Speaking on the Wednesday, Feb. 18 episode of the What Matters with Liz<\/a> podcast, Winkler, 80, said that Howard, 71, “was one of the best acting partners I’ve ever had in my career.”<\/p>\n “When we did Happy Days together, now here’s a guy who’s never done theater before, he’s only done film,” Winkler said, adding that he was trained in theater.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n ABC Photo Archives\/Disney General Entertainment Content\/Getty<\/p>\n He continued: “Ron had never done it before and was really nervous \u2014 especially in 1975 when we went from doing it like a little movie to in front of an audience. He was panicked.”<\/p>\n “And I’m telling you \u2014 things would come to me during the show, and I would just do them, I wouldn’t stop my imagination,” Winkler added. “And Ron went wherever I went.”<\/p>\n Winkler added: “And then I went wherever he went. And it was uncanny, you could not fake it. You couldn’t make it up.”<\/p>\n The sitcom ran for 11 seasons between 1974 and 1984 on ABC.<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n Howard starred as the all-American boy next door Richie Cunningham for the first seven seasons of the series, returning in a guest capacity in the final season.<\/p>\n Winkler, on the other hand, was initially in a recurring role as the ultimate cool guy Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the first season before being upped to a series regular for the rest of the show’s run thanks to his character’s popularity.<\/p>\n The show ran from 1974 to 1984.<\/p>\n Speaking to PEOPLE in 2025, Winkler’s daughter Zoe Winkler Reinis<\/a>\u00a0spoke about the special bond between the two.<\/p>\n “What they lived was such a one-of-one situation,” she said. “The fact that they have each other, and they are still working, and they’re still getting to do what they love I think is such an amazing thing. So many people don’t get that, especially in this world of entertainment.”<\/p>\n![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/819fa5d75a9789aac9900b86b9e8ede2.jpeg\"\/)
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler on Happy Days <\/p>\n