Ron Howard wore disguises in public to avoid being recognized by fans when “Happy Days” was at the height of its popularity.
Speaking at the 2026 Hamptons International Film Festival, the director, who starred as Richie Cunningham on the hit sitcom, detailed the extreme measures he took to conceal his identity during the show’s 11-season run from 1974 to 1984.
“It did get to the point, the show was so popular that — it sounds a little ridiculous, but you’d sort of have to wear little disguises and things,” Howard, 72, said, per Entertainment Weekly. “If you wanted to go to a mall, or go to Disneyland, or go out to the movies even, you had to lay low.”
Howard, in particular, had to ditch his character’s wholesome look, varsity jacket and all, for an outfit more akin to Henry Winkler’s character, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.
“I had kind of a leather jacket that was tough — not a ‘Fonzie’ leather jacket, but this ’50s motorcycle cop kind of thing,” he explained. “And I would let my hair grow out a little bit and what I could grow of a mustache or something like that, and wear shades.
“I tried to look tough. My disguise was simply to try to be a little bit tough.”
The actor, who also starred on “The Andy Griffith Show,” said disguising himself to evade fans was one of the things that “pushed [him] to want to get behind the camera.”
Howard left “Happy Days” ahead of its eighth season in 1980 to pursue directing full-time.
He went on to direct films including 1982’s “Night Shift” — starring Winkler, now 80 — 1984’s “Splash,” 1995’s “Apollo 13” and 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind,” which earned him the Oscar for best director.
His most recent directing job was “Eden,” released last August, which he previously told Page Six was a “big creative risk.”
Howard told us making the film was “outside [his] comfort zone,” adding that while most of his movies are “celebratory,” “Eden” — which starred Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney and Ana de Armas — was a “cautionary tale.”
“It’s a true-crime thriller, and I’m so proud of it,” he said at the time.
In 2024, Howard took a trip down memory lane when reuniting with Winkler at that year’s Emmys to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Happy Days.”
The pair presented the award for best direction of a comedy series while standing on a set that paid homage to the sitcom’s iconic Arnold’s Drive-In.
“This is fantastic,” Howard said, with Winkler adding, “Feels like home.”
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