‘Honored’ Ron Howard salutes ‘Happy Days,’ ‘American Graffiti’ co-star Cindy Williams

Ron Howard, left, shown in the 1979 “Shotgun Wedding” episode of ABC’s “Happy Days,” paid tribute to his co-star Cindy Williams, second from left. Director and producer Ron Howard says he’s honored to be able to comment on the life of his “American Graffiti” and “Happy Days” co-star Cindy Williams, who died Wednesday at age 75, because “she lived it with a lot of integrity” and he “always respected her.” The two-time Oscar winner broke out on the big screen around the same time as Williams, who was his romantic counterpart in George Lucas’ 1973 coming-of-age drama “American Graffiti” and the beloved 1970s sitcom “Happy Days.” The “Beautiful Mind” director and producer told People magazine on Monday that he last connected with Williams in Palm Springs last year after not seeing her for years. The pair worked together frequently over the course of five years before writer-director Garry Marshall enlisted Williams and his sister Penny Marshall for a guest spot on his popular 1950s-set sitcom “Happy Days.” The pair made a splash during a double date with Howard’s Richie and Henry Winkler’s Fonzie. Howard described Williams as “highly intelligent, very funny, very astute about the world around her.” He said she was “very skeptical of glamour or the illusions around our business” and that she never “fell prey” to it and that “she really was dedicated creatively, and I took notice of that and tried to draw inspiration from it.” Winkler, who played iconic biker Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, was among Williams’ notable Hollywood peers who paid their respects to the film and TV star.