Spend an evening with Henry Winkler! From his breakout role as “The Fonz” on Happy Days to his co-starring role as acting coach Gene Cousineau on the hit HBO dark comedy Barry (which earned Winkler his first Primetime Emmy Award), Henry Winkler has enjoyed over four decades of success as an actor, producer, and director, and is widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood. Beyond this Emmy Award-winning actor’s success, Winkler is also a New York Times bestselling author with his captivating memoir, Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond. In this engaging evening, Henry Winkler shares humorous anecdotes and inspirational lessons from his life and storied career.
Henry Winkler will celebrate 50 years of success in Hollywood this year and continues to be in demand not only as an actor, producer, and director but as a best-selling author. His autobiography, Being Henry…The Fonz and Beyond, was published last October. It was on the New York Times best-seller list for 11 weeks and was a Good Reads Award winner for Best Humor book.
Henry co-starred as acting teacher Gene Cousineau on the hit HBO dark comedy, Barry. In 2018, he won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his role on the series. He was nominated again for an Emmy in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Henry has also won two Television Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and SAG Award. The series ended in 2023.
A 1973 audition in Los Angeles forever changed the life of the Yale School of Drama graduate when producer Garry Marshall and Tom Miller cast Winkler in the iconic role of Arthur Fonzarelli, aka “The Fonz,” in the TV series Happy Days. During his 10 years on the popular sitcom, he won two Golden Globe Awards, was nominated three times for an Emmy Award and was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Both his famous leather jacket and Fonzie’s lunch box became part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum in 1980.
In recent years, Winkler appeared in a number of series, including Arrested Development, Children’s Hospital, Royal Pains, New Girl, and Parks and Recreation. He also starred and co-executive produced the popular NBC Reality series Better Late Than Never.
Lately he’s become a much sought after voice actor, having lent his talent to such shows as Monsters at Work, The Legend of Vox Machina, Rugrats, Reindeer in Here, Human Resources, Central Park, American Dad, All Hail King Julien, Puppy Dog Pals, South Park, King of the Hill, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Clifford: The Puppy Years, for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award.
Some of his other notable roles include Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, On The Count of Three, Pink Skies Ahead, Night Shift, Here Comes the Boom, The Waterboy, Click, The Lords of Flatbush, Heroes, Holes, and Scream.
Winkler has always been concerned about the quality of children’s television programming. He has produced countless worthwhile projects for young audiences, including Happily Ever After for PBS and its sequel, Two Daddies to Love Me. Additional specials include Run, Don’t Walk, and All the Kids Do It, which was about teenage drunk driving (he also directed.)
Winkler can add to his resume the title of New York Times best-selling author. His first book, Niagara Falls or Does It? Hank Zipzer the World’s Greatest Under-Achiever, became a New York Times bestseller. The book was inspired by Winkler’s struggle throughout his education due to his learning challenges and became so popular, it grew into a series of 28 novels. All the books are available in bookstores and online across the United States and have been published around the world in nine languages, with more than 7 million copies sold.
He has received a number of accolades from a variety of prestigious organizations, including B’nai B’rith, Peace Prize by the United Nations and Women in Film’s Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award, presented to both Henry and his wife, Stacey, for their tireless efforts and devotion to the “improvement of the human condition.”
He also received the Chevallier de l’Ordre des Artes et Lettres, the French government’s highest honor. In addition, Winkler was one of 10 individuals honored by AARP with their 2010 Inspire Award.