About
"If you know what you want, and you keep your eye on the prize and you move toward it there is no reason you cannot live your dream."
In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Henry Winkler discusses his early years as the child of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, his early passion for acting, and his struggles with then-undiagnosed dyslexia. Winkler chronicles his early career in New York, where he acted on stage and in numerous commercials, and his subsequent decision to move to Los Angeles, where he was quickly cast as a guest actor on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He details all aspects of the role for which he became most well-known, "Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli" on the hit sitcom, Happy Days. He talks about his casting, the development of the character, working with the cast (particularly Ron Howard and producer Garry Marshall), and the iconic status (and occasional mayhem it generated) of Fonzie as well as his catchphrase --"whoa." Of developing the character, Winkler says he didn't want it to be a stereotype and he reveals that because of his dyslexia, as "Fonzie" he never actually rode a motorcycle. He speaks about fame and celebrity, and being grateful he experienced this later in life, when he could fully appreciate it. Winkler chronicles his transition to directing and producing in the 1980s, which included being executive producer of MacGyver, and his later acting projects including Arrested Development and The Practice, which earned him his fifth Primetime Emmy nomination as a guest star. Karen Herman conducted the interview on November 10, 2006 in Los Angeles, CA.
Highlights
Henry Winkler on how The Fonz never could ride a motorcycle
Henry Winkler on the genesis of Fonzie's "whoa"and the "thumbs up"
Henry Winkler reveals the origin of Fonzie's character
Henry Winkler on satirizing his iconic character "Fonzie" on Arrested Development; and jumping the shark... twice!
On advice to actors and producers starting out in the business
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his childhood, parents, and sister
On growing up; his dyslexia and anxiety
On his childhood dreams, wanting to act
On what he did to make his dream of being an actor a reality in school, theater
On auditioning for Yale Drama School; his experience with the New Haven Free Theater
On graduating from Yale, working in theater in Long Island at his first professional job
On his first job in television and losing his first film job, and struggling with finding work
Chapter 2
On taking commercial television work (Sanka Coffee, etc) early in his career to enable him to perform in the theater
On the "Great American Dream Machine" and "Off the Wall New York", an improv group
On his first film role in "The Lords of Flatbush" with Peter Boyle
On taking a rish by moving to California, getting cast as a bit part on Mary Tyler Moore
On getting cast on Happy Days
On his Happy Days character, Fonzie
On the cast of Happy Days
On the relationship between Fonzie and Richie, and Chachi
On Jerry Paris, Happy Days ' director
Chapter 3
On the crew behind Happy Days, the show's infamous baseball team
On crafting the voice of The Fonz on Happy Days
On the famous "jumping the shark" episode of Happy Days
On handling fame
On a typical production week on Happy Days
On some specific episodes of Happy Days
Chapter 4
On enjoying the perks of fame, going to the White House
On his favorite episode of Happy Days
On other film roles, "Heroes", "Night Shift"
On working with Ron Howard as a director
On being typecast as The Fonz, starting his own production company and becoming a producer/director
On producing the show MacGyver
On directing Tim Conway's Funny America
On the lessons he learned from "Monty" about acting, directing, and producing- "listen to your instinct"
On some other projects he acted and directed in with Katharine Hepburn
Chapter 5
On directing sitcoms
On his appearance in "Scream"
On being nominated for an Emmy on The Practice but never winning a Primetime Emmy award
On returning to his roots in theater
On fellow actor John Ritter
On producing The Hollywood Squares; appearing on Law And Order
On his work on the cult show Arrested Development
On Out of Practice and current projects
On writing children's books
On advice to actors and producers starting out in the business
Shows
Arrested Development
Henry Winkler on his work on the cult show Arrested Development
Dave's World
Henry Winkler on directing for Dave's World
Happy Days
Henry Winkler on how he was cast as "Fonzie' on Happy Days , and how the network originally wanted someone bigger for the role
Henry Winkler on celebrity and using "Fonzie's" catchphrases in public
Henry Winkler on crafting the voice of the Fonz on Happy Days
Henry Winkler on the inspiration for 'The Fonz'
Henry Winkler on what became the infamous "jumping the shark" episode of Happy Days
Henry Winkler on a typical production week at Happy Days
Henry Winkler on the episode "Fonzie Gets Married"
Henry Winkler on the episode "Fonzie Moves In"
Henry Winkler on Fonzie's love life
Henry Winkler on the "Dance Contest" of Happy Days
Henry Winkler on the "My Favorite Orkan" episode of Happy Days
Henry Winkler on his favorite episode of Happy Days and how his character changed
Henry Winkler talks about getting cast as "The Fonz" on Happy Days; why Fonzie never rode a motorcycle or combed his hair, and the genesis of his catchphrase "whoa"
Henry Winkler ("Arthur Fonzarelli" aka "The Fonz") talks about the cast and director of Happy Days
Hollywood Squares, The
Henry Winkler on producing Hollywood Squares and popular "square" Paul Lynde
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Henry Winkler on Law and Order
MacGyver
Henry Winkler on producing MacGyver
Mary Tyler Moore Show, The
How Henry Winkler's ad-lib got him hired for an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show five days after he arrived in L.A.
Monty
Henry Winkler on the lessons he learned (trust your instinct) from Monty
Out of Practice
Henry Winkler on Out of Practice
Practice, The (1997-2004)
Henry Winkler on being nominated for an Emmy on The Practice but never winning a primetime Emmy
Topics
Characters & Catchphrases
Henry Winkler on using the Fonz's catchphrases in public
Henry Winkler on Fonzie's phrases and powers
Henry Winkler on how the Fonz changed from the beginning of Happy Days to the end
Henry Winkler on being typecast as the Fonz from Happy Days
Henry Winkler on the influence of MacGyver on pop culture
Henry Winkler explains why his character "Fonzie" wouldn't comb his hair on Happy Days and describes the iconic character and his mannerisms
Henry Winkler explains when his character "Fonzie" first said "whoa" on Happy Days
Henry Winkler on satirizing his iconic character "Fonzie" on Arrested Development ; and jumping the shark.. twice
Classic TV Series Episodes
Henry Winkler on classic episodes of Happy Days
Comedy
Henry Winkler on satirizing his iconic character "Fonzie" on Arrested Development ; and jumping the shark.. twice
Creative Influences and Inspiration
Henry Winkler on his mentors and advice to actors entering the business
Emmy Awards
Henry Winkler on being nominated for an Emmy on The Practice but never winning a Primetime Emmy award (at the time of this interview)
Fame and Celebrity
Henry Winkler on fame and celebrity
Henry Winkler on handling fame
Henry Winkler on the popularity of his character on Happy Days
Henry Winkler on enjoying the perks of fame, going to the White House
Henry Winkler on respect and camraderie in the acting business
Pop Culture
Henry Winkler on crafting the voice of the Fonz
We Laughed
Henry Winkler explains how his character "Fonzie" first said "whoa" on Happy Days
Professions
Actor
Henry Winkler on how acting is never a solo effort
Henry Winkler on being glad he didn't experience fame until he was older and able to handle it
Henry Winkler on an important lesson he learned from Garry Marshall about respect on the set
Henry Winkler on the importance of listening to your own instinct when deciding on projects and roles
Henry Winkler on what it took to land a job in Hollywood at the start of his career
Henry Winkler on developing the character "Fonzie" for Happy Days
Herny Winkler on letting a character grow organically on The Practice - a role which later earned him an Emmy nomination
Henry Winkler on advice to aspiring actors and producers "you have to need to act"; and you must train, and you must be passionate about your work
Directors
Henry Winkler on the value of listening to everyone on a set
Producers
Henry Winkler on an important lesson he learned from Garry Marshall about respect on the set
Henry Winkler on advice to aspiring actors and producers "you have to need to act"; and you must train, and you must be passionate about your work
People
Richard Dean Anderson
Henry Winkler on casting Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver
Scott Baio
Henry Winkler talks about the talents of Scott Baio on Happy Days and the relationship between characters Fonzie and Chachi
Tim Conway
Henry Winkler on directing Tim Conway's Funny America
Wes Craven
Henry Winkler on working with Wes Craven in "Scream"
Barry Diller
Henry Winkler on auditioning for Barry Diller and Michael Eisner at ABC
Olympia Dukakis
Henry Winkler on doing commercials with Olympia Dukakis
Michael Eisner
Henry Winkler on auditioning for Barry Diller and Michael Eisner at ABC
Katharine Hepburn
Henry Winkler on working with Katharine Hepburn in "One Christmas"
Ron Howard
Henry Winkler on working with Ron Howard as a director
Henry Winkler talks about the amazing talents of Ron Howard, working with him on Happy Days and the chemistry between Fonzie and Richie
Paul Lynde
Henry Winkler on Paul Lynde of Hollywood Squares
Garry Marshall
Henry Winkler on the "genius" of Garry Marshall and the way he ruled "with a velvet hand" over the cast of the cast of Happy Days
Henry Winkler on learning his producing style from Garry Marshall
Tom Miller
Henry Winkler on how Tom Miller was instrumental in casting him as "Fonzie" on Happy Days
Jerry Paris
Henry Winkler talks about working with director Jerry Paris on Happy Days
John Ritter
Henry Winkler on fellow actor John Ritter
Marion Ross
Henry Winkler talks about how lucky he was to know and work with Marion Ross on Happy Days
Sylvester Stallone
Henry Winkler on how Sylvester Stallone was an inspiration for Fonzie on Happy Days
Robin Williams
Henry Winkler on working with the talented Robin Williams on Happy Days