"Happy Days" Star Anson Williams Opens Up About How Rob Reiner 'Launched' The Show Virginia ChamleeDecember 17, 2025 at 12:37 AM 0 Michael Tullberg/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty Anson Williams and Rob Reiner Happy Days star Anson Williams is remembering the late Rob Reiner Reiner wrote the show's pilot, alongside Garry Marshall (whose sister, Penny, he married) In a Facebook post, Williams remembered Reiner as someone who "always stood up for people's rights, fairness, and decency — values that mattered then and matter even more now" Happy Days star Anson Williams is remembering the late Rob Re...
- - "Happy Days" Star Anson Williams Opens Up About How Rob Reiner 'Launched' The Show
Virginia ChamleeDecember 17, 2025 at 12:37 AM
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Michael Tullberg/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty
Anson Williams and Rob Reiner -
Happy Days star Anson Williams is remembering the late Rob Reiner
Reiner wrote the show's pilot, alongside Garry Marshall (whose sister, Penny, he married)
In a Facebook post, Williams remembered Reiner as someone who "always stood up for people's rights, fairness, and decency — values that mattered then and matter even more now"
Happy Days star Anson Williams is remembering the late Rob Reiner — and his connection to the iconic show, for which he helped write the pilot.
In a Facebook post shared shortly after the news of Reiner's death, Williams ,who played Potsie Weber on the show, discussed Reiner's role in creating the show.
"I was fortunate to be part of Rob Reiner's creative world," Williams, 76, wrote in the post. "Rob wasn't just a great director — he was one of the original architects of Happy Days, writing the pilot and helping launch a series that became part of television history and my life."
Williams continued: "Rob's talent was immense, but his heart was even bigger. He has always stood up for people's rights, fairness, and decency — values that mattered then and matter even more now."
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"And here's something people don't talk about enough — Rob was also a tremendous athlete," Williams added. "On the Happy Days baseball team, he was a fierce competitor, a true teammate, and a big reason we won so many games. He played with the same passion, intelligence, and generosity that he brought to everything else he did."
Reiner first appeared as a television actor in the series Hey Landlord, created by Garry Marshall. Reiner would go on to marry Marshall's sister, late actor-director Penny Marshall, in 1971 (the two divorced in 1981) and together with Marshall, he wrote the 1974 pilot for Happy Days.
Happy Days aired for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984. Early in the show's run, Penny appeared in one of the episodes before going on to star in Laverne & Shirley, a spinoff of the show.
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Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Kathy O'Dare
Reiner himself got his big break on All in the Family, and would go on to direct a number of film classics, including 1987's The Princess Bride and and 1989's When Harry Met Sally….
Reiner died at the age of 78 on Dec. 14, when he and his wife, Michele, were found dead by apparent homicide inside their Brentwood, Calif. home, TMZ first reported.
According to multiple sources, the couple were killed by their son Nick, and their bodies were discovered by their daughter Romy.
Around 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call to provide medical aid, the LAFD told PEOPLE. When they arrived, they found a man, 78, and a woman, 68. Both were dead at the scene. Sources confirm the deceased were Rob and Michele.
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Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: December 16, 2025 at 06:45PM on Source: ANDY MAG
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