Short Biography

Henry Franklin Winkler (born October 30, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, and author. Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom, Happy Days. "The Fonz", a leather-clad greaser and auto mechanic, started out as a minor character at the show`s beginning, but had achieved top billing by the time the show ended. Henry Winkler was born in Manhattan, New York, the son of Ilse Anna Maria (née Hadra) and Harry Irving Winkler, a lumber company executive. Winkler`s Jewish parents immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1939, before the beginning of World War II. Winkler attended the McBurney School and received his bachelor`s degree from Emerson College in 1967 and his MFA from the Yale School of Drama in 1970. In 1978, Emerson gave Winkler an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Winkler has also received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Austin College. Winkler has been married to Stacey Weitzman since May 5, 1978, and they have two children, Zoe and Max, and a stepson Jed from Stacey`s previous marriage with Howard Weitzman. Charitable works which he is involved with include Annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon, the Epilepsy Foundation, the annual Toys for Tots campaign, the National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, and the Special Olympics. An avid Dodgers fan, Winkler announced the starting lineup on FOX for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the Phillies in 2008.

Miscellaneous Information

Friends and Family

Drake Bell [Friend]

Wes Craven [Friend]

Marlee Matlin [Friend]

John Ritter [Friend]

Jill Eikenberry [Friend]

Ilse Anna Maria Hadra [Mother]

Harry Irving Winkler [Father]

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