ROCKIN’ OBLIQUES WITH YOU
The Golden Globe nominee says he feels “more alive” now than at 40.
Happy Days star Anson Williams is proving he has no plans to slow down at 77.
On Saturday, the actor showed off his physique in a shirtless bathroom selfie, smiling into the mirror as he flexed one arm and delivered a message to his fellow baby boomers about refusing to let age define them.
“My yearly reminder to every Boomer: NEVER let anyone diminish us because of our age,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “I’m 77. More creative, healthier, busier, more curious—and more alive than I was at 40.”
Williams said part of that renewed energy comes from having “a partner who sees the best in me,” seemingly referring to his wife, Sharon MaHarry, a memoirist and real estate broker whom he married in 2023.
The actor also credited “good lovin’,” kindness, adventure, eating right, and staying active for helping him feel better now than decades ago.
Williams played Warren “Potsie” Weber for all 11 seasons of Happy Days, which aired from 1974 to 1984 alongside Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, and Don Most.
Fans could not help but be reminded of the face that graced their television screens for more than a decade ago and were quick to celebrate Williams’ age-defying appearance.
Get a First Look
By clicking “Sign Up” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“Keep up whatever you are doing…You look great!” one person wrote.
Another immediately recognized his famous character, commenting, “Way to go, Potsie!!! Couldn’t resist…you’re looking great, Anson!”
One longtime viewer praised Williams’ outlook on getting older.
“Happy Days was one of my favorite shows,” they wrote. “I am glad to see few of the actors still going strong. Do not let age make you stop from being your Best!!”
His upbeat attitude toward aging comes nearly a decade after a serious health scare forced him to reconsider how he was living.
Williams was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer shortly before Christmas 2016 after becoming unusually short of breath. Doctors discovered that his red blood cell count had fallen dramatically because of internal bleeding.
He underwent two operations and spent roughly three weeks in the hospital.
“I needed to reprioritize my life,” Williams later told Closer Weekly.
In another interview, he described the cancer diagnosis as “the wake-up call I needed.”
“I turned it into a positive,” he said. “I learned I have a purpose for living.”
Williams later credited his move to Ojai, California, with helping him recover both physically and emotionally after cancer. After about 30 years in Malibu, he said he relocated because he “just needed a place to heal.”
Ojai also brought him MaHarry.
The pair first met when she sold Williams his home in the California town. They eventually began dating and married in 2023, when Williams was 73.
“There’s no age limit on being loved,” Williams has said. “There’s no age limit on living life fully.”
The couple have since blended their personal and creative lives.
Williams is currently directing his former Happy Days co-star Linda Purl in the off-Broadway production Crazy Mama: A True Story of Love and Madness, which is based on MaHarry’s memoir about growing up with a mother struggling with mental illness. The production runs through Oct. 18.
Williams’ behind-the-camera career stretches back decades. He began directing television in 1980 and went on to helm episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Xena: Warrior Princess, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Still, more than 40 years after Happy Days ended, Williams credits the sitcom with giving him far more than his breakout role.
“It was more than an acting job,” he told Steve Kmetko on an episode of Still Here Hollywood. “It gave me the tools to survive. It gave me the tools to have a career in many areas of the business.”
