Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Feeling the heat? Help our vendors keep cool. Buy a summer support kit for £35
BUY NOW
TV

Happy Days icon Henry Winkler: 'The Fonz gave me opportunity – but then he took opportunity away'

Throughout his extensive career, Henry Winkler has been dubbed as the ‘nicest man in show business’ and the 'essence of cool' – titles he still grapples with

henry winkler the fonz

Playing the Fonz in Happy Days alongside co-star Ron Howard (as Richie Cunningham)

Legendary actor and comedian Henry Winkler has opened up about how playing The Fonz on the hit sitcom Happy Days was a double-edged sword – and shared his simple secret to being cool. 

Winkler, 78, brought laughter to millions in the 1970s and ’80s when he starred as Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli on Happy Days for 11 seasons. He went on to play acclaimed roles in Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development and Children’s Hospital.

But in a new interview for The Big Issue, he revealed his storied career has not always been a barrel of laughs – saying he struggled to find his footing after 10 years as The Fonz.

“I loved The Fonz then and I love him now – he gave me the world,” he said, for our Letter to My Younger Self feature. “He gave me a roof over my head, he gave me food on the table, he gave me my children’s education and he gave me opportunity.

“But then he took the opportunity away. Because there is such a thing as typecasting. I stupidly thought I could beat it, but for eight or nine years after Happy Days, I couldn’t work.

“I felt so defeated. Like my life was over. For the second time in my life, I couldn’t do the thing I wanted to do. Firstly, it was when I couldn’t do school plays because my grades were so low. Now I was typecast.”

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

And so, as Winkler entered a new era of his career, he pivoted his focus – taking on new adventures in drama roles, dabbling in producing and even picking up the pen himself.

“I’m so grateful for the career I’ve had since Happy Days. I’ve worked with Garry Marshall, Wes Craven, Adam Sandler, Mitch Hurwitz on Arrested Development – which was so funny and complex. I was only hired for two episodes and stayed for five years,” he says.

“Then on Night Shift, The Waterboy with Adam Sandler, and then Barry – holy mackerel, I had no idea where that adventure would take me. And Lin Oliver and I have just written our 39th children’s novel – there are the Hank Zipzer stories which were then made for TV and I’ve got a children’s book called Detective Duck, who is very ecologically aware.”

Throughout his extensive career, Henry Winkler has been dubbed as the ‘nicest man in showbusiness’ and the ‘essence of cool’ – titles that the actor admits he still grapples with.

“I’m not the nicest man in show business – that’s bullshit,” he says. ”Because it’s not a matter of being nice. It’s a matter of being grateful. I’m so happy to be here. I’m so happy to meet you. If I’m working on a studio lot, wow, I’m so happy to be there!

“There are lots of people who are not happy in this industry – as if they think not being happy is more dramatic or cooler.  

“I have been asked many times about the definition of being cool. And I have finally defined it. Being cool is being your authentic self, not being who you think you should be. Just being true to yourself is magnetic.”

Read Henry Winkler’s full Letter to My Younger Self in this week’s Big Issue, on sale until 15 January.

The Big Issue magazine exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work, buy a copy! If you cannot reach your local vendor, click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today. Or give a gift subscription. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

SIGN THE PETITION

Will you sign Big Issue's petition to ask Keir Starmer to pass a Poverty Zero law? It's time to hold government to account on poverty once and for all.

Recommended for you

View all
Rosie Jones: 'My disability benefits have been cut – but I'm one of the lucky ones'
TV

Rosie Jones: 'My disability benefits have been cut – but I'm one of the lucky ones'

St Denis Medical star Wendi McLendon-Covey: 'Lounging seats in movie theatres is a big mistake'
TV

St Denis Medical star Wendi McLendon-Covey: 'Lounging seats in movie theatres is a big mistake'

Ex-England star Alex Scott: 'I went from playing football on my council estate to World Cups'
Letter to my younger self

Ex-England star Alex Scott: 'I went from playing football on my council estate to World Cups'

The Gold star Charlotte Spencer: 'Maybe we need to root for the heroes again'
Charlotte Spencer photographed by Matt Smith
TV

The Gold star Charlotte Spencer: 'Maybe we need to root for the heroes again'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know

Support our vendors with a subscription

For each subscription to the magazine, we’ll provide a vendor with a reusable water bottle, making it easier for them to access cold water on hot days.