Ron Howard suffered a skin issue and began losing his hair during the early seasons of “Happy Days” due to his anxiety over Henry Winkler’s “The Fonz”
Overshadowing his character, Richie Cunningham. ABC had considered renaming the show “Fonzie’s Happy Days.”
“Fonzie was the single most stressful factor. That’s right, not Henry [Winkler], but rather Fonzie.
Howard, 67, says in “The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, 1950–1960” that he “noticed that as the season progressed.
The Fonz was gaining more and more screen time.” “wherein he and actor brother Clint Howard look back on their respective careers.
I didn’t cope with stress very well, he admits in his writing. “Going to a therapist might have helped me out a lot… Instead, I hid my possessions inside the house.
Then I developed eczema rashes all over my body, but especially on my eyelids… And I saw that my hair was thinning.
When I looked at the male relatives on both sides, I realised it was inevitable… However, throughout this period, it began to emerge in disturbing clusters.”
Ron Howard Believes Hair is Falling Due to Stress
The 67-year-old Oscar winner, who portrayed Richie Cunningham on the iconic 1970s comedy.
Began to see his hair falling out in frightening clumps as he became anxious over Henry Winkler’s character, The Fonz, overshadowing his own alter ego.
The biggest stressor of all was Fonzie, he wrote in his memoir with his brother Clint in The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family. In contrast to Henry, Fonzie is the one.
I didn’t cope with my anxiety very well. I think it’s likely that seeing a therapist would have helped me out… Instead, I hid my possessions inside the house.
Then I developed eczema rashes all over my body, but especially on my eyelids… And I saw that my hair was gradually falling out.
When I looked at the male relatives on both sides, I realised it was inevitable… However, around this time it began to emerge in disturbing clusters.
In 1980, Ron decided to pursue a career in filmmaking, and he left the sitcom to do so. Since then, he has written.
Directed, and produced several critically acclaimed films, such as A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, and Frost/Nixon.
Conclusion
These days, Ron Howard is most recognised for his directing work, although he began his career in the late ’50s as a child actor.
It was in the character of Opie on The Andy Griffith Show that he first gained widespread recognition. Later, he became known as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days.
Even though Howard had plenty of experience on TV sets, his appearance on the series was nonetheless a source of anxiety for the budding actor.
