Happy Days enjoyed an absurd amount of success during its initial run from 1974 to 1984. The series itself had all the best elements of a good show: it was family-centric, had wonderful characters and there was no shortage of catchphrases that are still in our vocabularies today.

While all the characters are appreciated on Happy Days, one man shines brighter than all the rest: Fonzie.

With his cool leather jacket and perpetually confident demeanor, Fonzie instantly became a character that audiences both loved and looked up to. Seemingly overnight, the actor responsible for playing Fonzie, Henry Winkler, became a star. It was a level of fame that rivaled many of the medium's top stars, and the sort that lingers even today. Above all else, Winkler is known as The Fonz.

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However, Winkler wasn't comfortable with just being known as the Fonz for the rest of his life. During an interview with The Albuquerque Tribune, Winkler explained that he was offered an opportunity that many actors can only dream of: His very own series to star in.

"They've offered me my own series as Fonzie," said Winkler. "But I said, 'No, I want to do films.'"

Winkler wasn't foolishly throwing away the chance of a lifetime; he was simply considering what sort of actor he wanted to be seen as in the long term.

"I love the character of Fonzie, and I'm very proud of him," said Winkler. "But if I do him too long, I will get boring and my audiences will get bored. My main responsibility to myself is to grow."