‘Happy Days’ Star Don Most Says He Was More Like Richie Cunningham Than Ralph Malph in Real Life

For years, viewers knew Don Most as the fast-talking, joke-cracking Ralph Malph on Happy Days.

But away from the cameras, the 73-year-old actor says he had far more in common with another member of the gang — Richie Cunningham, played by Ron Howard.

Most portrayed Ralph on the beloved ABC sitcom, set in a nostalgic version of 1950s and ’60s Milwaukee. While his character was known for cracking jokes, he says that couldn’t have been further from his real personality.

“I was not like Ralph Malph,” Most said while speaking to radio station Y’all 106.7 on August 8. “When I was in high school, I was not the class comedian. I was more the audience for some people I knew that fancied themselves as comedians. I was closer to Richie Cunningham in real life than I was Ralph.”

Most said stepping into Ralph’s shoes was so enjoyable because it gave him the chance to become someone completely different.

“That’s what I loved playing this part, you know, there’s freedom,” he added. “There’s a certain freedom in that where it’s not yourself, you’re somebody else and you could explore that and go anywhere.”

According to Most, the character was originally written as something of a cool kid with a “great car” in the pilot.

But as the series evolved, so did the character, with Ralph becoming a much closer friend of Richie and Potsie.

Happy Days ultimately ran for 11 seasons and 255 episodes. Most and Howard both left the series after Season 7. But their characters remain forever linked to one of television’s most beloved sitcoms.