A beloved Happy Days actor turned his fame into a career as a director, entrepreneur, and father of five. Now 77, his latest birthday post delivers a defiant message about aging, staying active, and refusing to become invisible.Born in Los Angeles, California, on September 25, 1949, the actor grew up to become part of a television cast that defined an era. He became one of the stars of ABC’s Happy Days, the sitcom that ran from 1974 to 1984 and presented an idealized version of life in the 1950s and 1960s.He played one of Richie Cunningham’s best friends, appearing alongside Ron Howard as Richie, Donny Most as Ralph Malph, Henry Winkler as Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, Tom Bosley as Howard “Mr. C” Cunningham, and Marion Ross as Marion “Mrs. C” Cunningham. The role was Potsie Weber, and it turned the actor into a household name.

He did not, however, land the part without a struggle. He told Smashing Interviews Magazine that his agent sent him to audition at the last minute and he initially got the role, but the pilot did not sell. A second pilot was made a year later after American Graffiti became a hit, and the actor had to screen-test again with a group of other actors.”Then I had a screen test with a bunch of people, and it took a month of not knowing to finally get the part again. Hundreds of people tried out for the role of Potsie.”That uncertainty eventually led to one of the most recognizable sitcom careers of the era.