Almost anybody will look uncool next to the scientifically-formulated Fonzie, but everyone on the cast of “Happy Days” called Anson Williams’s character Potsie Weber a nerd. Potsie wasn’t even his real name – it was a nickname thanks to his habit of pottery and of being a patsy. But Williams was cool enough once “Happy Days” ended.
He was in “I Married a Centerfold” in 1984, had a few spots on “Baywatch” like himself in 1996, and has acted as recently as 2016. He’s also gotten plenty of work as a director for numerous well-known kids’ shows like “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and even episodes of Star Trek, both “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager.”
Masi Oka – Heroes
Masi Oka got to play every layman's greatest dream – one day, Hiro Nakamura was just your average office worker and comic book geek, and the next he has superpowers. Being an actor who is known around the world for a single role is pretty cool in and of itself, but there's more.
Oka was also Doctor Max Bergman in “Hawaii Five-0.” While Oka is most known for his acting roles, he has also appeared as a producer, and also worked as a digital effects artist – his first job after graduation was at Industrial Light & Magic, the motion picture visual special effects company that George Lucas founded.
Wayne Knight – Seinfeld
Newman joins Kramer on a number of his zany schemes, and he's Jerry Seinfeld's main foe for the most recognizable sitcom of the nineties. Wayne Knight, who played Newman, isn't as diabolical as Newman – or his character in “Jurassic Park,” who was the root cause of the disastrous dino breakout.
Knight has now been married twice, first to Paula Sutor from 1996 to 2003 and getting married to Clare de Chenu in 2006. He and Clare have a son named Liam. His career began back in 1979 and includes “Space Jam, “ Hercules,” “Dirty Dancing,” and plenty of other famous titles.
Russell Johnson – Gilligan's Island
After joining a three-hour tour for information on his book “Fun with Ferns,” Professor Roy Hinkley becomes the driving force behind getting the castaways back to civilization, even if Gilligan tends to mess up his projects.
But Johnson was cool long before he landed on the island, having appeared in both “Twilight Zone” and “Outer Limits” episodes. He's also achieved the highest level of cool possible – being a Western movie star. In addition, Johnson reached the rank of first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force, flying a total of forty-four combat missions in the Pacific theater of World War II. Undeniably cool.
Tracey Gold – Growing Pains
A lot of sitcom children go like this: cool older sibling, geeky middle child, and weird or mischievous younger sibling. Carol Seaver from “Growing Pains” fits in perfectly in the middle. She wants to be part of the cool kids, wants to do well in school, and wants to catch cute boys' eyes. In real life, Tracey had no problem getting attention from guys.
She married Roby Marshall in 1994, and the two now have four children together. Gold suffered from anorexia beginning in 1988 but managed to defeat it. At one point, she was down to five hundred calories a day and weighed only eighty pounds, but she's healthy and happy now.