Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, was a minor character at the start of the television comedy Happy Days (1974 -1984), but actor Henry Franklin Winkler was so likeable in the TV series that he became a major part of the show.
Winkler's Early Life and Career
Henry Winkler was born October 30, 1945 in New York, NY. His parents were both German Holocaust survivors. He is highly educated, with a drama Masters degree from Yale University, and a BA and Masters from Emerson College in Boston.
Winkler’s first screen appearance was un-credited in the thriller Nightmare (1974). His first real break after Happy Days was in the movie The Lords of Flatbush (1974) about kids in a New York gang.
A well-known movie of Winkler's was Heroes (1977). Also starring Sally Field, the movie was about a Vietnam vet dealing with his nightmares. In Night Shift (1982) Winkler's character runs a prostitution service from the City Morgue. Night Shift was a comedy that was directed by Ron Howard (his former co-star from Happy Days).
Henry married Stacey Weitzman and they have three children: stepson Jed Weitzman; daughter Zoe Emily Winkler (b. 1981); and son Max Winkler (b. 1984). A rarity in Hollywood, Stacey and Henry have had a lasting marriage.
Later Career - Actor, Producer, and Director
Winkler’s greatest success has come from behind the camera. He has produced at least three of the MacGuyver shows in the hit series with Richard Dean Anderson. He also produced the movie Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). He has appeared on numerous TV shows like Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy, MacGuyver, The Drew Carey Show, Law and Order and Arrested Development, to name just a few.
In 1994 he had a TV comedy series called Monty where he played a talk show host, and in 1996 he appeared as the High School Principal in the hit horror classic Scream. Comedy serves Henry well as he appeared as the coach in the movie The Waterboy staring Adam Sandler.
He has also directed a few projects, like A Smokey Mountain Christmas (1986) staring Dolly Parton and Lee Majors. Currently he is appearing in two movies scheduled for 2005, Unbeatable Harold (comedy) and The Kid and I (comedy).
With two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a TV Series and a Daytime Emmy, Henry Winkler continues to act, produce and direct films - but he will always be The Fonz to many.
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