In 1987, fellow Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro and he opened a chain of diners called Big Al's the business went defunct. Williams initially objected to footage of Potsie appearing in Weezer's 1994 music video Buddy Holly, which was set in Arnold's Drive-In from Happy Days, but he later relented. He also joined his fellow Happy Days cast members for two reunion specials: The Happy Days Reunion Special (1992) and Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion (2005). While directing a 2003 episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch titled "Sabrina in Wonderland", he appeared as Potsie in a fantasy sequence. He played himself in a 1996 Happy Days-themed Boy Meets World episode (which also featured former castmates Tom Bosley and Pat Morita).
#HAPPY DAYS MOVIE COMMERCIAL SERIES#
He also directed several episodes of the TV series 7th Heaven.ĭespite his success as a director and producer, Williams has occasionally returned to his work on Happy Days in retrospective ways. He has gone on to direct many episodes for a variety of television series, including The Pretender, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, seaQuest 2032, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed. Īfter Happy Days, Williams began a much more prolific career as a television director, starting with short programs for adolescent-age children, including afterschool specials "No Greater Gift" (1985) and " The Drug Knot" (1986), and TV-movie Lone Star Kid (1986). In 1977, during his run on "Happy Days" Williams recorded and released a single, "Deeply" which peaked at #93 on the Hot 100. Williams' first wife, Lorrie Mahaffey, portrayed Potsie's girlfriend, Jennifer, in later seasons. As Potsie, Williams actually sang lead vocals for the group. In some episodes, Richie, Potsie, and Ralph formed a band combo that performed at Arnold's Drive-In and other places. Unlike Howard and Most, Williams was one of the few to remain through the entire run of the series, although his appearances became less frequent in later seasons.
Eventually, as breakout character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli ( Henry Winkler) and Richie's mother, father, and sister became more popular, Potsie was joined by Ralph Malph ( Don Most, who was merely a side character in season one), and Potsie and Ralph became inseparable. The new series' first season, during which Williams received second billing after Howard, was centered mainly on Richie and Potsie. (Only Williams, Howard, and Ross reprised their roles).
In 1972, Williams portrayed Potsie Weber in a segment of the comedy-anthology series Love, American Style titled "Love and the Happy Days", which also introduced Richie Cunningham ( Ron Howard), Richie's mother Marion ( Marion Ross), and other characters who were spun off into the television series Happy Days.
In 1971, he appeared with John Amos in a commercial for McDonald's. Williams attended Burbank High School, where he was captain of the track team and acted in multiple school productions. Henry Heimlich, namesake of the Heimlich maneuver for treating choking victims. His father, Haskell Heimlich, legally changed the spelling of the family name to "Heimlick", unlike Williams' uncle, Dr. Williams was born Anson William Heimlich to a Jewish family.