachi Arcola, Charles is Scott Baio's best known role.
Tom Bosley was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 1, 1927. As a child, he didn't dream of being on stage, but on the baseball field. In 1976 he told TV Guide that he had wanted to become the "star left-fielder for the Cubs" but he eventually realized that he was "short, heavy, and not good at any sports."
Passing up on baseball, Bosley pursued a law degree at De Paul University after a stint in the navy. Midway through college, he transferred to a radio school with the new goal of becoming a sports announcer. Unable to find work as a sports announcer, however, Bosley became a radio actor. In 1950, after two years of acting on the radio and in stock theater, he moved to New York.
Like most young actors, Bosley worked a variety of odd jobs to pay the rent, including hat-checker at a restaurant and doorman for Tavern-on-the-Green. In 1958, after years of stage work, he was cast as the lead in the Broadway musical "Fiorello!" about the legendary New York City mayor. His performance was nothing less than stunning and he won a "grand slam" of New York theatrical awards, including top honors from the Tony Awards, the Drama Critics, and the Newspaper Guild.
From that point on, Bosley became one of the busiest actors in the business. He appeared on countless television shows, including "Route 66," "Dr. Kildare," "Mod Squad," and "Bewitched." His first film role came in 1963 when he starred with Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood in "Love with a Proper Stranger." Parts in other movies followed, including "Yours, Mine and Ours," "The Secret World of Harry Frigg," and "Divorce, American Style." In addition to his most famous TV role as Mr. C. on "Happy Days," Bosley was also a regular on "The Debbie Reynolds Show" (1969-70) and the voice of the father on "Wait Til Your Father Gets Home" (1972).
After the demise of "Happy Days" in 1984, Bosley played Sheriff Amos Tupper, a semi-regular character on "Murder, She Wrote." In 1989, he starred in his own whodunnit series, "The Father Dowling Mysteries." Tom Bosley may not have become a star left-fielder for the Cubs, but he sure has become one of our most prolific television stars.
Ron Howard has the kind of face that refuses to age. No matter how much hair he loses, or how much facial hair he grows, he continues to exude a boyish charm. For some viewers, he will always be known as Opie Taylor, for others as Richie Cunningham, while some confused TV audience members might remember him as Opie Cunningham.
Howard was born on March 1,1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma. His parents were theater actors and in 1959 the Howards relocated to Hollywood. Young Ron immediately joined the family business. His first television role was on an episode of "Playhouse 90" and was followed by an appearance on "The Red Skelton Show." He also guest-starred on four episodes of "Dennis the Menace" and five episodes of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis."
In 1960, Howard was only six years old but he was already an accomplished television veteran. He was picked to play Opie Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" and stayed with the series for eight years, growing up in front of the television audience. During this period, the prolific child star also found time to appear on numerous other television shows and films, including the 1962 version of "The Music Man" and the 1963 movie "The Courtship of Eddie's Father."
In 1973, Howard became a bona fide star with the success of the movie "American Graffiti." He played Steve Bollander in this George Lucas film, which helped kickstart a 1950s revival. Because of Howard's stardom and the sudden popularity of 1950s nostalgia, ABC brought "Happy Days" to the air in 1974. Howard starred as Richie Cunningham, the innocently charming boy next door.
Despite the demanding schedule on "Happy Days," Howard worked to expand his career into the realm of directing. He had experimented with short films since he was a teenager and in the mid-70s he got a chance to direct his first feature-length film. Legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman agreed to bankroll the effort on one condition. Howard had to star in a film called "Eat My Dust." Howard did so and his directorial debut, "Grand Theft Auto," was released in 1977.
In 1980, with "Happy Days" still gathering high ratings, Howard left the series to pursue his directing career. The show's writers handled his departure by enrolling Richie in the army and stationing him in Greenland. This move may have hurt "Happy Days," but it certainly didn't hurt Howard's career. As a director, he has compiled a truly impressive list of hit films, including "Night Shift" (1982), "Splash" (1984), "Cocoon" (1985), "Parenthood" (1989), "Backdraft" (1991), "The Paper" (1994) and "Apollo 13" (1995).
Erin Moran was born on October 18, 1961 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of six children. She did her first television commercial at the age of six and became a regular cast member of two television programs, "Daktari" (1968-69) and "The Don Rickles Show" (1972), long before "Happy Days." She also made guest appearances on many other shows, including "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," "My Three Sons," and "Family Affair." Moran had parts in several films as well, including the 1968 Debbie Reynolds movie, "How Sweet It Is," and "Watermelon Man" in 1970.
After several seasons on "Happy Days," Moran continued her role as Joanie Cunningham in the short-lived spin-off "Joanie Loves Chachi." When this series was cancelled in 1983, she returned to "Happy Days" for the final season. Her work since then includes three episodes of "Love Boat" and one guest spot on "Murder, She Wrote."
In 1992, Moran was the only original cast member absent from a "Happy Days" reunion show.
Donny Most was born on August 8, 1959 in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. His father was an accountant. He developed his love of acting in the third grade after he saw "The Jolson Story." A local television station was running the movie several times a day and Most was mesmerized by the story of Al Jolson. In 1979, he told a TV Guide reporter that he watched the movie a staggering 50 times and memorized every line of dialogue.
At the age of 15, he got his first real taste of show business by performing at resorts in New York's Catskill Mountains. He was part of a group of teenagers who played the so-called "Borscht-Belt" circuit. While still in high school, he began to take professional acting classes and appear in television commercials.
Most graduated from Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School, which also gave the world Barbra Streisand and Eli Wallach. He continued his education at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and decided to spend the summer before his senior year in Los Angeles. During these few months, he won a bit part on "Emergency" and on "Room 222" and decided not to return to college.
Most's third job in television was the charm. He auditioned for the part of Potsie on "Happy Days," but was immediately ruled out because of his hair color. Ron Howard, a redhead, had already been cast in the lead role and the producers did not want another redhead to play the best friend.
But the producers liked Most too much to simply ignore him. In the original script, the character Ralph Malph was a football jock. Garry Marshall decided to cast Most as Ralph and, playing off Most's comic ability, he changed the dumb jock into the class comedian.
In 1980, Most left the series to expand his acting career. His biggest post-"Happy Days" job was doing voiceovers for the animated series "Dungeons and Dragons" (1983-86). He also made guest appearances on "Fantasy Island," "CHiPs," "Love Boat," and "Murder, She Wrote." In 1995, he played disc jockey Vince Fontaine in a travelling production of "Grease."
Like other "Happy Days" cast members, Most has become a director, working on numerous stage productions in the Los Angeles area.
Marion Ross was born on October 25, 1928 in the small Minnesota town of Albert Lea. At the young age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she thought it would look better on a marquee. A few years later, the Ross family moved to San Diego, California, and Marion enrolled in San Diego State College.
As a freshman, Ross was named the school's most outstanding actress. She kept busy in many college plays until her graduation in 1950. Then she performed in summer theater in La Jolla, California. The director was quite impressed by her talent, and urged her to give Hollywood a shot. With the assistance of an old college professor, Ross worked her way into a contract for Paramount.
In 1953, Ross made her big-screen debut in "Forever Female," where she appeared with Ginger Rogers. A steady stream of film work followed, including parts in "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954), "Sabrina" (1954), and "Operation Petticoat" (1959). But she was not destined for big-screen success; television would prove to be her medium.
Ross' fame on the small screen began in 1953 when she played the Irish maid on the series "Life With Father" for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic TV, from "The Burns and Allen Show" to "Love Boat" and "Night Court." In 1991 she starred as Jewish grandma Sophie Berger in the critically acclaimed series "Brooklyn Bridge." Marion Ross' prolific television career includes an exhaustive 400-plus appearances on different shows, in addition to her long-running role as Mrs. Cunningham on "Happy Days."
Anson Williams was born Anson William Heimlick on September 24, 1949 in Los Angeles, California. His father was an art director at an aviation company until layoffs forced him to open a concession booth. Throughout high school, Williams worked nights at his dad's struggling Orange Julius stand on Van Nuys Boulevard.
In his freshman year at Pierce Junior College, Willliams took a drama course and discovered he had knack for performing. He then dropped his plans to become a gym teacher, dropped his last name, and dropped out of college to try his luck as an actor. His first professional jobs were in Kansas where he performed in "The Music Man" and "The Sound of Music."
Besides a string of TV commercials, including several for McDonald's, Williams' first role on television was on an episode of "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law." Appearances on "The Paul Lynde Show," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," and three variety specials with Tony Randall soon followed.
The role of Potsie on "Happy Days" was the perfect opportunity for Williams to showcase his acting and vocal talents. After hearing him sing backstage, the writers incorporated his singing ability into the show. Williams soon began to perform across the country and released several records.
In 1977, he starred in his own syndicated television special, "Anson Williams at Sea World." In 1981, he and his wife, Lorri Mahaffey, who played his girlfriend on "Happy Days," starred in a television special called "Anson and Lorri." The show was conceived as a pilot for a spin-off, but it failed to sell.
Over the last several years, Williams has compiled an extensive list of credits as a television director. In addition to several television movies, he has directed episodes of "L.A. Law," "Hooperman," "Melrose Place," and "Hercules." In 1987, he and fellow "Happy Days" cast member Al Molinaro (Al) opened a chain of diners in the midwest called, appropriately enough, Big Al's.
Henry Winkler was born in New York City on October 30, 1945, the son of a lumber company president. His first acting role was as a tube of toothpaste in a hygiene play at Hilltop Nursery School. Winkler continued to appear in many class productions and dreamed of becoming a professional actor. He studied drama at Emerson College in Boston and earned a master's degree at the Yale School of Drama.
In 1973, with a few film roles and countless commercials under his belt, Winkler moved to California. He landed guest roles on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Bob Newhart Show" before receiving the biggest break of his career. On October 30, 1973, Winkler's 28th birthday, he was cast as Arthur Fonzarelli on "Happy Days."
The producers never intended for the Fonz to be the star of the show. But suddenly kids all across the country were popping their thumbs in the air and saying "Aaaay!" Fonzie was a new American hero. Winkler was afraid of being typecast as a leather-jacketed greaser and found time to appear in a few movies: "Heroes," "The One and Only," and "Night Shift."
Like many of the other "Happy Days" cast members, Winkler has moved to other side of the camera. He served as a producer for the long-running ABC series "MacGyver" and directed the 1993 film "Cop and 1/2." He has not completely abandoned acting, however, and he starred in the 1995 TV movie "A Child is Missing," as well as the short-lived 1994 sitcom "Monty." Despite other roles that may come his way, Henry Winkler has already made a tremendous contribution to our television heritage by bringing the Fonz to life.