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Don Most became famous as lovable funny guy Ralph Malph on Happy Days, but after seven seasons he made the surprising decision to leave the hit ABCsitcom—at the height of its popularity.
In a new interview with Yahoo!, Most, 72, looked back on his days on the smash ‘70s sitcom and explained that he chose to leave the show in 1980, four years before its end, because he didn’t want his career to be defined by that one role.
"I'd been playing the same character for seven years, and it was time to move on," Most said in the interview. "I didn't want the conversation just to be about that. I wanted to move on in a career as an actor that can go on for years."
Most left Happy Days alongside series star Ron Howard amid a storyline that his character’s parents were getting a divorce. His final episode as a main cast member was "Ralph's Family Problem," which aired on May 6, 1980.
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After appearing in 167 episodes of Happy Days, Most did voice work for shows such as Dungeons & Dragons and Teen Wolf and appeared in everything from Baywatch to Murder She Wrote. He went on to a career in movies, both as an actor and director, and moved on to stage roles and into music as a swing and jazz vocalist.
More than 45 years after his exit from Happy Days, Most told Yahoo! he made peace with Ralph Malph being his most recognizable acting role.
"There's enough distance and time from it, and I've been doing so many kinds of projects," he said. "I feel like I can embrace it, and have that conversation about Happy Days willingly, and enjoy it."
"So many people come up and want to talk about the show, the character," he added.
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Most previously shared that he had worried about being typecast as Ralph, the practical joke-loving character known for wearing Groucho glasses and saying catchphrases such as “I still got it.”
"I was concerned I was getting so associated with that role that it was gonna be more and more difficult for me to break away,” the actor explained in an interview with Pop Goes the Culture TV. "Also, I felt that, you know, seven years is enough to do that.”
Most also admitted that he felt the quality of the show had changed since Happy Days made its debut in 1974.
“Honestly, I felt that the material was not as good as it was in the earlier stage,” the Happy Days veteran admitted. “I felt those last two years that I was on it, that the quality was just not what it had been, and so I wasn't enjoying it as much and feeling creative fulfillment as much."
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