Henry Winkler Reveals Moment He Thought His ‘Life Was Over’ While Filming ‘Happy Days’

It’s hard to imagine a comedic duo more perfect for one another than Henry Winkler and Ron Howard on Happy Days.

Adequately balancing out their distinct comedic sensibilities in their one-of-a-kind on-screen rapport, Winkler and Howard managed to elevate Happy Days into one of the defining sitcoms of the 1970s and ’80s, catching lightening in a bottle every time they appeared together in front of the camera.

Looking back, both Howard and Winkler told People magazine that they were perfectly aware of their undeniable chemistry, something that translated to their both personal and professional lives.

“When we worked together, there was something that happens out of the blue,” Winkler told People. “We had a shorthand with the script. He went where I went, I went where he went, and it became something else.”

In spite of their winning combination together, it wasn’t long before Howard decided to leave Happy Days to pursue a career as a filmmaker, something he decided to personally break to Winkler via an emotional phone call.

“There was a phone booth right by the front door of stage 19,” Winkler remembered the day Howard delivered the news. “They said, ‘Oh, the phone is for you, Henry.’ “

Once Howard told him he wouldn’t be returning for Happy Days, the 79-year-old Winkler reflected , “My first thought was, ‘I’m going to die now.’ My great acting partner on this show, my good friend is no longer going to be here. My life is over.”

Despite these initially emotional misgivings, Winkler soon realized the importance pursuing a directorial career was for Howard, allowing him to give his former acting partner his full blessing to leave.

Winkler went on, “I said, ‘Ron, we’ve talked about this since the beginning. All you want to do is be a director. It’s in your DNA. Go and be the best you can be, and I cannot wait to see what you do.’ “

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.