Henry Winkler reveals the co-star who got under his skin: ”He was an a**back”

Winkler initially refused to reveal the actor’s name, but he did offer one major clue.

”He played Eugene.”

For longtime Happy Days fans, that clue points toward Denis Mandel, who played Eugene Belvin in 10 episodes during the show’s eighth and ninth seasons between 1980 and 1982.

Mandel later appeared in shows including Knots Landing and Homefront, before eventually stepping away from acting. Some media outlets have attempted to reach Denis Mandel for comment, but he has not responded so far.

“I was having trouble with a scene..”

Despite that uncomfortable experience, Winkler has often spoken warmly about the people he worked with during the show’s legendary run.

He has particularly praised former co-star Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham before going on to become an acclaimed director.

Winkler recalled one moment when he became frustrated while working on a scene and began hitting his script.

Howard noticed and quietly pulled him aside.

“I was having trouble with a scene. I started punching my script,” Winkler said, adding that Howard “put his arm around me, he walked me to the back of the soundstage, and he said, ‘You know, the writers are working as hard as they can. Let’s not hit our script.’”

The advice stayed with him.

“I said, ‘Ron, I will never hit my script as long as I live,’” Winkler said. “And he is, and was, even at that tender age, so wise. He just is easy, he just kind of goes through life and he’s an amazing fellow.”