Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 1

Henry Winkler Says 'Happy Days' Guest Star Boasted of 50,000 Letters, Clashed With Ensemble

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 1

Henry Winkler Says 'Happy Days' Guest Star Boasted of 50,000 Letters, Clashed With Ensemble

Q: Which egotistical guest star pushed Henry Winkler to his breaking point on the famously friendly set of Happy Days?

The guest star appears to have been **Denis Mandel**, who played **Eugene Belvin** on *Happy Days*. Henry Winkler did not publicly name the actor in his retelling, but he said the person “played Eugene” and kept talking about his fan mail despite being told that the set worked as an ensemble. Multiple reports, including *Parade* and other follow-up coverage, identified the likely actor as Mandel, who played Eugene Belvin in seasons eight and nine. That said, it remains **not formally confirmed by Winkler by name**. The strongest available evidence is the character identification: Winkler said the actor played Eugene, and Denis Mandel is the actor associated with that recurring role.

Q: What drove the 80-year-old television legend to brave freezing temperatures for his very first nude scene in Loot?

He did it mainly because Maya Rudolph asked him. Winkler said Rudolph is “one of my favorites,” calling her brilliant and lovely, and explained that when she invited him to appear in the third-season premiere of *Loot*, he agreed without even asking to read the script. That trust and admiration for Rudolph, along with his enthusiasm for working with her and the cast, is what led him to take on the scene despite the discomfort. He later discovered the role involved his first nude scene, playing Gerald Canning, an eccentric nudist billionaire and ferry owner on a clothing-optional island. Winkler said he was shocked at the costume fitting to find he had only a short silk robe, and he initially reacted with “no, no, no.” Even so, he went through with filming on a beach in January. He described the shoot as freezing, saying the wind came from every direction and left him in shock. But he said being with Rudolph and her “wonderful cast” made it worthwhile.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 1

80-year-old Henry Winkler told a Tennessee fan expo that a recurring 'Happy Days' guest star named Eugene failed to fit in because he kept bragging about fan mail.
50,000 letters a week was Winkler's own benchmark, he said, but he told the actor that on the sitcom's set 'there was no stardom' and the cast worked as one ensemble.
The actor never identified the guest star, saying only that he kept boasting despite the warning and eventually calling him an 'a--back.'
11 seasons of 'Happy Days' launched Winkler's career from 1974 to 1984, and he used the appearance to reflect on lessons about humility while also recounting a recent first nude scene on 'Loot.'