Happy Days - Full Character List

Full Character List

• Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) (Seasons 1-7) - The protagonist for the first seven years of the series (1974–1980). When Howard left the show due to his burgeoning directorial career, Richie was written out by leaving to join the United States Army. He married his girlfriend Lori Beth in season 8 by the phone where Fonzie was standing in Richie's place in the wedding. Howard returned for guest appearances as Richie during the show's final season. He comes back with Lori Beth and their son, Richie Jr., and Ralph in the season 11 episode, "Welcome Home" parts 1 and 2, and leaves towards the end of "Welcome Home" part 2 to California with Lori Beth and Richie Jr. to pursue a career in screen writing. He also returns in "Passages" where he goes to Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
• Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross) - Wife of Howard Cunningham, mother of Richie and Joanie, and a traditional homemaker. She was the only character whom Fonzie allowed to call him by his real first name, Arthur, which she always did affectionately. She sometimes would get tired of being at home, such as in "Marion Rebels" where she gets into an argument with Howard and briefly gets a job as a waitress at Arnold's. In "Empty Nest" when Joanie left for Chicago to pursue her music career, Marion had "empty nest syndrome" and was thrilled when her and Howard's niece, K.C., moved in with them.
• Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) - Husband of Marion Cunningham, father of Richie and Joanie, business owner of a hardware store called "Cunningham's Hardware", he is a lodge member, and family man. Frequently seen reading the daily newspaper in his easy chair. Enjoys driving his beloved DeSoto. In "Letting Go", he didn't want Joanie to go to Chicago; still seeing her as his little girl. But after talking with Fonzie and realizing how much she's grown up, he supports her going. In "Passages", Howard says that he is proud of Richie and Joanie in Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
• Joanie Cunningham (Erin Moran) (Seasons 3-9, 11) - Richie's younger sister. In early seasons, she is sometimes snooping on Richie's activities and would occasionally be sent to her room by her father. She is called "Shortcake" by the Fonz. Later on, Joanie briefly joins a motorcycle gang after going on a date with a boy, whom she considered to be "dull". In "Smokin' Ain't Cool", Joanie started smoking in order to be in a cool club, until The Fonz sets her straight. For years, Fonzie's cousin, Chachi, has been chasing her until she eventually agreed to a date with him. She and Chachi would eventually form a band together and in "Letting Go" they leave for Chicago to pursue their music career. Joanie did eventually quit the band to pursue a teaching career. She and Chachi broke up for a time until Chachi proposes to her and they get married in the series finale.
• Arthur "Fonzie"/"The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) (Seasons 2-11) - Initially a minor character, he was a hugely popular breakout character and was made a series regular. Known for being especially cool and for his catchphrases "(H)eyyyy!" and "Whoa!" His coolness gave him special powers, such as making machinery (such as Arnold's jukebox, electric lights, and car engines) function by pounding on them with his fist, or getting the attention of girls by snapping his fingers. His parents abandoned him as a child and his grandmother raised him at the age of six. He became friends with the Cunninghams when he began to rent above the garage. Richie told Chachi the story about when he and Fonzie first met while Fonzie was still in a gang to show Chachi that gangs aren't any good and that Fonzie secretly quit the gang in "Our Gang." In "A Woman Not Under the Influence", he realized that he wanted to be with one woman and he met Ashley Pfister and her daughter Heather. However, Ashley wasn't interested in dating him because he is "exactly" like her ex-husband, until Fonzie insists that it is not true and she agrees to go on a date. After the date, their relationship develops. Although their relationship ended sometime before "Where the Guys Are." His heroes are James Dean and The Lone Ranger. He also has a deep love for Rock 'n' Roll, such as when Cynthia chose Classical music to be played for the school dance, and Fonzie was upset about this at first, believing that everyone would rather listen to Rock 'n' Roll and that Classical music was "terrible music", until he actually listened to the music and he tried to convince everyone to give it a try. Fonzie expressed his disappointment when Folk music was being played at the jukebox at Arnold's and Arnold told him that "Rock 'n' Roll is out." He became more disappointed when Joanie and Chachi were going to appear on television to perform in a hootenanny. After talking with Ashley about his fear of change, he goes to the hootenanny to support Joanie and Chachi. In the series finale, Fonzie meets a boy named Danny and he wanted to adopt him. He wasn't allowed to adopt him because the adoption agency didn't allow single parent adoptions. Towards the end of "Passages", Fonzie was allowed to adopt Danny and they go to Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
• Warren "Potsie" Weber (Anson Williams) - Richie's best friend and an aspiring talented singer. He is somewhat more carefree and "worldly" than Richie in early seasons. In later seasons, his character evolves to increasingly emphasize his dimwitted side, and Ralph would often say to him "You're such a Potsie". Potsie often talked about the terrible relationship he had with his father, who never appeared on the show. Potsie remained with the show after Richie and Ralph joined the Army; however, he was seen less frequently.
• Ralph Malph (Donny Most) (Seasons 2-7) - Richie's cowardly friend and a self-styled comedian. Known for saying "I still got it!" after delivering one of his jokes. Ralph left with Richie (in the 1980 season) to join the Army. Returned as a guest star in the final season.
• Charles "Chachi" Arcola (Scott Baio) (Seasons 5-9, 11) - Fonzie's younger cousin and later Al Delvecchio's stepson. Chachi eventually dated and later married Joanie Cunningham.
• Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) - In Season 1, Arnold had little air time. Morita depicted the owner of Arnold's Drive-In for Season 3 (1975–1976). He stated that he obtained the moniker when he purchased Arnold's restaurant and people thought it was named after him, explaining that it was too costly to buy enough letter signs needed to rename it "Takahashi". He moonlighted as a martial arts instructor, teaching self-defence classes at the drive-in after hours. Morita also played "Arnold" as a guest star in 1977 and 1979 before returning as a recurring character after Al Molinaro departed in 1982.
• Al Delvecchio (Al Molinaro) - From Seasons 4–10 (1976–1982) Al became the new owner/cook of the drive-in after Arnold got married the previous season. Al later married Chachi's mother Louisa, thereby becoming Chachi's stepfather and Fonzie's uncle. Molinaro left Happy Days in 1982 to take his "Al" character to Joanie Loves Chachi, and returned as Al in three later episodes of Happy Days. Known for sighing "Yeeep, yep, yep, yep, yep" when he was disappointed or when things did not go his way.
• Jenny Piccalo (Cathy Silvers) (Season 10, recurring: Seasons 8-9) - Joanie's boy-crazy best friend (1980–1983). Mentioned often in early episodes, but did not appear in person until the 1980 season. Returned as a guest star in the series finale. Jenny's father appeared in one episode, played by Silvers' real-life father Phil Silvers.
• Roger Phillips (Ted McGinley) (Seasons 10-11, recurring: Seasons 8-9) - Marion's nephew, coach and teacher at Jefferson High, until "Vocational Education" where he became principal at Patton High. Introduced in 1980 after Richie left the show as a recurring character.
• Lori Beth Allen-Cunningham (Lynda Goodfriend) (Seasons 8-9, recurring: 5-7) - Richie's girlfriend and later his wife (1977–1982). She married Richie by phone in season 8. Fonzie helped Lori Beth while she delivers the baby in "Little Baby Cunningham." She returned as a guest star in the final season.