Biography
Erin Moran was born on Oct. 18, 1960 in Burbank, CA. At the age of five, she signed with a children's talent agency and appeared in a number of commercials. The future actress attended Walter Reed Junior High School for one year and then North Hollywood High School for a year as well. Moran made her television acting debut on the children's adventure series "Daktari" (CBS, 1966-69), as an orphan who moves in with a veterinarian's family who campaign for animal rights in East Africa. Following her stint on "Daktari," she guest starred on several family-oriented shows such as "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (ABC, 1969-1972), "My Three Sons" (ABC, 1960-65; CBS, 1965-1972), and had a recurring role on "Family Affair" (CBS, 1966-1971). In 1974, Moran joined the cast of the classic sitcom "Happy Days," nabbing the role that she became associated with for the rest of her career. Set in late-1950s Wisconsin, "Happy Days" chronicled the ups and downs of the Cunninghams, one of America's most beloved television families. The show's protagonist, Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), was the quintessential all-American teenager who found himself in trouble on occasion, but who was generally as wholesome as apple pie. Moran played Joanie, Richie's spunky younger sister. The program also launched the career of Henry Winkler who played Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, Richie's suave, leather-jacket sporting biker friend who became an instant cultural icon. As the show progressed, Moran's storyline expanded to include a romance with Charles "Chachi" Arcola (Scott Baio), Fonzie's younger cousin. On set, the couple began dating while they worked together on the show. Towards the end of "Happy Days," the focus shifted to the budding relationship between Moran and Baio's characters, who became so popular that ABC created a spin-off show aptly titled "Joanie Loves Chachi." It was for this that she won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a New Television Series. The series starred the twosome as a young couple trying to live out their musical dreams in Chicago. The show was a hit among viewers for the first few episodes, but the ratings declined dramatically during the second season, leading to its cancellation and forcing the duo to reprise their roles on "Happy Days" for its final season. Subsequently, Moran made fewer appearances on television, but did guest roles on such hit shows of the era as "The Love Boat" (ABC, 1977-1986), "Murder She Wrote" (CBS, 1984-1996), and the long-running daytime soap, "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS, 1987- ). After a break in acting, Moran reemerged by reuniting with her co-star and former off-screen beau, Baio, on his VH1 reality show "Scott Baio is 45 And Single" (2007) wherein the commitment-phobic actor confronts some of his celebrity exes and his fear of marriage. In 2008, Moran was cast on the reality series "Celebrity Fit Club" (VH1, 2005-2010), in which overweight stars competed in various challenges in an attempt to lose weight. In 2011, Moran joined fellow "Happy Days" co-stars Don Most, Anson Williams and Marion Ross - as well as the estate for Tom Bosley - in suing ABC for breach of contract over unpaid merchandising revenues. The group settled the following year for $65,000 and a promise that the network would continue honoring their contractual obligations. Unfortunately, Moran fell on hard financial times and found herself to be the subject of tabloid stories depicting her tragic fall. Erin Moran was found dead on April 22, 2017 at the age of 56 in Corydon, Indiana. An autopsy revealed that she had been suffering from stage 4 throat cancer.
