Anson Williams

Anson Williams
Anson Williams as Potsie Weber in 1974
Born	Anson William Heimlich (1949-09-25) September 25, 1949 (age 67) Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation	Actor, director, singer
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Lorrie Mahaffey (1978–1986; divorced; 1 child) Jackie Gerken (1988–present; 4 children)
Children	Hannah Williams, Jessa Williams, Olivia Williams, Bria Williams, Stella Williams

Anson Williams (born Anson William Heimlich, September 25, 1949 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor and director, best known for his role as gullible but well-intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series Happy Days (1974–1984), a role for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Williams has since become a prominent television director, working on programs such as Melrose Place (1992–1999), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–2003), Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013).

Williams was born Anson William Heimlich. His father, Haskell Heimlich, legally changed the spelling of the family name to "Heimlick", unlike Williams' uncle, Dr. Henry Heimlich, namesake of the Heimlich maneuver for treating choking victims. Williams attended Burbank High School, where he was captain of the track team and acted in multiple school productions. In 1971, he appeared with John Amos in a commercial for McDonald's.

In 1972, Williams landed the role of Potsie Weber in a segment of the comedy-anthology series Love, American Style titled "Love and the Happy Days", which also introduced Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), Richie's mother Marion (Marion Ross), and other characters that were spun off into the television series Happy Days. (Only Williams, Howard, and Ross reprised their roles for the spin-off). The new series' first season, during which Williams received second billing after Howard, was centered mainly on Richie and Potsie. Eventually, as break-out character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) and Richie's mother, father, and sister became more popular, Potsie was joined by Ralph Malph (Don Most, who was merely a side character in season one), and Potsie and Ralph became inseparable.