Ron Howardsays he owes it all to the Fonz. The director says thatHenry Winkler, who played Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli to his Richie Cunningham on theABCsitcomHappy Days, which aired for 11 seasons between 1974 and 1984, was responsible for him landing one of his first big directing projects. "Henry was always so supportive of that. When Henry said yes toNight Shift, that's what got that movie greenlit," Howardtold PEOPLEWednesday as he promotedApple TV+'sThe Studio, which the director appeared in this season, at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles. "He played a hand in helping my dream ultimately come true, which was to be a studio, Hollywood, feature director." Henry Winkler/X Howard's gone on to do just that, having been behind the lens of films including 2002'sA Beautiful Mind, for which he won Best Director at the Oscars, as well as movies such asWillow,Apollo 13,Cinderella Man, andFrost/Nixon. But back in 1982, the yearNight Shiftwas released, he only had a handful of directing credits. Landing one of TV's most recognizable faces as part of his cast was a big deal. And people loved Winkler's character onHappy Days. The cool, leather jacket-wearing, thumbs-up giving Fonzie would certainly add buzz to a project at the time. Howard's finished film costarred TV actorMichael KeatonandShelley Long, whoseCheersdebut was a couple months away when the movie was released. He said that it was something he'd been wanting for years. "I was working on my dream of directing throughout theHappy Daysrun," said Howard, who was on the series for its first seven seasons and returned in the last. "On the weekends, I was renting 16-millimeter sound equipment, and making short films. I directed my first movie forRoger Corman,Grand Theft Auto, on hiatus fromHappy Daysin season 3, I think." Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. When he left the series, Howard said, he had a contract to produce and direct television movies. "Then soon [producing partner] Brian Grazer and I connected onNight Shift," Howard said. "Four years after that, [production company] Imagine [Entertainment] was born." Howard and Winkler are still close friends — Winkler is the godfather of Howard's daughter, actressBryce Dallas Howard— more than 50 years after their show debuted. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
