Happy Days' Henry Winkler reveals reason he might not reunite on screen with Ron Howard


The Barry alum starred as Fonzie on Happy Days for ten years, the first four of which he was co-stars with the Oscar-winning director


Ron Howard (L) and US actor Henry Winkler speak onstage during the 76th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024© Getty Images
Beatriz Colon
Beatriz ColonNew York Writer - New York
32 minutes ago
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A Happy Days reunion may not be out of the cards… at least not for Henry Winkler.

The Barry actor played Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the beloved sitcom for all of its 11 seasons, from 1974 until 1984, and for the first four years, he was co-stars with Ron Howard .

The acting pair, who previously also worked together on the 1982 comedy Night Shift, reunited at the 2024 Emmy Awards — and the Arrested Development alum isn't opposed to another reunion.

Ron Howard and Henry Winkler at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images
Henry and Ron reunited at the 2024 Emmys

Speaking with People, Henry, 80, maintained he'd be more than happy to work with Ron on-screen again, confessing he is often considering possible work opportunities for the two.

He however noted he has "no idea" whether Ron, who transitioned from acting into directing right after leaving Happy Days, and last acted by playing himself on The Studio in 2025, is on the same page.

Henry also noted that he finds it hard to believe that they could "do anything better" than their comedy Night Shift, adding that it's "so touching" and a "great compliment" that the movie is still widely beloved.

Ron Howard, Anson Williams, Donny Most and Henry Winkler on the set of Happy Days© Disney General Entertainment Con
The former co-stars with Anson Williams and Donny Most on the set of Happy Days

Earlier this year, speaking at a fan expo in Tennessee with Happy Days co-stars Anson WIlliams and Don Most about the dynamic on set, Henry shared: "The truth of the matter is really on our set there was no stardom."

"One guy came on as a guest star, and then he was brought back a few times, and he would mention his fan mail, and I said, 'You don't want to talk to me about fan mail, I get 50,000 letters a week,'" he added.

"And I said, 'We don't talk about that on the set. We are all here as one,'" he continued. "And he kept doing it, and he was an [expletive]."

Young Ron Howard smiling in a light blue shirt against a blue background.© Disney General Entertainment Con
Ron played Richie on Happy Days

Ron himself told People in 2025 of his relationship with Henry: "We clicked. We — Henry Winkler and I — clicked immediately, on a kind of professional level, but I also looked up to him."

"Henry's a few years older than I am. Yale educated, and he looked at acting in a way that was — it wasn't Hollywood. It was a little more intellectual. It was theater based, and that was new to me. But more than anything, we just got along beautifully and worked well together," he added.

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