When we think of actor Henry Winkler, aside from his many great recent comedy roles, we also think of him when he was much younger and playing the famous character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom Happy Days. That role has become synonymous with Winkler and we couldn't imagine many others playing that character, but that could have been the case.
Speaking with People, Micky Dolenz, known as the drummer for the band The Monkees, revealed that he was very close to securing the role of Fonzie on Happy Days, before Winkler ultimately was selected over him.
Dolenz states, "I almost got it. Supposedly it was between me and Henry [Winkler]. He remembers it too. The story I heard is that he was in the waiting room, saw me come in, and thought, 'Oh s---, I'll never get this — Micky Dolenz is here!' So we laugh about it now. He's a good friend and a brilliant talent."
There is no love lost between the two stars, with Dolenz even giving Winkler plenty of credit for the job he did in the role of Fonzie.
"Oh my God, he's just so good. I was definitely not as good as he was. Come on — he was The Fonz! He had that New York, New Jersey thing down. I'm from Southern California. It wasn't gonna happen!"
Could you picture anyone else playing the Fonz?