Whatever Happened to Lynda Goodfriend, Lori Beth Cunningham on ‘Happy Days’?
What To Know
- Lynda Goodfriend played Lori Beth Cunningham on Happy Days, becoming a beloved and steady presence on the show as Richie’s girlfriend and later wife.
- After Happy Days, she continued acting in small roles, often in Garry Marshall’s films and popular TV shows, before shifting her focus behind the camera and into directing.
- Goodfriend eventually transitioned to teaching, serving as acting chair at the New York Film Academy, and has led a low-profile, private life since then.
For many Happy Days fans, season five addition Lori Beth Cunningham was a stand-out character, beloved for her smart and quietly confident ways. Lynda Goodfriend portrayed Lori Beth, Richie’s girlfriend and later wife on the series. But after Happy Days, her career took a turn and she wasn’t seen much on the screen. Whatever happened to Goodfriend? Today, she’s turned her passion for acting towards teaching the actors of tomorrow, searching as Creative Director of Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus.
How did Lynda Goodfriend begin her career?
Goodfriend began her career on Broadway. As she explained in a 2023 interview with NYFA, as a teenager, she auditioned for a famous New York director, and it went poorly, shaping the next several years of her life: “He told me I was terrible and should never act. I believed him. So since I’d always loved music and dancing when I was younger, I started doing everything I could to be good at that. That turned into a career doing musicals on Broadway.” Later on, she revisited acting, and studied with legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg.
Goodfriend actually first appeared on Happy Days during the fourth season in a small guest role, before returning as Lori Beth Allen in season five. Lori Beth and Richie formed a very sweet relationship and by the time Lori Beth and Richie married, Goodfriend had become a steady presence on the show, appearing in dozens of episodes through the series’ later years. Many fans still remember Lori Beth as one of the show’s most relatable characters. In the same NYFA interview, she recalled, “Without a doubt, the eight years I spent on the hit TV show, Happy Days, playing Lori Beth, Ron Howard’s girlfriend, were the most fun of all the work I’ve done.”
Paramount/Everett Collection
After Happy Days, Goodfriend continued working steadily, often with Happy Days producer and director Garry Marshall. She appeared in several of his films, including Nothing in Common, Beaches and Pretty Woman, usually in smaller roles that longtime fans love spotting on rewatches. She also made guest appearances on familiar television staples of the era, including The Love Boat and Fantasy Island and she remained a recognizable presence throughout the late ’70s and ’80s.
Where is Lynda Goodfriend today?
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As acting opportunities became more selective, Goodfriend began exploring other creative paths. She directed projects, including the short film The Perfect Crime in 2009, showing a growing interest in shaping performances from behind the camera. That interest naturally led her toward teaching, where she found a long-term career.
Goodfriend began teaching acting at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus in 2007, and in 2011, became chair of the department. “I really love teaching Acting for Film, but have started teaching the Thesis development course, helping students create their own film projects,” Goodfriend said. “That has been very rewarding. Aside from that, I also enjoy teaching the Business of Acting and Auditioning since I can bring my 25 years of experience as a personal manager into the classroom to help support actors just starting out their careers.”
Since then, Goodfriend has largely stepped away from public celebrity culture. She married Giora Litwak in 1982, and the couple has remained together for decades. Now 72, and her life since Happy Days has been intentionally low-key, focused on teaching and quieter days.
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September 2023
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