LOWELL — In the 1970s, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most had a big presence in America’s living rooms as three iconic characters in the sitcom “Happy Days.” Wednesday evening they brought that presence to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium for Middlesex Community College’s 2026 Celebrity Forum.
Actors Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most joined MCC President Phil Sisson on the LMA stage Wednesday after the annual sponsor dinner, where they recounted stories of their “Happy Days” days, and their careers after the hit 1950s-centric sitcom concluded. Williams played the role of Warren “Potsie” Weber, Most played the role of Ralph Malph and Winkler took on the role of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, who started the show as a side-character but later took on a more leading role in the show due to the character’s popularity.
The show was developed by Gary Marshall, who all three actors praised heavily throughout the evening. Through the show’s 11-season run, Marshall not only ran the show, he helped give the cast members a glimpse into other areas of the TV and film industry they would delve into later in their careers.
“These renaissance men have gone on to be authors, directors, producers, philanthropists, musicians, and yes, they still somehow find time to act,” said Sisson while introducing the trio.
The three talked about the many different eras of their respective careers, their friendship since “Happy Days” and even their work with the late Bette Davis, a renowned Hollywood actress originally from Lowell.
Winkler spoke about his time filming in Lowell and Greater Boston for the 2012 Kevin James film “Here Comes the Boom,” which was centered around a high school teacher, played by James, who turns to mixed martial arts to save his school’s extracurricular programs.
“It was an amazing, wonderful experience because the people here and in Quincy and in Boston took such good care of us and they were so warm and wonderful, and it was just an unbelievable experience,” said Winkler.
Each talked about how they got involved in “Happy Days” to begin with. Most said it came at a time when he was trying to break into acting, but after getting some work for a time he started getting fewer and fewer auditions.
“But then I get the call, ‘There is a new show about the ’50s that they are casting, and they have an audition for you to see two of the executive producers,’” said Most.
That meeting, Williams said, turned into an audition, followed by a later screen test and then multiple improvisation sessions. By the time he got to an interview portion, Most said he was feeling “deflated” and without much energy, but that it almost worked out better for him that way.
“I think that really worked, and it went really well, and then I found out I was auditioning for Potsie,” said Most.
“You were?” Williams quipped, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Most said they liked him enough that they created a new role for him, the girl-crazy Ralph Malph, and Williams would eventually get the part of Potsie.
Williams pointed out that the iconic show actually had two pilot episodes, the first of which did not get much traction, and it didn’t have characters like The Fonz or Ralph.
“Everyone said, ‘it was great, it was great, it was great.’ It didn’t sell,” said Williams, drawing more laughter.
“Thank God they created Fonzie. People always say, ‘Are you jealous of Fonzie?’ Are you crazy? He bought me a house,” said Williams.
Winkler will be the commencement speaker this weekend for Emerson College, his alma mater, and he revealed a little bit about what he plans to tell those new graduates.
“It’s everything I leaned about life in the last 60 years … When I was in high school I took geometry for four years. Same course,” said Winkler, drawing more laughs. “I finally passed it with a D-minus in August of 1963, and I would just say that since that day in August of 1963, until tonight, not one person has ever said ‘hypotenuse’ to me.”
Winkler went on to talk about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, and how meaningful it is to be a commencement speaker at his alma mater after having those struggles. Most importantly, he said he learned to listen to his gut, in his own way.
“So, what did I learn? I learned that you have to listen to your instincts, because your mind only knows some things. Your tummy knows everything, and you don’t out-guess your tummy,” said Winkler.
The three career actors drew countless laughs from the crowd, and talked about the origins and impacts of some of the show’s most iconic scenes, various catchphrases like The Fonz’s “Ayyyy” and Ralph Malph’s “I still got it,” and highlights from their later careers and friendships with each other.
The Celebrity Forum has been an annual event for MCC for more than 25 years, and the proceeds from each year’s event go toward more than 140 student scholarships through the MCC Foundation. Guests in recent years have included The Beach Boys with actor John Stamos, singer Dionne Warwick and actor Kal Penn.
“Celebrity Forum proceeds contribute critical financial support for all of our students. To the faculty, staff and students who are here tonight in the audience, you are the heart and soul of this institution,” said Sisson.
The presenting sponsor of the evening each year is TJX Companies. MCC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Workforce Development Judy Burke said in a statement the MCC Foundation “is proud to host an events that brings extraordinary talents to Lowell for a wonderful and vital cause in support of MCC students.”
“These events are made possible by the generosity of incredible donors, community partners and employers who understand and share in the college’s mission of guiding students to success. Thank you to the Foundation, our partners and to Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most for joining us,” said Burke.