Henry Franklin Winkler is a multi-talented American individual known for his acting, comedy, directing, producing, and writing skills. He rose to fame for portraying Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the popular 1970s show, Happy Days.
He was recognized with numerous accolades and nominations for his acting skills and also ventured into producing and directing.
Henry Winkler Quick Facts
Full name: Henry Franklin Winkler
Date of birth: October 30, 1945
Age: 79 years old (in 2024)
Place of birth: Manhattan, New York, USA
Nationality: American
Marital status: Married
Wife’s name: Stacey Weitzman (m. 1978)
Kids: Max Winkler, Zoe Emily Winkler
Height: 5’6″ (168 cm)
Profession: Actor, Producer, Director, Author
Childhood
Henry Franklin Winkler was born in New York City, USA on October 30, 1945. His family was of German-Jewish descent and had immigrated to the US in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. They brought with them their most valuable possession, a box of chocolate containing their family jewels.
Harry Irving Winkler, his father, held the position of president at a company that dealt with importing and exporting lumber. He was skilled in eleven languages and had a knack for mental calculations. His mother, Ilse Anna Marie née Hadra, took care of their home. He also has a sister named Beatrice.
Winkler’s difficult childhood was marred by his undiagnosed dyslexia. School was a source of misery for him, and books were a source of fear. Despite his efforts, he never achieved academic success, causing most teachers to lack sympathy for him.
He struggled greatly in his personal life, as he had to constantly conceal his difficulties with basic skills such as reading, writing, spelling, and math. When he went to the store, he struggled to count his change and often left without doing so.
Education
Henry Winkler joined McBurney School and was selected to portray the main character in their performance of ‘Billy Budd’. This experience sparked a new interest in the eighth grade Winkler, leading him to decide to pursue a career in acting in the future.
Despite struggling with geometry, he was unable to graduate from his class. However, in 1963, he successfully completed a summer school program and was able to graduate. He then went on to attend Emerson College and became a member of the Alpha Pi Theta Fraternity.
After graduating from Emerson College with a BA degree in 1967, Winkler’s family anticipated he would enter his father’s business. However, he chose to follow his passion and tried out for a spot at the Yale School of Drama.
Despite his low grades, he was accepted into Yale because of his impressive audition. He devoted himself to acting while there, often taking part in one play in the evening and rehearsing for another during the day. He eventually obtained his Master of Fine Arts from Yale in 1970.
Career
After completing his studies at Yale School of Drama in 1970, Henry Winkler went back to New York. He started acting at Manhattan Theatre Club without pay, relying solely on income from commercials. Two years later, he appeared on television for the first time as an intern on the NBC soap opera, ‘Another World’.
He made his first appearance in the film industry in 1973, portraying the characters of Mannie in ‘Crazy Joe’ and Butchey Weinstein in ‘The Lords of Flatbush’ (both released in 1974). That same year, he relocated to Los Angeles, potentially with a letter of recommendation from Tom Miller, the producer of ‘The Lords of Flatbush’.
After arriving in Los Angeles, he landed the role of Steve Waldman on the ‘Dinner Party’ episode of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ on CBS within a fortnight. However, he started to feel homesick and opted to go back to his hometown in a short amount of time.
Henry Winkler decided to give a final audition before packing his bags. This was for the character of a motorcycle enthusiast, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, in the widely-known television show, ‘Happy Days’.
Although Gary Marshal had initially imagined a strong Italian actor for the role, he was quickly won over by Winkler’s audition and decided to cast him.
The first episode of ‘Happy Days’ aired on January 15, 1974. At first, Winkler had a minor role in the show, but as he gained more fans, his character became more prominent and Fonzie became one of the central figures. He stayed with the sitcom until it finished in 1984.
In addition to ‘Happy Days’, Winkler made appearances in three other TV shows in 1974: ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ as Miles Lascoe, ‘Rhoda’ as Howard Gordon, and an uncredited role in ‘Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers’. He also portrayed an auditioning actor in the TV film ‘Nightmare’.
Between 1978 and 1982, Henry Winkler made frequent appearances as Fonzie in various spinoffs of ‘Happy Days’, including ‘Mork and Mindy’ (1978), ‘Sesame Street’ (1980), ‘The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang’ (1980-1982), ‘Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour’ (1982), and ‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ (1982).
In 1998, Henry Winkler’s agent Alan Berger suggested that he write children’s books, but Winkler declined. However, when Berger brought up the idea again in 2003, Winkler agreed to collaborate with Lin Oliver.
In 2003, he published his debut novel, ‘Niagara Falls, Or Does It?’, which marked the beginning of the popular ‘Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever’ series. He has since written a total of 18 books in the series, featuring the main character Hank Zipzer, a fourth-grade student with dyslexia.
Personal Life
Henry Winkler wed Stacey Weitzman (formerly known as Stacey Furstman) on May 5, 1978. The pair has two kids together, Zoe Emily and Max Daniel. Additionally, Winkler gained a stepson named Jed Weitzman from Stacey’s previous marriage to Howard Weitzman. Max Daniel has since established himself as a recognized director and writer in the film and television industry.
In 1999, Winkler and his wife joined forces to create the Children’s Action Network (CAN). He is also actively engaged with numerous other philanthropic groups such as the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the Annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon, the Toys for Tots initiative, the National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, and the Special Olympics.
Net Worth
Henry Winkler has a notable net worth of $40 million, which can be credited to his various roles in both TV and film, his contributions as a producer and director, and his accomplishments as an author of children’s books.
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