Who is Arthur Fonzarelli in Happy Days?

Show

Happy Days

Played by

Henry Winkler

First episode

“All the Way”Season 1, Episode 1, aired January 15, 1974

Role

Main cast

Network

ABC

Occupation

Mechanic, later auto shop teacher

Show run

1974 to 1984

Also known as

Fonzie, The Fonz, Fonz, Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli

Arthur Fonzarelli, better known as Fonzie or the Fonz, is the greaser whose thumbs-up and "Ayyy" defined cool for a generation. Henry Winkler played him in every episode of Happy Days, turning a side character into the show's biggest star.

On Happy Days, Arthur Fonzarelli's story runs through Richie Cunningham (Best Friend), Howard Cunningham (Landlord), and Marion Cunningham (Mrs. C).

Other ABC sitcom characters from around the same time include D.J. Tanner (Full House) and Danny Tanner (Full House).

Who is Arthur Fonzarelli?

Fonzie is a high school dropout and motorcycle mechanic in 1950s Milwaukee. He rides a motorcycle, wears a leather jacket, and commands instant respect from the kids who hang out at Arnold's drive-in. He takes clean-cut Richie Cunningham under his wing, and the two become best friends.

In season three he rents the apartment over the Cunninghams' garage, and he gradually becomes part of the family. He calls Richie's parents "Mr. C" and "Mrs. C," and Marion is the only person allowed to call him Arthur.

Personality and comedy

The Fonz is cool personified. He can bring a broken machine back to life with one well-placed thump, charm almost anyone, and settle a room with a thumbs-up and an "Ayyy." Even his trademark put-down, "Sit on it," was invented for him by producer and writer Bob Brunner, who also coined the nickname Fonzie.

Under the cool, Fonzie is loyal, protective, and surprisingly tender. He was abandoned by his father as a small child and raised largely by his grandmother, and he treats the Cunninghams, his cousin Chachi, and his friends as the family he never had. Many episodes use him to teach kids that real toughness means doing the right thing.

Key storylines

Fonzie's adventures include romancing his old flame Pinky Tuscadero at a demolition derby, standing vigil at Richie's hospital bed after a motorcycle crash, and, most famously, jumping over a shark on water skis during a trip to Hollywood. In "Christmas Time" he receives a gift and a letter from the father who left him and finally learns why he went away.

As Richie and his friends move on, Fonzie stays in Milwaukee and grows up. He becomes co-owner of Arnold's and later teaches auto shop at Jefferson High. In the final season he meets a half-brother, and in the series finale, as Joanie and Chachi marry, he adopts Danny, the young orphan he has been mentoring.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Fonzie began as a minor character, and the network first had him wear a cloth windbreaker instead of a leather jacket. The writers got around that by putting his motorcycle in almost every scene, until the leather jacket was allowed. Winkler's performance made the character so popular that the producers considered renaming the show "Fonzie's Happy Days," and he moved to the top of the credits. He and Tom Bosley's Howard are the only characters in all 255 episodes.

Winkler earned three Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe wins for the role, and the Smithsonian collected one of Fonzie's leather jackets in 1980. TV Guide ranked him fourth on its 1999 list of the greatest TV characters, and the episode where he jumps a shark gave the world the phrase "jumping the shark."

Arthur Fonzarelli: frequently asked questions

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