Trivia: A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, American actor Henry Winkler, born October 30th, 1945, first appeared on Broadway and in films (Crazy Joe, The Lords of Flatbush [both 1974]) before making the guest-star rounds on TV sitcoms. He worked several times for MTM productions, appearing in such roles as Valerie Harper's date on Rhoda and a charming thief undergoing psychoanalysis on The Bob Newhart Show. In 1973, Winkler was selected among hundreds of candidates (including ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz) to play the small recurring role of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, a leather-jacketed auto mechanic, on the new TV sitcom Happy Days. Though the series' stars were ostensibly Ron Howard, Anson Williams, and Donny Most, the bulk of the fan mail sent to Happy Days during its first season was addressed to "the Fonz." By the time the second season rolled around, Winkler was afforded second billing and a larger slice of screen time on each week's episode. Soon the more impressionable TV fans of America were parroting such Fonzie catchphrases as "Aaaaay" and "Sit on it!," while the nonplussed Winkler, who always regarded himself as a Dustin Hoffman-esque character actor, climbed to teen-idol status, complete with fan magazine interviews, posters, and Fonzie dolls. He also enjoyed a substantial salary boost, from 750 dollars per episode to (eventually) 80,000 dollars. At first, the off-stage Winkler could be as testy and sarcastic as his on-stage persona, but as Fonzie assumed "role model" proportions, the actor began comporting himself in as polite and agreeable a manner as possible. Accordingly, Fonzie became less of a Marlon Brando-type hoodlum and more of a basically goodhearted, moralistic young fellow who happened to be a motorcycle-racing dropout. By the time Happy Days ended in 1983 (by which time Winkler was elevated to top billing), Fonzie was a "drop-in," with a good job as a high school shop teacher and the possibility of a solid marriage. During his Happy Days heyday, Winkler was determined to prove he was capable of playing parts above and beyond Fonzie by taking film roles as far removed from his TV character: the troubled Vietnam vet in Heroes (1977), the vainglorious actor-turned-wrestler in The One and Only (1981), a '30s-style Scrooge in An American Christmas Carol (1982), and the timorous morgue attendant in Night Shift (1983). Following the example of his Happy Days co-star Ron Howard, Winkler also began working his way into the production and direction end of the business. In addition, Winkler used his name value for the benefit of others, remaining active in charitable and political causes. After several years away from the camera, Winkler returned to acting in the 1991 TV-movie Absolute Strangers, playing the husband of a woman caught in the middle of a volatile pro-life/pro-choice argument. And in 1993, Henry Winkler starred in the brief TV sitcom Monty, portraying a bombastic Limbaugh-type conservative TV personality. Winkler appeared in Little Nicky (2006) and You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008), both times playing himself. Winkler continued to take small roles and guest spots on television and film throughout the 2000s.

Trivia: The "watershed moment" for American actor Anson Williams arrived in February 1972. On a seemingly minor and inconsequential note, Williams -- then a 22-year-old, aspiring actor -- signed to appear opposite TV vet Ron Howard on a one-shot episode of the anthology series Love, American Style. Entitled "Love and the Happy Days," the segment featured two characters named Richie and Potsie -- a rather conservative teen and his "experienced" pal, attending high school together and coming of age in 1950s Milwaukee. The ratings for that episode rocketed off the charts, and prompted series producers to spin off a sitcom entirely devoted to the said adolescent friendship. And yet, though Happy Days premiered in January 1974 and ran for 11 seasons to consistently sensational ratings (virtually becoming an American pop-culture phenomenon), Williams and the Potsie character soon paled in comparison to the dynamism of Henry Winkler's rebel Fonzie -- carrying the show off in a much different direction than that originally intended. Williams nevertheless stuck with Happy Days through the end of its tenth season, and continued to pursue additional roles, though subsequent efforts (such as a turn in the dull telemovie I Married a Centerfold) never even came close to generating as much exposure as Days. Perhaps for this reason, Williams (like Henry Winkler, in fact) stepped behind the camera and began helming television projects -- initially, prime-time feature soapers (Little White Lies, All-American Murder), then, as the years rolled on, episodes of hit series including Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Star Trek: Voyager. In the early 2000s, Williams also directed episodes of the popular Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire, starring Hilary Duff.

Trivia: Not every blacklistee spent his or her life as a victim -- some of them, such as Lionel Stander and Selena Royale, ended up pursuing successful second careers, and a few, including Stander and Jeff Corey, went on to very busy late-in-life acting careers. Allan Rich fits into both categories. Born in New York in 1926, he aspired to a performing career at an early age, and came of age in the midst of the Second World War. Rich got to work on-stage with the likes of Edward G. Robinson, Ralph Bellamy, Kim Hunter, and Henry Fonda, and seemed poised to make the jump to movies when the Red Scare swept over Hollywood. Like a lot of other New York-based actors who had made no secret of their belief in liberal values, Rich was blacklisted from the end of the 1940s. He followed a route, which was also followed by Lionel Stander, to Wall Street; though he was too "Red" to work in movies, Rich was sufficiently capitalist to succeed as a stock broker, and he eventually opened his own firm. He was successful enough to pursue his other great love -- contemporary art -- by opening a gallery on New York's Upper East Side. By the early '70s, however, Rich was drawn back into acting, in a stage production of Journey of the Fifth Horse, with Dustin Hoffman. In 1973, he made his long-delayed screen debut as District Attorney Herman Tauber in Sidney Lumet's Serpico. The following year, he was in The Gambler, and in 1975, he appeared in episodes of Baretta and Kojak. Over the decades since, Rich has appeared in movies as different as The Frisco Kid (1979), Frances (1982), Betsy's Wedding (1990), Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Quiz Show, Disclosure (both 1994), and Amistad (1997), and in television productions ranging from Kojak and CHiPs in the 1970s through Hill Street Blues and Barney Miller in the 1980s, The Nanny and CSI in the 1990s to NYPD Blue and The Division in the 21st century. Playing featured and supporting roles as desk sergeants, attorneys (crooked and honest), judges (crooked and honest), college professors, doctors, and other professionals, Rich has used his resonant voice and skilled portrayals to evoke respect, contempt, cynicism, and laughter from audiences. Fans of Happy Days who lingered to the late seasons may remember Rich best for his role in the episode "Potsie Quits School," as the mean-tempered, cynical Prof. Thomas. He showed something more of his full range, however, in the 2004 NYPD Blue episode "You Da Bomb," portraying an aging Russian immigrant. Rich has also authored more than a half-dozen screenplays and had a film about Salvador Dali (based on his own friendship with the artist), in production as of 2004. Equally adept at comedic and sinister roles, Rich is one of the busiest character actors of his generation, which is poetic justice of a sort -- he was still earning a good living in his chosen profession (after having proved to be a better capitalist than most of his political foes), decades after those foes were in the ground and all-but-forgotten.

Trivia: American comic character actor James Millhollin worked on and off-Broadway, in feature films, and most frequently on television during the '60s and '70s.

Trivia: While growing up in Chicago, Tom Bosley dreamed of becoming the star left-fielder for the Cubs. As it turned out, the closest Bosley got to organized athletics was a sportscasting class at DePauw University. After additional training at the Radio Institute of Chicago and two years' practical experience in various dramatic radio programs and stock companies, he left for New York in 1950. Five years of odd jobs and summer-theater stints later, he landed his first off-Broadway role, playing Dupont-Dufort in Jean Anouilh's Thieves' Carnival. Steadier work followed at the Arena Theatre in Washington, D.C.; then in 1959, Bosley landed the starring role in the Broadway musical Fiorello!, picking up a Tony Award, an ANTA Award, and the New York Drama Critics Award in the bargain. In 1963, he made his film bow as Natalie Wood's "safe and secure" suitor Anthony Colombo in Love With the Proper Stranger. Occasionally cast as two-bit criminals or pathetic losers (he sold his eyes to blind millionairess Joan Crawford in the Spielberg-directed Night Gallery TV movie), Bosley was most often seen as a harried suburban father. After recurring roles on such TV series as That Was the Week That Was, The Debbie Reynolds Show, and The Sandy Duncan Show, Bosley was hired by Hanna-Barbera to provide the voice of flustered patriarch Howard Boyle on the animated sitcom Wait Til Your Father Gets Home (1972-1973). This served as a dry run of sorts for his most famous series-TV assignment: Howard Cunningham, aka "Mr. C," on the immensely popular Happy Days (1974-1983). The warm, familial ambience of the Happy Days set enabled Bosley to weather the tragic death of his first wife, former dancer Jean Elliot, in 1978. In addition to his Happy Days duties, Bosley was narrator of the syndicated documentary That's Hollywood (1977-1981). From 1989 to 1991, he starred on the weekly series The Father Dowling Mysteries, and thereafter was seen on an occasional basis as down-to-earth Cabot Cove sheriff Amos Tupper on Murder, She Wrote. Reportedly as kind, generous, and giving as his Happy Days character, Tom Bosley has over the last 20 years received numerous honors for his many civic and charitable activities.

Trivia: Professionally, Ron Howard has come a long way from the tousle-haired, barefoot sheriff's son who trod the byways of idyllic Mayberry to reside in the heady company of Hollywood's most elite directors. Howard's films are pure entertainment; they are well-crafted efforts, frequently technically challenging from a production standpoint, and aimed at mainstream audiences. Though some of his lesser works have been criticized for possessing formulaic scripts, Howard's films approach even hackneyed subjects in fresh ways. Though he does not characterize himself as a risk taker, he loves the challenge of exploring different genres; therefore, his filmography includes B-movie actioners, domestic comedies, fantasies, sci-fi, suspense-thrillers, historical dramas, and big-budget action films. The son of actors Rance and Jean Howard, he made his theatrical debut at age two in a Baltimore production of The Seven Year Itch. He made his screen debut at age five in the suspenseful political drama The Journey (1959). The youngster became a hot property after that and appeared in several features, including The Music Man and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (both 1962). Through this period his father was a strong ally who kept Howard from being exploited by filmmakers. In a November 1996 interview with the Detroit News, Howard describes an incident in which he was six years old and during rehearsal could not cry on cue (Howard doesn't name the production), causing the director to threaten to flog him. Other children may have been terrified, but Howard felt secure because his father was on the set and would protect him. When producer Sheldon Leonard approached Rance Howard about casting Ronny (as he was billed during childhood) as Opie, the son of widowed sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968), the elder Howard stipulated that his son be allowed time off for a normal childhood. It was as the mischievous but guileless Opie that Ronny Howard became famous. During the popular show's long run, Howard occasionally appeared in other feature films. While a series' demise often signals the death of a child actor's career, particularly if that child is obviously maturing, Howard managed the transition gracefully and continued working steadily. He was cast in a new television series, The Smith Family, in 1971 and starred opposite Henry Fonda, who became one of Howard's mentors, encouraging Howard to strive for creative growth and to take periodic risks to keep himself vital. The series lasted one season, but again Howard landed on his feet, making a bigger name for himself starring as a callow youth in George Lucas' smash hit American Graffiti (1973). The film spawned Garry Marshall's long-running hit, the '50s revival sitcom Happy Days (1974). Essentially reprising his role from the film, Howard (now billed as Ron Howard) starred as all-American youth Richie Cunningham. Again, Howard also worked simultaneously in films, notably in The Shootist (1976), where he played a teen who worshipped dying gunslinger John Wayne. Though playing a teenager on the series, Howard was in his early twenties and felt it was time to follow his longtime dream of becoming a director. Producer Roger Corman, who had recently starred Howard in Eat My Dust! (1976), let Howard helm the similarly themed Grand Theft Auto (1977). Howard also co-wrote the screenplay with his father and starred in the film. While not exactly an original masterpiece, the film earned praise for its fast-paced, high-energy action scenes. After leaving Happy Days in 1980, he directed Bette Davis in a television movie, Skyward, and managed to earn the great lady's respect with his filmmaking skills. Howard had his first big hit in 1982 with the black comedy Nightshift. It was to be the first of many instances in which he would work with producer Brian Grazer, who eventually became his partner and the co-founder of Howard's production company, Imagine Films Entertainment (established in 1985), and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who formerly wrote for Happy Days. Howard had even greater success with the Tom Hanks/Darryl Hannah vehicle Splash (1984), which launched Disney's Touchstone Pictures and became the company's most successful live-action film to date. He followed this up with sentimental favorite Cocoon (1985). He had his first misstep after hitting it big with Willow, a George Lucas-produced fantasy extravaganza that never clicked with audiences, though it has since developed a devoted cult following. During the early '90s, Howard worked on a series of big-budget films such as Backdraft (1991) and Far and Away (1992), and Apollo 13 (1995), a gripping account of a failed moon mission. Apollo 13 was a huge international hit, nominated for nine Oscars (it won for Best Sound and Best Editing), and earned Howard the coveted Director's Guild award. In 1996, Howard attempted a new genre with the violent, bloody thriller Ransom, starring Mel Gibson. While an effective suspense thriller in it's own right, Ransom didn't darken Howard's sensibilities in any permanent terms, and after a few stints as producer on both the small screen (Felicity, Sports Night and the silver screen (Inventing the Abbots (1997) and Beyond the Mat (1999)), Howard was back in the director's chair for Ed TV in 1999, but itsuffered immediate and fatal comparisons to the more popular and strikingly similar Jim Carrey vehicle, The Truman Show. Undaunted, Howard next teamed with the rubber-faced star of Truman for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which became a box-office smash. Once again turning back to reality after the marked departure of The Grinch, Howard helmed the sensitive real-life tale of paranoid schizophrenic mathematician turned Nobel Prize winning genius John Forbes Nash Jr. in A Beautiful Mind (2001). With Russel Crowe essaying the role of Nash and Jennifer Connelly as his faithful and enduring wife, the film gained generally positive reception upon release, and only seemed to cement Howard's reputation as one of the most versatile and gifted director's of his generation as the film took the Best Picture award at both the that year's Golden Globes and Oscars. Academy Award night proved to be an even bigger night for Howard as the film also took home awards for Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and, of course, Best Director. Howard followed up his Oscar wins with the dark Western drama The Missing starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. Unfortunately, neither critics or audiences were too fond of the over-long film. Lucky for Howard, his next project would see him re-team with A Beautiful Mind's Russell Crowe. The Depression-era boxing film Cinderella Man starred Crowe as real-life boxer Jim Braddock and was released in 2005 to positive reviews and Oscar-buzz. Next, he helmed the adaptation of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code, casting his old Splash leading man Tim Hanks in the lead. The film was as big a worldwide success as the book that inspired it. Howard followed the massive success with an adaptation of Peter Morgan's hit play Frost/Nixon. The film captured five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Editing, as well as a nod for Howard's direction.As the 2000's continued to unfold, Howard would remain an extremely active filmmaker, helming movies like The Dilemma.

Trivia: Marian Ross dreamed of stardom from childhood, going so far as to change the spelling of her first name to Marion because she thought it would look nicer on a marquee. When her family moved from Minnesota to California, the 16-year-old aspiring actress plunged into the busy world of amateur theatricals in the San Diego area. She was voted Outstanding Actress at San Diego State University in 1950, then went on to work at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse. Mel Ferrer, La Jolla's resident director, recommended that Ross try her luck in Hollywood. She worked steadily in TV and films from 1953 onward, but stardom was still outside her reach. Ross played a succession of maids, nuns, nurses, and that nebulous classification, the Heroine's Best Friend. She showed up in small roles in such films as Forever Female (1953), Lust for Life (1955), and Operation Petticoat (1959), earning the respect of her fellow workers but very little in the way of public recognition. "I've always had a way of not attracting attention," she would note with resignation later in life. On television, Marion played unstressed recurring roles on such series as Life with Father, Mrs. G Goes to College and Mr. Novak. She finally achieved stardom as Marion Cunningham, mother of 1950s high-schooler Richie Cunningham, on the weekly sitcom Happy Days. What started out as a shaky midseason replacement in January of 1974 ended up ABC's number-one hit; Ross hitched her wagon to the ever-rising Happy Days star until its final episode in 1983. During this period, she reactivated her stage career, with considerably more success than she'd enjoyed in the 1950s. Ross' post-Happy Days TV gigs included a 1986 guest shot as the new bride of Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) on The Love Boat and the brief 1989 series Living Dolls. In 1991, Marion Ross earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of archetypal Jewish mother Sophie Berger on the TV "dramedy" Brooklyn Bridge. In the decades to come, Ross would find ongoing success with recurring roles on TV series like The Drew Carey Show and Gilmore Girls, as well as providing voice acting for animated series such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Handy Manny.

Trivia: Fans of the long-running sitcom Happy Days will remember dark-haired, blue-eyed Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham, the feisty little sister of lead character Richie. A native of Los Angeles, the youngest of six children, Moran was age six when she did her first television commercial. Her first acting experience came from a supporting role on the outdoor adventure series Daktari (1968-1969). She next had a regular part in The Don Rickles Show (1972). During her early career, Moran frequently guest starred on other series, including The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Family Affair. Moran made her feature-film debut in 80 Steps to Jonah (1969). She would only appear a few more times in films. In 1982, she and Happy Days co-star Scott Baio left the show to star in the short-lived spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi. Following the new show's swift cancellation, Moran returned to the original show for its final year. After that, her television career consisted of the occasional guest appearance on other series, including Murder, She Wrote. She mostly retired from acting by the mid-1980s. Moran died in 2017, at age 56.