‘Happy Days’: Henry Winkler Makes Bold Confession About Working With Robin Williams
What To Know
- Henry Winkler recalled working with Robin Williams on Happy Days, describing Williams as an unparalleled comedic force with a boundless imagination.
- Winkler revealed that Williams’ scripts were much shorter than the rest of the cast’s, often simply instructing “Robin will say something here” to allow for his improvisation.
- Fans and fellow cast members fondly remembered Williams’ unique talent and impact on set, highlighting the creative environment and challenges of working alongside him.
Happy Days star Henry Winkler made a bold confession about working with Robin Williams on the iconic sitcom.
“Here’s a guy, he comes in, you know, very, very unassuming,” Winkler recounted of Williams’ auditioning for the show. “And then they put a script in his hand. And I said to him, ‘Hey, you wanna rumble?’”
Winkler then mimicked Williams’ over-the-top dancing and singing, also sharing a blunt admission. “And all I thought about was, ‘Know your line so you don’t have to do it over and over again. And stay out of his way ’cause you will never stand toe to toe with this Mount Vesuvius of an imagination.”
Winkler, 80, played Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, while Williams, 76, played Potsie Weber, and Most, 72, played Ralph Malph. Meanwhile, Williams — who died by suicide in 2014 — played Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, who joined Happy Days in Season 5.
Everett Collection
Additionally, Winkler pointed out a key difference between Williams’ script and the rest of the cast on Happy Days that allowed him an enormous amount of creative freedom.
“So our scripts were 54 pages long,” he explained. “His, on his set, they were 30 pages long because it said, ‘Robin will say something here.’”
@itsrectimemedia A FANEXPO SF EXCLUSIVE: Happy Days star Henry Winkler pays tribute to friend Robin Williams. Recounting his audition for Mork and how no one can go toe to toe with the Williams’ imagination. #happydays #thefonz #henrywinkler #robinwilliams #morkandmindy ♬ original sound – ItsRecTime
In the comments, fans lovingly remembered Williams and reflected on Winkler’s commentary. One TikTok user wrote, “Oh, to have been on set back then. Robin didn’t even have to ‘play’ Mork, he just opened the door and let Mork out for a while. lol.”
“The bloopers had to have been out of the park,” another speculated.
@nostalgicrick #happydaystvshow #classictv #robbinwilliams #henrywinkler #tvshow #morkandmindy ♬ original sound – Ricky Emburey
Someone else pointed out, “Gary Marshall used multiple cameras because of Robin Williams.”
“Pam Dawber doesn’t get enough credit for working opposite him all those years!” To that, a different TikTok user replied, “Her comedic timing and ability to hold character is top of the line.”
Happy Days aired for 11 seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1984. The sitcom sparked multiple spin-offs, including Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, (starring Williams and Dawber), Joanie Loves Chachi, and Blansky’s Beauties.