Erin Moran

Erin Marie Moran-Fleischmann (October 18, 1960 – April 22, 2017) was an American actress, best known for playing Joanie Cunningham on the television sitcom Happy Days and its spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi.

Early life Erin Marie Moran was born on October 18, 1960, in Burbank, California, near Los Angeles, and raised in nearby North Hollywood. She was the second-youngest of six children born to Sharon and Edward Moran. Her father was a finance manager, and her interest in acting was supported by her mother, who signed her with a talent agent when she was five years old. during its fourth and final season in 1968. She made her feature-film debut in How Sweet It Is! (1968) with Debbie Reynolds, and made regular appearances on The Don Rickles Show in 1972, and guest appearances in The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons, Bearcats!, Family Affair, and The Waltons, in an episode titled "The Song", in 1975. She also appeared in the television series Gunsmoke (as Rachel Parker in “Lijah”).

In 1974, at the age of 13, Moran was cast to play her best-known role as Joanie Cunningham on the sitcom Happy Days, the younger sister of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard). Moran continued the role in 1982 in the short-lived spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi. Moran later stated that she had only reluctantly agreed to star in the series because she would have preferred to remain with Happy Days. After Joanie Loves Chachi cancellation in 1983, she returned to Happy Days for its final season.

In 1983, Moran said in an interview that the Happy Days producers had pressured her to change from about the age of 15: They "suddenly wanted me to lose weight and become this sexy thing."

In the following years, Moran made several other television guest appearances, including The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, She became estranged from the Happy Days cast, with People claiming that she called them "evil" in an interview, a statement she would deny on a later talk show.

In 2008, she was a contestant on VH1's reality show Celebrity Fit Club. Two years later, she made an appearance in the independent comedy feature Not Another B Movie (2010).

In October 2011, a judge rejected the group's claim of fraud, thereby eliminating the possibility of recouping millions of dollars in damages. On June 5, 2012, a judge denied a motion to dismiss filed by CBS, which meant the case would go to trial on July 17 if not settled by then. In July 2012, the actors settled their lawsuit with CBS; each received a payment of $65,000 and a promise from CBS to continue honoring the terms of their contracts.

Personal life and death In 1987, Moran married Rocky Ferguson. They divorced in 1993. Later that year, she married Steven Fleischmann, a Walmart employee.

After Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi were cancelled, Moran moved from Los Angeles to the California mountains. She said in 1988 that she suffered from depression and was unable to secure acting roles. following media claims that she had been served eviction papers and moved into her mother-in-law's trailer home in Indiana.

On April 22, 2017, authorities in Corydon, Indiana, were alerted about an unresponsive female, later identified as Moran. She later was pronounced dead at the age of 56. An autopsy report from the Harrison County coroner indicated the cause of death to be complications of stage-four throat cancer (squamous-cell carcinoma). Toxicology testing showed that no illegal narcotics were involved in her death, and no illegal substances were found in Moran's home. Moran's husband, in an open letter released through her co-star Scott Baio, confirmed that she had first experienced symptoms of throat cancer around Thanksgiving 2016 and deteriorated rapidly from that point, and that the facilities that had unsuccessfully attempted to treat her cancer had not made anyone aware of how extensively the cancer had metastasized.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1967 Who's Minding the Mint? Little Girl on Tricycle Uncredited 1968 How Sweet It Is! Laurie 1969 80 Steps to Jonah Kim 1969 The Happy Ending Marge Wilson as a Child Uncredited 1970 Watermelon Man Janice Gerber 1977 Grand Theft Auto Debbie Hedgeworth 1981 Galaxy of Terror Alluma 1996 Dear God Erin Moran 1998 Desperation Boulevard Erin Moran 2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Erin Moran 2008 Broken Promise Mrs. Watkins 2010 Not Another B Movie Mrs. Klien 2012 The Deceit Mrs. Shephard Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1968 Stanley vs. the System TV movie 1968–1969 Daktari Jenny Jones Main cast, season 4 (15 episodes) 1969 Death Valley Days Mary Tugwell / Mary Elizabeth 2 episodes 1970–1973 The F.B.I. Vickie Florea / Cindy Marot / Morrie Prager's daughter 3 episodes 1970–1971 Family Affair Amy / Mary Ellen / Janet 3 episodes 1970 The Courtship of Eddie's Father Emily Ruth Gustafson Episode: "How Do You Know If It's Really Love?" 1970 My Three Sons Victoria Lewis Episode: "Dodie's Dilemma" 1971 The Smith Family Julie Keefer / Little Girl 2 episodes 1971 Gunsmoke Rachel Parker / Jenny 2 episodes 1971 O'Hara, U.S. Treasury Little Girl Episode: "Operation: Bribery" 1971 Bearcats! Elisa Tillman Episode: "Hostages" 1971 The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove Student at Camp TV movie 1972 The Don Rickles Show Janie Robinson Main cast (13 episodes) 1973 Lisa, Bright and Dark Tracy Schilling TV movie 1974–1984 Happy Days Joanie Cunningham Main cast (234 episodes) 1975 The Waltons Sally Ann Harper Episode: "The Song" 1979 Greatest Heroes of the Bible Tova Episode: "Tower of Babel" 1979 $weepstake$ Episode: "Lynn and Grover and Joey" 1980–1985 The Love Boat Carrie Walker / Joanne Morgan / Barbara Blatnick / Janet Reynolds 6 episodes 1981 Twirl Bonnie Lee Jordan TV movie 1982–1983 Joanie Loves Chachi Joanie Cunningham Lead role (17 episodes) 1983 Hotel Karen Donnelly Episode: "Hotel" 1984 Glitter Caroline Mason Episode: "In Tennis, Love Means Nothing" 1986 Murder, She Wrote Maggie Roberts Episode: "Unfinished Business" 1998 Diagnosis: Murder Cynthia Bennett Episode: "Food Fight" 1999 Good vs. Evil Herself Episode: "Gee Your Hair Smells Evil" 2001 Weakest Link Herself "Classic TV Stars Special Edition #2" 2005 Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion Herself TV special 2007 Scott Baio Is 45...and Single Herself Episode: "Scott Baio Hires a Life Coach" (Part 1)" 2009 The Bold and the Beautiful Kelly DeMartin Episode: "Episode #1.5691" 2012 Celebrity Ghost Stories Herself "Season 4 Episode 12"

Soundtrack Film Year Title Song(s) performed 2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star "Child Stars on Your Television" (with other child actors)

Television Year Title Song(s) performed Episode 1975 The Waltons "Will You Be Mine" (with Jon Walmsley) "The Song" (Season 3, Episode 23)1977–1983 Happy Days "Faith of Our Fathers" (with Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Donny Most) "Fonzie's Baptism" (Season 4, Episode 25) "Down by the Old Mill Stream" (with Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Ron Howard and Henry Winkler) "Requiem for a Malph" (Season 5, Episode 12)"Beer Barrel Polka" (with Tom Bosley, Marion Ross and Henry Winkler)"That Old Gang of Mine" (with Tom Bosley, Marion Ross and Ron Howard) "Fonzie vs. The She-Devils" (Season 7, Episode 11) "You Look at Me" (with Scott Baio) "Broadway It's Not" (Season 8, Episode 12) "Long After You'll Always Have Me" (with Scott Baio) "American Musical" (Season 8, Episode 22) "Lookin' Good, Feelin' Fine" (with Scott Baio) "No, Thank You" (Season 9, Episode 9) "Call" (with Scott Baio) "To Beanie or Not to Beanie" (Season 9, Episode 12) "How Am I Gonna Sing" (with Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Lynda Goodfriend, Ted McGinley and Pat O'Brien) "Grandma Nussbaum" (Season 9, Episode 14) "Twistin' the Night Away" (with Scott Baio) "Poobah Doo Dah" (Season 9, Episode 15) "Twist and Shout" (with Scott Baio) "A Touch of Classical" (Season 9, Episode 16) "Time Turned Around" (with Scott Baio) "Great Expectations" (Season 9, Episode 18) "Come Go with Me" (with Scott Baio) "Who Gives a Hootenanny?" (Season 10, Episode 6) "The Loco-Motion" (with Scott Baio) "Life is More Important Than Show Business" (Season 10, Episode 15) 1982–1983 Joanie Loves Chachi "Too Young to Know" (with Scott Baio) "Chicago" (Season 1, Episode 1) "Puttin' It All Together" (with Scott Baio) "The Performance" (Season 1, Episode 2) "Too Young to Know" (with Scott Baio)"I'll Take You Back" (with Scott Baio) "I Do, I Don't, I Do" (Season 1, Episode 3) "Lookin' Good, Feelin' Fine" (with Scott Baio)"The Lasting Kind" "College Days" (Season 1, Episode 4) "Makin' Room for a Friend" (with Scott Baio)"You and Me and Summer" (with Scott Baio) "Fonzie's Visit" (Season 2, Episode 1) "Our Love Was Meant to Be" (with Scott Baio) "One-on-One" (Season 2, Episode 3) "That's My Kind of Lovin" (with Scott Baio) "No Nudes Is Good Nudes" (Season 2, Episode 4) "That's Why I Love You" (with Scott Baio) "Everybody Loves Aunt Vanessa" (Season 2, Episode 5) "I'll Take You Back" (with Scott Baio) "Goodbye Delvecchio's, Hello World" (Season 2, Episode 8) "He's So Fine" "Term Paper" (Season 2, Episode 9) "Love Me Tender" (with Scott Baio) "The Elopement" (Season 2, Episode 13) 1983 Hotel "Delta Dawn" (with Mel Tormé) "Hotel" (pilot episode)

Awards and nominations Year Association Nominated work Category Result 1977 Photoplay Awards Gold Medal – Favorite Child Star 1983 Young Artist Award Joanie Loves Chachi Best Young Actress in a New Television Series 2006 TV Land Award Happy Days Most Wonderful Wedding (shared with Scott Baio)