Henry Franklin Winkler,
OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as
Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
'', Winkler has distinguished himself as a
character actor for roles such as Arthur Himbry in ''
Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
,'' Coach Klein in ''
The Waterboy
''The Waterboy'' is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy B ...
,''
Barry Zuckerkorn
''Arrested Development'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on the Fox network from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006. A fourth season of 15 episodes was released on Netflix on May 26, 2013. Created by Mitchell Hurwit ...
in ''
Arrested Development
The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...
,'' Eddie R. Lawson in ''
Royal Pains
''Royal Pains'' (stylized ℞oyalPains) is an American comedy-drama television series that ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016. The series was based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies. The ca ...
,'' Dr. Saperstein in ''
Parks and Recreation'',
Fritz
Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...
in ''
Monsters at Work,'' Stanley Yelnats III in ''
Holes
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...
,'' Uncle Joe in ''
The French Dispatch
''The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'', or simply ''The French Dispatch'', is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Gui ...
,'' ''
Al Pratt in ''
Black Adam
Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' ''The Marvel Family'' comi ...
, and Gene Cousineau in
''Barry''. In 2016, he also became a
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
star on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
series,
''Better Late Than Never''. Winkler's
accolades
The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
include a
Primetime Emmy
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, two
Daytime Emmys
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
, two
Golden Globe Awards, and a
Critics Choice Award
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...
.
As a child, Winkler struggled at
P.S. 87 on West 78th Street, Manhattan and the
McBurney School
McBurney School was a boys college-preparatory school in Manhattan run by the YMCA of Greater New York. Its name commemorates Robert Ross McBurney, a prominent New York YMCA leader during the late 19th century.
Among its alumni are actors Henry W ...
, where he was berated for his poor academic performance. He then studied theater at both
Emerson College and the
Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
, spent a year and half with the
Yale Repertory Theater
Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented student ...
, did regional theater and commercial work, and appeared in two independent films. After saving up money, he traveled to California in September 1973, and was cast in a small role for ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
.'' He also auditioned for ''Happy Days'' and won the part of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, a role he played for the next ten years. During his time on ''Happy Days'', Winkler was diagnosed as
dyslexic.
After the end of ''Happy Days'', Winkler found himself
typecast
In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
and moved into producing and directing. He helped develop the original ''
MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both p ...
'' television series and worked on programs such as ''
Sightings'' and ''
The Hollywood Squares
''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...
''. He also directed the theatrical releases ''
Memories of Me
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
'' with
Billy Crystal
William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...
and ''
Cop and a Half
''Cop and a Half'' is a 1993 American family buddy cop-comedy film directed by Henry Winkler, and stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II, and Ray Sharkey in his final role. Reynolds plays a veteran cop who reluctantly takes an eight-year-old ...
'' with
Burt Reynolds. In 2003, he drew upon his childhood struggles with dyslexia to co-write the ''
Hank Zipzer'' series of children's books with
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
author
Lin Oliver
Lin Oliver (born February 2, 1947) is an American writer, producer, and the co-founder (with Steve Mooser) of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. During the 1990s and early 2000s, she wrote and produced a number of works for ...
. He and Oliver also created the BBC adaptation (in which Winkler appears as Mr. Rock) ''
Hank Zipzer'' and the 2016 Christmas special, ''
Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe
''Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe'' is a 2016 standalone British Christmas television film, that appeared during Season three of the Hank Zipzer (TV series). It is an adaptation of the ''Hank Zipzer'' book series by American actor Henry ...
.'' They next released the prequel book series ''Here's Hank'', as well as two additional book series: the ''Ghost Buddy'' books, and the ''Alien Superstar'' books.
Winkler has
been honored for his role as "The Fonz", and for his work with dyslexia through the ''Hank Zipzer'' series. In 1980, he donated one of Fonzie's leather jackets to the
National Museum of American History. In 1981, he received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008, The ''
Bronze Fonz'' statue was unveiled along the
Milwaukee Riverwalk
The Milwaukee Riverwalk is a continuous pedestrian walkway along the Milwaukee River in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Description
Conceived in the 1990s to increase public access to the waterway, the Milwaukee Riverwalk has grown to include ar ...
. In 2011, he was appointed an
Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, and was named one of the ''United Kingdom's Top 10 Literacy Heroes'' in 2013.
Family history (1939–1945)
Winkler's parents, Ilse Anna Marie (
née Hadra)
and businessman Harry Irving Winkler
were
German Jews
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
living in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
during the rise of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
[ By 1939, rising hostilities against Jews led his father to conclude that it was time to leave Germany. He arranged to take his wife on a six-week business trip to the United States.][ Although Winkler's Uncle Helmut was supposed to join them, at the last minute he decided to leave later, and was eventually taken away by the Nazis.] Winkler later said, "At the time, my father, Harry, told my mother, Ilse, that they were traveling to the U.S. on a brief business trip. He knew they were never going back. Had he told my mother that they were leaving Germany for good, she might have insisted on remaining behind with her family. Many in their families who stayed perished during the Holocaust." Soon after arriving, his parents settled in New York City, where his father established a new version of his German company, which bought and sold wood.
Early life and education (1945–1970)
Henry Franklin Winkler was born on October 30, 1945, in the West Side
West Side or Westside may refer to:
Places Canada
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Westside, Birmingham E ...
of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
's Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
borough. The "H" in his first name is a reference to his Uncle Helmut, while his middle name
In various cultures, a middle name is a portion of a personal name that is written between the person's first given name and their surname.
A middle name is often abbreviated and is then called middle initial or just initial.
A person may be ...
refers to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. He has an older sister named Beatrice, and is a cousin of actor Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is a retired American actor, stand-up comedian, and author. He is best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/Sergeant, and DA Investigator John Munch, whom he has portrayed as a regular cas ...
.
Although his family did not keep kosher, Winkler was raised in the traditions of Conservative Judaism. During his childhood, Winkler and his family spent their summers at Lake Mahopac, New York, and as a teenager, he was a water skiing
Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...
instructor at Blue Mountain camps.
While growing up, Winkler had a difficult relationship with his father who "wanted me to go into the family business, buying and selling wood. But the only wood I was interested in was Hollywood.” When his father grew frustrated with Winkler's focus on acting, he would ask his son why he had brought the business over from Germany to the United States. Winkler would respond: "Besides being chased by the Nazis, Dad, was there a bigger reason than that?”
Difficulties in school
Winkler first attended P.S. 87 on West 78th Street, Manhattan, and then the McBurney School
McBurney School was a boys college-preparatory school in Manhattan run by the YMCA of Greater New York. Its name commemorates Robert Ross McBurney, a prominent New York YMCA leader during the late 19th century.
Among its alumni are actors Henry W ...
in Manhattan's Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
. Although he was "outgoing" and "the class comedian" in school,[ he also lived in a state of "constant anxiety"][ over his struggles with schoolwork.] His parents, who "would not tolerate poor marks," were perpetually frustrated by his poor grades, referred to him as "dummer hund" (dumb dog), and repeatedly punished him for his inability to excel in school. Winkler has said that this time period was "excruciating" as his "self-image was almost nonexistent." He has also stated:
In addition, his consistently poor academic performance made it difficult to be involved in the theater, as he was "grounded most of my high school career," and was almost never academically eligible. However, he did manage to appear in two theatrical productions: '' Billy Budd'' when he was in the eighth grade, and ''Of Thee I Sing
''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President o ...
'' in the eleventh grade.
Although Winkler graduated from the McBurney School in 1963, he was not allowed to attend graduation, as he had to repeat geometry for the fourth time during summer school. After finally passing the course, he received his diploma in the mail.
Emerson College (1963–1967)
Winkler applied to 28 colleges, but was admitted to only two of them, one of which was Emerson College in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, which he joined in 1963. He majored in theater and minored in child psychology, as he considered becoming a child psychologist if he did not succeed as an actor. He was also a member of the Alpha Pi Theta fraternity, and appeared in Emerson's production of '' Peer Gynt'' as the title character. Winkler later recalled that, "I nearly flunked out my first year f Emerson
F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
I almost flunked out my second year, but I was able to go for four years." He graduated in 1967, and in 1978, Emerson awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL).
Yale School of Drama (1967–1970)
During his senior year at Emerson, Winkler decided to audition for the Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
. Although his then-undiagnosed dyslexia led to him forgetting the Shakespearean
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
monologue he was supposed to perform, forcing him to improvise, Winkler was still admitted to the M.F.A. program in 1967.
He appeared in ''They Told Me That You Came This Way'', ''Any Day Now, Any Day Now'', and ''The Bacchae
''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...
'' (as a member of the chorus). During the summers, he and his Yale classmates stayed in New Haven, and opened a summer stock theater called the ''New Haven Free Theater''. They performed various plays including ''Woyzeck
''Woyzeck'' () is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. Büchner wrote the play between July and October 1836, yet left it incomplete at his death in February 1837. The play first appeared in 1877 in a heavily edited version by Karl Emil Fr ...
,'' where he portrayed the title role, and ''Just Add Water'' for improv night. He also performed in the political piece, ''The American Pig'' at the Joseph Papp Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
for the New York Shakespeare Festival
Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...
in New York City, with classmates James Keach
James Keach (born December 7, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach Jr. and son of actor Stacy Keach Sr.
Early life and education
Keach was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of Mary Cain ( ...
, James Naughton
James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season telev ...
, and Jill Eikenberry
Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama '' L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Go ...
. In addition, he also appeared in a number of Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stude ...
productions while still a student, including, ''The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...
'', ''The Rhesus Umbrella'', ''Don Juan
Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...
'', ''Endgame
Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to:
Film
* ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film)
* ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film
* ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...
'', and ''The Physicists
''The Physicists'' (german: Die Physiker) is a satiric drama/ tragic comedy written in 1961 by Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The play was mainly written as a result of the Second World War and many advances in science and nuclear technolo ...
''. He also appeared in '' Sweeney Agonistes'' and ''Hughie
''Hughie'' is a short two-character play by Eugene O'Neill set in the lobby of a small hotel on a West Side street in Midtown Manhattan, New York, during the summer of 1928. The play is essentially a long monologue delivered by a small-time hus ...
.''
Winkler would later credit his time at Yale as critical to his future success, stating that he "used every morsel of what was given to me in drama, speech, dance, movement...when I did ''Happy Days'', I used everything—the commedia dell'arte, the movement, the acting. We had teachers from the “poor theater” movement in Poland, which is about doing theater from nothing and speaking through your entire body as opposed to just your voice. I used that and all my movement training in the episode when Mork put a spell on the Fonz."
Out of his original cohort of 25 actors at Yale, Winkler was one of 11 who graduated when he received his MFA in 1970. Over two decades later in May 1996 he served as the ''Senior Class Day Speaker'' for Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
's graduating seniors.
Early career (1970–1973)
Yale Repertory Theater (1970–1972)
After receiving his MFA in 1970, Winkler was one of three students from his graduating class of 11 who were invited to become a part of the Yale Repertory Theatre company. He joined on June 30, 1970,[ was paid $173 a week,] and appeared throughout the 1970–71 season. He performed in ''Story Theater Reportory'', ''Gimpel the Fool
"Gimpel the Fool" (1953) is a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, translated into English by Saul Bellow in 1953. It tells the story of Gimpel, a simple bread maker who is the butt of many of his town's jokes. It also gives its name to the colle ...
'' and ''Saint Julian the Hospitaler'' and ''Olympian Games''. He also appeared in ''The Revenger's Tragedy
''The Revenger's Tragedy'' is an English-language Jacobean revenge tragedy which was performed in 1606, and published in 1607 by George Eld. It was long attributed to Cyril Tourneur, but "The consensus candidate for authorship of ''The Reve ...
'', '' Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?'', '' Macbeth'', and ''Woyzeck and Play.'' He also appeared in a double feature of two works by Bertolt Brecht, ''The Seven Deadly Sins (ballet chanté)
''The Seven Deadly Sins'' (german: Die sieben Todsünden, link=no, french: Les sept péchés capitaux, link=no) is a satirical ''ballet chanté'' ("sung ballet") in seven scenes (nine movements, including a Prologue and Epilogue) composed by Kurt ...
'', and '' The Little Mahagonny'' during May–June 1971 and during January 20–29, 1972.
In the fall of 1971, Winkler was invited to be a part of the play ''Moonchildren
''Moonchildren'' (originally titled ''Cancer'') is a play by Brooklyn-based playwright Michael Weller. The play chronicles a year in the life of the "moonchildren" referred to in the title: eight college students living communally together in an ...
'' which would open at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...
in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
[ Three weeks into rehearsals, the director ]Alan Schneider
Alan Schneider (December 12, 1917 – May 3, 1984) was an American theatre director responsible for more than 100 theatre productions. In 1984 he was honored with a Drama Desk Special Award for serving a wide range of playwrights. He directed th ...
fired him as Winkler had been hired to fill the space until the actor that Schneider really wanted was available.[ At the time, Winkler was certain that because he had been fired, he would never be hired as an actor again.][
]
New York and California (1972–1973)
Winkler moved back to New York, and began to audition for plays, movies, and commercials.[ However, he never had to work as a waiter because he was able to earn a living through performing in commercials.] He was thus able to also perform with the Manhattan Theater Club
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has ...
for free.[
Winkler's first appearance on Broadway was as "John" in ''42 Seconds from Broadway,'' a play that opened and closed on March 11, 1973.] He swore to himself that one day he would "make that right." By 1973, he had roles in two independent films,''The Lords of Flatbush
''The Lords of Flatbush'' (stylized on-screen as ''The Lord's of Flatbush'') is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Davidson and Stephen F. Verona. The film stars Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Mace and Henry Winkler. Stallone ...
'' and '' Crazy Joe''. He also performed with the improv group, ''Off the Wall New York''.[ He continued to feel anxiety, however, with the process of cold reading during auditions,] and depended upon compensation strategies: "I improvised. I never read anything the way that it was written in my entire life. I would read it. I could instantly memorize a lot of it and then what I didn't know, I made up and threw caution to the wind and did it with conviction and sometimes I made them laugh and sometimes I got hired."
By 1973, his agent told him that it was time to leave New York and explore possibilities in California. Although Winkler was initially resistant, thinking he was not a good fit for Hollywood, his agent was persistent. Winkler ultimately decided that he had earned enough money through his work in commercials to try Hollywood for one month.[ He and his ''Lords of Flatbush'' co-star, ]Perry King
Perry Firestone King (born April 30, 1948) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on television and in films.
King received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the television film ''The Hasty Heart'' (1983), which is a rema ...
, thus traveled to Los Angeles on September 18, 1973.[ After meeting with his agency's west coast branch, and spending five days going to auditions, Winkler was hired for a small part on '']The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
,'' appearing in Season 4, Episode 10, "The Dinner Party."
''Happy Days'' and additional roles (1973–1984)
During his second week in Los Angeles, Winkler auditioned for the part of Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", on a new show called ''Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
.''[ Although he was an unknown, and not the first choice for the role (as actors such as Micky Dolenz of ]The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...
were also being considered), he was asked to return after his first audition for a second one in costume. He recalls that they plucked his "unibrow, combed my hair into a DA and put me in a white T-shirt and jeans." In addition, he also remembers that he decided to change his voice which "just unlocked me, and I realized I am NOT a leading man
''A Leading Man'' is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Steven J. Kung as his feature film debut, starring Jack Yang, Heather Mazur, and Tsai Chin. The film is distributed by Mance Media, and premiered on October 17, 2013, at the ...
. I am a character actor." In costume, and with this new voice, Winkler said his six lines, threw his script in the air, and left the room. He was offered the role on his birthday, and accepted it based on his condition that the producers would show who the character was when he took his jacket off. Winkler appeared on the first episode of ''Happy Days'' in January 1974, and was continuously with the series until it ended in July 1984.
"The Fonz" was initially written as a minor role (based on a "tough guy" Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play '' The Odd C ...
knew in The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
), and developed as the foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ...
to the central protagonist of the series, Richie Cunningham
Richard J. Cunningham is a fictional character played by Ron Howard in the 1970s TV sitcom ''Happy Days''. He is the second son of Howard and Marion Cunningham, brother of Joanie Cunningham and Chuck Cunningham, and a friend of Fonzie, Ralph Ma ...
(Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
). Winkler added his own interpretation of the character during the first episode, based on "a deal" he had made with himself that he would never comb his hair, chew gum, or keep a box of cigarettes rolled in his sleeve (as this is what actors typically did with this type of character). Although he tried to explain this philosophy to the producers, he was told he had to follow the script and comb his hair. He thus stood at the mirror, motioned in a way that suggested "Hey I don't have to because it's perfect," and in doing so, created the seminal moment which defined the character. In addition, ABC executives did not want to see Fonzie wearing leather, thinking it would imply that the character was a criminal. Thus, during the first season, Winkler wore two different windbreaker
A windbreaker, or a windcheater, is a thin fabric jacket designed to resist wind chill and light rain, making it a lighter version of the jacket. It is usually of lightweight construction and characteristically made of a synthetic material. ...
jackets, one of which was green. Marshall argued with the executives about the jacket, and eventually they made a compromise: Fonzie could wear the leather jacket, but only in scenes with his motorcycle. Marshall thus made certain that his motorcycle was written into every scene. In reality, Winkler did not know how to ride a motorcycle. As he almost crashed it the first time he tried, he subsequently never rode the motorcycle during the series.
By the middle of the second season in December 1974, "The Fonz" began his transition as a breakout character
A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...
when he was featured as the central protagonist in the episode, "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas." By the third season, he became the lead of the series, as the storylines shifted away from the original protagonist, Richie Cunningham, to "The Fonz." Winkler recalled in a 2018 interview that he directly addressed the issue with Ron Howard who portrayed Richie, asking him "how has what's happened affected you? You are the star of the show, and the Fonz has taken off." According to Winkler, Howard told him that although he "was signed on as the star, you did nothing except be as good as you could be. It's good for the show, we're friends." In 2021, Howard reiterated these points by stating that Winkler had been "sort of a big brother" to him, and was "very supportive of the idea of me being a filmmaker."
In a 2018 interview with Winkler, journalist Michael Schneider suggests that it was at this point that "the Fonz, became the biggest icon on television" at that time. Winkler responded by stating that he "went from somebody who had no sense of self" to a situation that was "scary. People wanted, you know, parts of my clothing, it was overwhelming." He has also admitted that while he shares some characteristics with "The Fonz" such as loyalty to friends and an undercurrent of anger that he drew from his struggles with school as a child, they were fundamentally different from one another. According to Winkler, "The Fonz" was "my alter ego. He was everybody I wasn't...He was in charge. He was confident. He was everybody that I ever wanted to have some part of in my body."
Dyslexia
During his time on ''Happy Days,'' Winkler realized that he was dyslexic, after his stepson Jed was diagnosed with this learning disability.[ Previously, Winkler only knew that aspects of reading and memorizing were difficult, but did not understand why. He thus developed coping mechanisms that allowed him to mask the difficulties he had with cold-reading scripts. If he was allowed to see the script prior to the reading, he would memorize it "as quickly as I could because I couldn't read the page and act at the same time to make an impression on the casting person or on the director and the producers...and I improvised the rest. And when they said, 'Well you're not doing what's written on the page,' I said, 'I'm giving you the essence of the character.'"]
This technique, however, could not protect him from the Monday morning table reads for ''Happy Days.'' He later recalled that prior to learning about dyslexia, he frequently embarrassed himself in front of his fellow cast members as he would "stumble at least once or twice a paragraph. And then I was diagnosed, and I made fun of it—I covered it in humor. But I was humiliated... swhen I didn't know what was going on for the first year or two, they laughed. I'm sure it was frustrating because I kept breaking up the rhythm of the joke or the scene. One line depends on another line—it depends on that flow coming in like a tributary from a river, and my tributaries kept getting like there was a beaver in the middle of them making a dam."
Additional film and television roles
During his decade on ''Happy Days'', Winkler also appeared in a variety of roles in film and on television. In film, he appeared in ''Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
'' (1977) with Harrison Ford and Sally Field, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for "Best Actor i ...
.[ He later appeared in ]Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...
's '' The One and Only'' (1978), and in Ron Howard's 1982 directorial debut, '' Night Shift'' with Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long (born August 23, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Long portrayed Diane Chambers on the hit sitcom '' Cheers'' and received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Se ...
before she appeared in '' Cheers,'' and a then-unknown Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...
. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his work in ''Night Shift''.[
In television, he served as executive producer and host for the 50-minute television version of the documentary, '']Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?
''Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?'' is a 1977 documentary film by John Korty.
Summary
Dorothy and Bob DeBolt, an American couple who adopted 14 children (12 at the start of filming), some of whom are severely disabled w ...
,'' (1978), which was nominated for a . He was also an executive producer for the '' ABC Afterschool Special: Run, Don't Walk'' (1981), based on the novel of the same name by Harriet May Savitz, and featuring his ''Happy Days'' co-star, Scott Baio
Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off '' Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on ...
. He further directed Baio in the 13th episode of the ''Happy Days'' spin-off, ''Joanie Loves Chachi
''Joanie Loves Chachi'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of ''Happy Days'' that aired on ABC from March 23, 1982, to May 24, 1983. It stars Erin Moran and Scott Baio as the characters Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, r ...
'', also starring Erin Moran
Erin Marie Moran-Fleischmann (October 18, 1960 – April 22, 2017) was an American actress, best known for playing Joanie Cunningham on the television sitcom ''Happy Days'' and its spin-off ''Joanie Loves Chachi''.
Early life
Erin Marie ...
.
In addition, Winkler starred in ''An American Christmas Carol
''An American Christmas Carol'' is a 1979 American made-for-television fantasy drama film directed by Eric Till and loosely based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''.
Plot
In Depression-era Concord, New Hampshire, a miserly ...
'' (1979), and served as a co-host for the ''Music for UNICEF Concert
The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song was a benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on January 9, 1979. It was intended to raise money for UNICEF world hunger programs and to mark the b ...
'' (1979). He also appeared as "Fonzie" on ''Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'' to promote the letter "A" (ayyyy), later recalling that it was "the only time I ever appeared as the Fonz on something else. I had a strict rule about that, but they asked me and it was my pleasure. They came to the ''Happy Days'' set."
After ''Happy Days'' (1984–2003)
After ''Happy Days'' ended in 1984, Winkler was typecast, and could not get acting roles until 1991.[ He later stated that his "agent would put me out there and people would say, ‘You know, he's great, he's a wonderful guy, really good actor. Funny, So funny. But he was the Fonz.'"][ He has also said that it was a difficult time for him, as he wanted to be a "working actor," had "no idea what to do," and "found it to be psychically painful. I was rudderless."][ However, he states that he lives his life by "tenacity and gratitude," seeing himself as "that toy with sand at the bottom you punch it and it goes right back to center. That is it: You have to get up, dust yourself off and you have to just keep yourself moving forward."] Thus, he started the production company, ''Fair Dinkum Productions,'' and various off-shoots. He chose the name in a nod to Australia, where " fair dinkum" is a common Australian term suggesting a person or thing is "direct," "honest," "fair," or "authentic".[ He set the company up with Paramount Pictures in the late 1970s. In 1987, he inked a new feature film and development pact with the studio.
]
Directing (1984–2002)
In 1984, Winkler directed, and was executive producer for, the '' CBS Schoolbreak Special: "All the Kids Do It"'' starring Scott Baio, which won the 1985 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Special (executive producer)[ and was nominated for the 1985 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in Children's Programming.] In addition to a few episodes of television sitcoms that he directed in the late 1990s and early 2000s,[ Winkler directed his first theatrical release in 1988, '']Memories of Me
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
'' with Billy Crystal
William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...
.[ In 1993, he directed his second theatrical release, '']Cop and a Half
''Cop and a Half'' is a 1993 American family buddy cop-comedy film directed by Henry Winkler, and stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II, and Ray Sharkey in his final role. Reynolds plays a veteran cop who reluctantly takes an eight-year-old ...
'', a film produced by Ron Howard's company, Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment (formerly Imagine Films Entertainment), also known simply as Imagine, is an American film and television production company founded in November 1985 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard.
Background
Brian Graz ...
, and starring Burt Reynolds.
Producing (1985–2003)
Winkler was an executive producer for Rob Reiner
Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performan ...
's second film as a director, ''The Sure Thing
''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy romance film written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chron ...
'' (1985). He was also the executive producer for the original ''MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both p ...
'' television series,[ which won the ]Genesis Award
The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSUS ...
for Best TV Drama in 1991, and for ''Dead Man's Gun
''Dead Man's Gun'' was a western anthology series on Showtime from 1997 to 1999. The series followed the travels of a gun as it passed to a new character in each episode. The gun would change the life of whoever possessed it.
Each episode was ...
,'' which won the Bronze Wrangler
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.
The awards were first presented in 1961. The Wrangler is a bronze sc ...
in 1998. In 1988, he was the executive producer for the '' ABC Afterschool Special: A Family Again'' starring Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker. In addition, he was the executive producer for a number of series including '' Sightings'' and ''So Weird
''So Weird'' is a television series that aired on the Disney Channel as a mid-season replacement from January 18, 1999, to September 28, 2001. The series was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the first two seasons, the series centered on ...
.'' In 2002, he partnered with Michael Levitt
Michael Levitt, ( he, מיכאל לויט; born 9 May 1947) is a South African-born biophysicist and a professor of structural biology at Stanford University, a position he has held since 1987. Levitt received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistr ...
to revamp and update The ''Hollywood Squares
''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...
'' for the fifth season of the 1998 reboot. It was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show was an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was given in honor of a game show that features ...
in 2003.
Acting (1991–2003)
Winkler returned to acting in the early 1990s. He starred in the 1991 television film, ''Absolute Strangers
''Absolute Strangers'' is a 1991 made-for-television CBS docudrama featuring ''Happy Days'' star Henry Winkler returning to his first major TV role in eight years.
The screenplay, written by Robert Woodruff Anderson, was based on the true story o ...
'', and in the short-lived 1994 television series ''Monty
Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery, Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname.
Notable people with the name or nickname include:
First name Nickname
* Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), British Secon ...
'' with David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom ''Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primeti ...
(before his debut on '' Friends''). He also starred in the 1994 television film '' One Christmas'', with Katharine Hepburn in her last role, and Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards.
Kurtz made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of '' Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony Award nominations ...
.
In 1996, he appeared in his friend Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
's 1996 film ''Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'' as foul-mouthed high school principal Arthur Himbry. His role was uncredited, however, as the producers were concerned that he would only be seen as The Fonz'','' and thus distract from the film. After it was screened, though, and audiences responded well to his role in it, he was asked to do publicity for ''Scream''.
In 2000, Winkler was nominated for a Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for his portrayal of Dr. Henry Olson in three episodes of ''The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in ...
''. He also portrayed Stanley Yelnats III in ''Holes
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...
'' (2003).
Work with Adam Sandler
Winkler began to collaborate with Adam Sandler in the 1990s, after Sandler included Fonzie in the ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' skit, ''The Chanukah Song "The Chanukah Song" is a novelty song written by comedian Adam Sandler with ''Saturday Night Live'' writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on ''Saturday Night Live''s Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. San ...
'' (1994). Winkler called Sandler to thank him, which led first to a friendship,[ and later to the role of Coach Klein in the 1998 film '']The Waterboy
''The Waterboy'' is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy B ...
,''[ and as Sandler's father in '' Click'' (2006).][ He also made cameo appearances in '']Little Nicky
''Little Nicky'' is a 2000 American fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Brill, Adam Sandler, and Tim Herlihy, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., ...
'' (2000), ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan
''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' is a 2008 American satirical action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow, and produced by Sandler, Smigel, and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler in ...
'' (2008), and ''Sandy Wexler
''Sandy Wexler'' is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Dan Bulla, Paul Sado and Adam Sandler. The film stars Sandler, Jennifer Hudson, Kevin James, Terry Crews, Rob Schneider, Colin Quinn, Nick Swardson, Lamorne ...
'' (2017).
Work with John Ritter
Winkler worked on a few projects with his longtime friend, actor John Ritter
Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...
, whom he first met in 1978 at ABC's 25th anniversary party, when Winkler was still on ''Happy Days,'' and Ritter was Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', based upon the character Robin Tripp from '' Man About the House'' created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Jack was played by actor John Ritter.
Introduction
Janet ...
on the television series ''Three's Company
''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the House''.
The story revolves around three single room ...
''. He directed Ritter in the 1986 television movie ''A Smoky Mountain Christmas
''A Smoky Mountain Christmas'' is a 1986 American made-for-television musical fantasy film starring Dolly Parton and Lee Majors, directed by Henry Winkler. It was originally broadcast on ABC on December 14, 1986.
Plot
Country music superstar Lo ...
'' starring Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
, and in 1993, they co-starred in the made-for-television movie, ''The Only Way Out''.
Later in 1999, Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
gave Winkler the chance to be involved with his first theatrical production since 1973, when he asked him to do a read-through of ''The Dinner Party
''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago. Widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork, it functions as a symbolic history of women in civilization. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triang ...
.'' Given the problems he had with cold-readings, Winkler initially panicked.[ However, he asked for the script in advance in order to memorize it, and managed to get through the reading. Simon eventually contacted Winkler again, and asked him to be in the theatrical version he was staging, to which Winkler agreed.][ He was also excited to be working with Ritter again.][ While their initial debut was not well-received, they were asked to perform the play in Washington D.C, which they did with a few casting changes, and to good reviews. The play then moved to Broadway, and again received positive reviews (which, Winkler states, made his initial experience in the 1973 show ''42 Seconds from Broadway'' "right").]
In 2003, he was slated for a guest appearance on Ritter's show, '' 8 Simple Rules (for Dating my Teenage Daughter).'' However, during the filming of the episode, Ritter became ill and had to be taken to the hospital, dying a few days later.[ The episode was never completed, and Winkler's role was dropped.]
''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019)
In 2003, Mitch Hurwitz
Mitchell Donald "Mitch" Hurwitz (born May 29, 1963) is an American television writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the television sitcom ''Arrested Development'' as well as the co-creator of ''The Ellen Show''. He is a ...
wanted Winkler to portray the incompetent lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn
''Arrested Development'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on the Fox network from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006. A fourth season of 15 episodes was released on Netflix on May 26, 2013. Created by Mitchell Hurwit ...
on one episode of ''Arrested Development
The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...
''. However, as Winkler notes, he "went for one episode and...stayed for five years." He also returned for the later seasons in 2013 and 2018. For his portrayal of Barry Zuckerkorn, Winkler won a Gold Derby Award: Comedy Guest Actor in 2004. In 2014, Winkler was nominated as part of the cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
''Arrested Development'' is known for its "inside jokes
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It ...
." In three episodes of the 2013 reboot, Winkler's son Max portrayed "young Barry Zuckerkorn" in flashbacks.[ In addition, there were a number of references to ''Happy Days''. In Season One, Episode 17, Winkler's character Barry "looks into the mirror and does the 'no comb necessary' Fonzie pose."] Later in Season Three, Episode Three, Scott Baio joined the cast as the potentially new lawyer Bob Loblaw, stating, "look, this is not the first time I've been brought in to replace Barry Zuckerkorn. I think I can do for you everything he did. Plus, I skew younger. With juries and so forth." Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
argues that this statement is "a nod to ''Happy Days'', where aiowas brought on as Chachi, to be a new teen idol as Henry Winkler got older."[ In addition, Barry's "hopping" over the shark on the pier in Episode 13 of the second season is a reference to ]Jon Hein
Jon Hein is an American radio personality and former webmaster. He created the website jumptheshark.com and works for ''The Howard Stern Show''. Hein has written three books, ''Jump the Shark: When Good Things Go Bad'' as well as ''Fast Food Mani ...
's phrase ''jumping the shark.'' Hein coined the phrase in 1985, in response to a 1977 ''Happy Days'' episode in which Fonzie jumps over a shark while on water-skis, a stunt that drew upon Winkler's experiences as a teen-age water skiing instructor.[
]
Hank Zipzer (2003–2019)
''Hank Zipzer'' and ''Here's Hank'' (book series, 2003–2019)
Winkler's career as an author began with the ''Hank Zipzer'' series of children's books, about the adventures of a dyslexic child, which he co-wrote with his writing partner, Lin Oliver
Lin Oliver (born February 2, 1947) is an American writer, producer, and the co-founder (with Steve Mooser) of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. During the 1990s and early 2000s, she wrote and produced a number of works for ...
. Associated Press journalist Brooke Lefferts notes that the "message of the ipzerbooks is that no matter how hard school is, it has nothing to do with intelligence."
During the early 2000s, when Winkler experienced "a lull in isacting career," his manager Alan Berger suggested that he write children's books about the difficulties he experienced as a child before he knew that he was dyslexic. Winkler was resistant to the idea, which he initially thought "was insane," saying that he "couldn't do it." He finally agreed however, after Berger suggested that Winkler co-write the books with an experienced author. Berger then introduced Winkler to Lin Oliver, and the two met for lunch. After Winkler described his childhood experiences Oliver recalls thinking that, "here is this very articulate accomplished man, who suffered all through childhood because he wasn't good in school. It's a very moving story. So we created a character together who is smart, funny, resourceful, popular, who's got all the gifts – except that he is bad in school."
The result of this meeting was a partnership that produced the 17 volume '' Hank Zipzer'' series of children's books. As the character is based on himself, Winkler chose "Hank," which is a nickname for Henry, and "Zipzer", the name of a neighbor in the apartment building that he grew up in, and that Hank Zipzer lives in. They created these novels through a form of collaboration that was based on their mutual background in television, that involved "discussing ideas and working them out in a room together." In addition Winkler notes, this system specifically draws upon Winkler's strengths as an actor, as he would work through ideas out loud, and Oliver's strengths as a writer. When she would read back what she had typed, they would, "argue over every word, and then he would
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
say 'I have to get up, you drive me to drink.' And she gets a Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper and based in Plano, Texas, United States. The company (and brand), which was originally known as Unadulterated Food Products, was founded in 1972. The brand achieved som ...
from the kitchen.”
After they finished the first series, Winkler and Oliver created the prequel series, ''Here's Hank'', that explores Hank's life as a second grader, before he was diagnosed as dyslexic. The ''Here's Hank'' series also uses a special font called "dyslexie
Dyslexie is a typeface/ font that was designed with the intention of mitigating some of the issues that dyslexics experience when reading. As many of the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet are visually very similar, the typeface emph ...
," marking the first time that this font was used in book published in the United States.
''Hank Zipzer'' (television adaptation, 2014–2016)
Winkler and Oliver next created the television adaptation (also called '' Hank Zipzer'') which ran for three seasons, from 2014 to 2016. According to Winkler however, they "could not sell the show in America. We couldn't sell the books. They said, 'Oh Hank Zipzer is so funny...but we won't do the television show. So we sold it to the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
).
At a later date, after the series was successful on the BBC, it was broadcast on the
Channel in the United States.
while Winkler played the role of the music teacher Mr. Rock, who was based on one of Winkler's teachers at McBurney.
Winkler has said that the real Mr. Rock was the only teacher in his high school who believed in him
for his portrayal of Hank Zipzer in 2016.
and ''Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe'' in December 2022.
.