The Happy Days family has lost on of its original stars. Irish actor Gavan O’Herlihy, who starred in the first season of Happy Days, died on Sept. 15 at age 70. His death was first reported on Nov. 9 in the Irish Echo. O’Herlihy also starred in Superman III, Willow, and Never Say Never Again. He was the son of Oscar-nominated actor Dan O’Herlihy.
O’Herlihy, who was born in Dublin, died of unknown causes in Bath, England. His brother, Cormac O’Herlihy, told The Hollywood Reporter that his family has chosen not to publicly discuss the cause of death, but said it was not related to COVID-19. Happy Days star and Willow director Ron Howard called O’Herlihy a “talented actor with a big free spirit” on Twitter Thursday. “Gavan .. Rest In Peace… It was a pleasure sharing the screen with you !!! You walked up the longest staircase this time,” Henry Winkler added.
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O’Herlihy starred on Happy Days as Chuck Cunningham, the older brother of Howard’s Richie. After just seven episodes in Season 1, O’Herlihy and Chuck suddenly disappeared from the series with very few mentions during the rest of the show. Chuck was later recast, with Randolph Roberts playing the part in two episodes before Chuck disappeared for good, notes Deadline. The situation inspired the term “Chuck Cunningham Syndrome,” referring to characters who mysteriously disappear from television shows without explanation.
In an undated interview, O’Herlihy said he was not interested in starring in a sitcom for a lengthy amount of time. “I pulled out of it, I didn’t want to do it,” he said. “They had me at college, I was going to grunt and bounce a basketball once every couple of weeks for probably three or four years. And at 20 years old, that’s not the gig you want to be doing. But that was my big break; that got me established around town as a kid who got hot in a hurry.”
After leaving Happy Days, O’Herlihy continued acting on television and movies, mostly making one-off appearances in shows. He appeared in episodes of Lucas Tanner, Sierra, Marcus Welby M.C., The Vionic Woman, The Amazing Spider-Man, Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Voyager, and Midsomer Murders. He could also be seen in the original Lonesome Dove miniseries in 1989 and the miniseries We’ll Meet Again in 1982. His film credits included Willow, Superman III, and the last movie featuring Sean Connery as James Bond, Never Say Never Again. O’Herily’s last credited appearance was in The Descent: Part 2 in 2009.
O’Herlihy is survived by his wife, Juliette; four children, Rogan, Lonan, David, and Daniel; and his siblings, Cormac, Patricia, Lorcan, and Olwen.
