Some actors struggle to escape their most iconic roles. One of those actors happens to be from the beloved American sitcom “Happy Days.”
Henry Winkler, who played Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli — better known as “The Fonz” — was launched into stardom throughout the show’s 11 seasons. He appeared with his motorcycle and leather jacket in the first episode in 1974 and stayed until the series finale in 1984.
But finding work after such an iconic role proved to be difficult for Winkler.
Henry Winkler Couldn’t Find Work After “Happy Days”
In a recent episode of “Club Random with Bill Maher,” the 78-year-old actor said it was “hard work” trying to distance himself from the character America came to love.
“You did one of the most Houdini-esque escapes that you can do in showbusiness, which is get out of massive fame in a type castable role,” host Bill Maher said. “That’s a Houdini-esque move.”
“That was hard work,” Winkler said in response. “That was, oh, sometimes painful. I was not hirable. People said, ‘Oh, he’s so funny, he’s so great, but he was The Fonz,’ and I could not get hired.”
The Actor Turns to a New Profession
Hoping to distance himself from the character, the Golden Globe Award winner said he “started writing children’s books.”
When Winkler was diagnosed with dyslexia at 31 years old, a friend suggested that he write books about his dyslexia for kids. But Winkler didn’t believe he would be able to write books due to his learning disorder.
Working with writer Lin Oliver, who co-organized and runs the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Winkler and Oliver have written 40 children’s books together.
“I have learned everything I know about writing from Lin,” Winkler said in an interview with Forbes in February 2023. At the time, they were releasing their 38th book. “I can’t spell nor type very well, but I can talk. And Lin is a talker and a typer. I have an idea. Then Lin has an idea. Then Lin types away, reads it back to me and we argue over every word.”
The Actor Eventually Found Success in Hollywood
Of course, Winkler has been able to move away from The Fonze and become a successful actor in Hollywood. The New York native played Barry Zuckerkorn on “Arrested Development,” and starred as Gene Cousineau in “Barry.” Outside of TV, Winkler has starred alongside Adam Sandler in “The Waterboy” and “Click,” and voiced Fritz in “Monsters at Work.”
“There are just not that many people who the American audience has said, you know, like, OK, we saw him [as] Fonzie, but now we want to see him again. And then there’s, you know, ‘Arrested Development,’ but we still want to see him. And then ‘Barry.’’ They just want to follow you as they watch you age and, you know, grow into some completely different person.”
