It's over for "Happy Days" alum Anson Williams, 69, and his wife of more than 30 years, Jackie Gerken.
The actor who played lovable, gullible singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the beloved sitcom set in the 1950s and '60s filed for divorce in California Superior Court on Sept. 11, his rep confirmed to TMZ.
Anson cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split and told TMZ in a statement, "Despite best efforts to work things out or make allowances, and as difficult as it is, sometimes you have to do what's best for everyone."
Anson and second wife Jackie, whom he married in 1988, reportedly had four kids together. He also reportedly has a child with his first wife, Lorrie Mahaffey, to whom he was married from 1979 to 1986.
During his 10-year run on "Happy Days" from 1974 to 1984, Anson earned a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor.
As TMZ points out, he went on to become a very successful TV director, helming episodes for dozens of shows including "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills, 90210," some of the "Star Trek" TV franchises, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Baywatch," "Charmed," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and many more.
Earlier this year, he returned to acting, subbing for close friend and "Happy Days" co-star Don Most (who played Ralph Malph) in a Delaware Theatre Company production of the Dan Clancy play "Middletown."
In an interview promoting the production, he told WHYY radio that's it's a marvel that he and his old "Happy Days" co-stars have remained close since the show's finale in 1984. "It's really unusual," Anson said. "We've been through marriages, divorces, deaths, hard times, good times. It's like we're families that stay together through thick and thin for four decades. We're all just a phone call away."
In the theatrical production, Anson reunited on stage with "Grease" actress Didi Conn, who played his character's wife, Dotty. She was Ralph's girlfriend, Joyce, on "Happy Days."
In addition to his success in Hollywood, Anson is also a businessman. WHYY noted that he developed Alert Drops, an all-natural spray with lemon ingredients meant to help drowsy drivers stay awake. He got the idea for the product after he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home after a day of working on a show in a sweltering desert in the '80s.
He was advised by his second cousin — Heimlich maneuver namesake Dr. Henry Heimlich — to carry lemon slices with him if he worried he'd fall asleep behind the wheel. "The citric acid in the lemon acts on the limbic nerve on the tip of the tongue, producing a reflex action that causes the body to release adrenaline and you're instantly awake," Anson explained to WHYY.