In 1940, he left home, taking a bus to seek fame and fortune as an actor in Los Angeles.

[1] Molinaro moved to California working in odd jobs on the edge of the television industry, finally saving enough money to start his own collection agency.

His investments paid off when one of his properties were purchased by a conglomerate which used the land to build a shopping mall which provided a windfall to launch a career in acting.

[2] In the 1960s and 1970s, Molinaro studied acting and was offered guest roles and bit parts on television sitcoms, including Bewitched, Get Smart, Green Acres and That Girl.

[1] In 1976, Garry Marshall hired Molinaro to replace Pat Morita on another sitcom he produced, Happy Days.

[1] Molinaro's character was the owner of Arnold's malt shop, Al Delvecchio, who was known for the sighing catchphrase "Yep-yep-yep...".

[1][6] Molinaro starred in a failed TV pilot called The Ugily Family (1982) as the patriarch of an unattractive clan who is constantly correcting mispronunciations of his surname as "ugly".

In 1987, Molinaro and fellow Happy Days cast member Anson Williams opened a chain of diners called Big Al's.

[1] Starting in 1990, Molinaro played grandfather Joe Alberghetti on the CBS sitcom The Family Man.

Molinaro was proud of his role on Happy Days and defended its anachronistic look as authentic and a genuine show that did not sentimentalize the past.

[9] Molinaro reprised his role as Al Delvecchio from Happy Days in Weezer's 1994 music video of the song "Buddy Holly", which was set in Arnold's diner.

"[1][3] Molinaro died of complications from an infected gallbladder at a hospital in Glendale, California on October 30, 2015, at the age of 96.