Henry Winkler
Celadon Books, 2023
Henry Winkler played “The Fonz” in the TV series Happy Days, filmed from 1974 till 1984. The show was a big feature of most teenager’s lives during that period, and still has an impact given its many re-runs.
The Fonz was an iconic character, the cool guy, contrasting well with Richie Cunningham, the everyman character played by Ron Howard – whose autobiography I have reviewed here: https://adrianvincent.org.uk/the-boys-a-memoir-of-hollywood-and-family/
Henry Winkler, now a mature actor, producer, director and author is a national treasure in the US and loved internationally. In his autobiography he is open about his flaws: resentment towards his parents; insecurities as an actor; and difficulty in being emotionally vulnerable to his wife. In recent years, following professional help from a counsellor, and he is more at home in his own skin and rounded as a person.
Henry had a difficult childhood. He has severe dyslexia, which in those days was undiagnosed. His parents labelled him a “dumb dog” for being unable to read or write properly.
His one release was acting:
“When I was on stage, playing someone else, I was transported to another world, one where pretending made you successful. What I was miserable at was being myself.” Page 2.
Once he became a huge star as the Fonz, worked hard to avoid being typecast, so in interviews he interviewed as himself and resisted most of the demands to do Fonz impressions. He made an exception when it was for charitable work:
“I started to visit severely disabled kids at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey; I began attending Special Olympics events and getting to know those amazing athletes. Each one of them thought they were meeting the Fonz. I was getting an education in giving back.” Page 103.
His determination not to be typecast included turning down the lead part in the film Grease – which was later offered to John Travolta instead.
“Where typecasting was concerned, I thought I was going to beat the system. I thought […] I was a big enough international star that I could go from mountaintop to mountaintop in my career. […]
What I learned: there is no beating the system.
After Happy Days ended in 1984 […] I thought the acting offers would come rolling in; instead my agent would say things like, “Oh my God, they love you. You’re so funny. You’re such a good actor.” And then: “But you were the Fonz.” […]
I had no plan B. I had just lived my plan A.” Pages 111 and 113.
With no work offers as an actor he got work as a producer, some voicework and some directing:
“I was earning a living, but I was an actor who wasn’t acting, a terrible thing to be if you’re an actor.” Page 118.
Henry’s wife, Stacey, writes:
“We’d been married for almost twenty-five years, and we had come to know each other very well. And a very big thing I’d learned about Henry was that when he wasn’t working, he was absolutely miserable. Adrift. Insecure. Anxious.” Page 165.
When some acting parts did eventually come, he didn’t perform at his best:
“I had burdened myself with the worst enemies an actor can have: self-consciousness and self-doubt. […] I was more worried about the perception everyone would have of me than being immersed in telling the story. To do the real work of acting, you have to abandon yourself completely.” Page 139.
Things gradually improved and in 1996 he had a role in the horror movie Scream:
“the executive in charge of the production company says, “We cannot put Henry’s name on the movie. We can’t put Henry’s picture on the poster. He is the Fonz. He will knock the balance of the horror off.”
Wes [Craven, the director] told me about it himself. I was a little hurt; he apologised. But that was the movie business – I understood.
Now the move is tested: shown to test audiences who write all their comments on cards so the film can be reedited and improved. But what the producers did not anticipate was that at every screening, there was big applause when my character walked on the screen. And the executives from the production company who had made the very thoughtful decision not to put my name on the film or the poster now asked my agent if I would do press for the movie.
I […] went out and did press for Scream. […] I am now forever associated with the first Scream. I am asked to sign every piece of Scream memorabilia at every Comic-Con anywhere in the world.
The moral of the story? Keep working!” Page 150.
A few years ago, I was delighted to see Henry with a part in the movie Ground Control. The film wasn’t great, it was only made watchable by Henry’s charming portrayal of the harassed IT guy. I was therefore a bit disappointed to read:
“We will now pass over my participation in the worst movie ever made by human beings, a picture where my name was in the credits and on the poster.
The film was called Ground Control. Never heard of it? Good!” Page 153.
Still struggling to get acting parts, Henry asked advice from Alan Berger, who said:
“ “you should write books for children about your dyslexia.”
“Alan, I can’t write books about my dyslexia,” I said. “I am dyslexic. I can’t even read books” Page 168.
But, with the help of a co-writer, Henry wrote the Hank Zipzer books, inspired by Henry’s own struggles at school. The books were a big success, he wrote 39 of them and they were turned into a BBC TV series with Henry playing the role of one of the teachers.
In recent years his film and TV roles have increased and in 2018 he won the Emmy for best supporting actor, for the TV series Bill.
“When you have had the kind of success I had right out of the gate, it’s very hard to think that it might never come again. And so this Emmy was a validation, not only of the kind of work I could do, but of the kind of work I could do at seventy-two.
[…] People who do great work don’t always get rewarded for it. But may I just say, this felt like sweet redemption. […]
I never for one second felt that I was a better actor than any of my fellow nominees. But with this seal of approval, I could at last feel I was as good.” Pages 228 & 231.
Henry reflects:
“For a long time after Happy Days, I was saddened that the world could only see me as the Fonz. But I never lost sight of what the character gave me […] And I gradually came to accept how much that character meant to people everywhere.” Page 239.
August 2025
Adrian Vincent