Henry Winkler says just 1 “Happy Days” actor let fame go to his head

Wesley StenzelSat, August 1, 2026 at 9:20 PM UTC

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Henry Winkler in ‘Happy Days’Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via GettyKey points -

Henry Winkler said that “there was no stardom” on the Happy Days set.

The Barry actor later corrected himself, pointing to one guest star who kept mentioning all of his fan mail.

Winkler remembered telling him, “We don’t talk about that on the set.”

Henry Winkler says the Happy Days set was totally ego-free — except for one guest star who didn’t get the memo.

The actor behind Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli discussed the cast’s approach to fame during an appearance at Fanboy Expo Knoxville last month.

“The truth of the matter is really on our set, there was no stardom,” Winkler explained. “We were an ensemble. We worked hard at making it funny every week.”

Winkler began another thought before remembering one person who deviated from the norm on set. “There was no— one guy came on as a guest star, and then he was brought back a few times,” he said. “And he would mention his fan mail. And I said, ‘You don’t wanna talk to me about fan mail. I got 50,000 letters a week.’”

Winkler effectively told the guest star to zip it. “And I said, ‘We don’t talk about that on the set. We are all here as one,’” he said. “And he kept doing it, and he was an assback.”

Scott Baio and Denis Mandel in ‘Happy Days’Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

The Barry star didn’t share the actor’s name, but he did reveal his role: “He played Eugene.”

Eugene Belvin was a recurring character who appeared in 10 episodes across seasons 8 and 9 of the show. He was played by actor Denis Mandel. Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Mandel for comment.

Elsewhere in the Q&A, Winkler recalled his costar, Ron Howard, encouraging him to control his temper during a frustrating moment on set.

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“I was having trouble with a scene,” he remembered. “I started punching my script. [Howard] put his arm around me, he walked me to the back of the soundstage, and he said, ‘You know, the writers are working as hard as they can. Let’s not hit our script.’”

Winkler took Howard’s advice to heart. “I said, ‘Ron, I will never hit my script as long as I live,’” he said. “And he is, and was, even at that tender age, so wise. He just is easy, he just kind of goes through life and he’s an amazing fellow.”

Winkler later responded to a fan who asked if he ever imagined that Howard would become a massive Hollywood director after his time on Happy Days.

Henry Winkler in JuneCredit: Leon Bennett/Getty

“Absolutely,” Winkler said. “From the moment we started working together, he talked about his dream. And we were standing backstage in Arnold’s, waiting to come on to do a scene. He said, ‘So what do you think? Do you think I could do this?’”

The Scream actor gave his costar emphatic encouragement. “I said, ‘Ron, I promise you. If you were a brain surgeon, I would be your first patient whether I needed it or not,’” he remembered.

Winkler later played the lead role in Howard’s sophomore directorial effort, Night Shift, in 1982. “He said, ‘You can play either role,’” he recalled. “And I thought, ‘Well, I’ve played the Fonz. I’m gonna play Chuck. I’m gonna play the milquetoast [character].’”

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The Arrested Development star said that Howard was a brilliant boss from the get-go. “I’m telling you, he was in charge of every detail,” Winkler remembered. “He would stop for a minute, he would think about a question, and the entire crew was waiting for whatever he said, because the entire soundstage trusted Ron Howard.”

on Entertainment Weekly

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