In a few years, Henry Winkler’s wife was diagnosed with cancer twice… He took the initiative to care for her, and what he accomplished is simply remarkable. I had no idea about this side of him!

Henry Winkler’s name is closely connected with the character Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli from the famous television show Happy Days. During the 1970s, Fonzie swiftly became an icon and the personification of cool.

Winkler was born in New York City on October 30, 1945. Winkler stated that he had always known acting was his calling when asked about his work as an actor and later as a producer, director, and writer. “I knew I wanted to be an actor from the time I was old enough to reason,” he told NPR in 2019. “I never had a backup plan. I never strayed. I never imagined anything else I could do but strive to be a working actor.”

He struggled with school and academics throughout his childhood, which resulted in a rocky relationship with his parents. Winkler had dyslexia at the time, but it wasn’t identified until later.

Despite his medical condition, young Winkler attended college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emerson College in 1967 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1970.

After appearing in a short-lived Broadway production in 1972, Winkler moved on to commercials and became a well-known face. “I got great at getting commercials and I didn’t have to do another job to make ends meet. I made my living, and I could do plays for free at the Manhattan Theatre Club at night.”

When he appeared on Happy Days, millions of fans fell for his charm and manly appearance, and his motorcycle and leather jacket became trademarks of the series. Although the role marked his acting career, he admitted once that it took him around eight years to get a good acting role after Fonz.

After the series was over, the Prime Time Emmy Award winner switched focus from acting to producing and directing. His production company produced many shows, including MacGyver, So Weird, and Mr. Sunshine. He starred in the movies like Scream and The Waterboy and on shows such as The Practice and Arrested Development.

In 2018, Winkler took the acting teacher Gene Cousineau’s role in the comedy/drama series Barry where he plays alongside Bill Hader. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the series’ shooting has been delayed. “We were reading the scripts for Barry. On March 13, they said, ‘Go home and don’t come back,’” he told Entertainment Tonight. “Then we heard July, then we heard September, now January… Praying we go back to work in January. I’ve been waiting to be Gene Cousineau since December 2018.”

Since the early 2000s, Winkler has published around 30 books.

“The first time I was asked to write the books, I didn’t even entertain the idea. I said to Alan Berger [Winkler’s agent at CAA], who suggested there’s no way I could never write a book,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in 2011.

Winkler and his wife, Stacey Furstman Weitzman, married in 1978.

The couple first met when he entered a clothing shop where she worked looking for a coat. Stacey helped him choose, and he returned a week later and asked her on a date that she almost declined.

Winkler recalled their first encounter, “She was wearing purple parachute pants, and she had red hair, and without her even saying a word, I thought, ‘Woah, beautiful woman standing in front of me.’ I returned to the store the next week, and she was there. And within 10 minutes, I learned how strong she is.”

Soon after they started dating, Stacey and her then 4-year-old son moved in with Winkler, and the couple was starting to learn how to handle Winkler’s growing popularity.

”People would rush up to Henry and walk over my feet. I once said, ‘You’ve just completely ruined my stockings.’ And this woman said, ‘But I love Fonzie!’” Stacey once shared with People.

The two welcomed a daughter and a son together, Zoey and Max.

Max followed in his dad’s footsteps and worked in Hollywood as a writer, producer, and director on popular productions such as New Girl and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Stacey is a two-time cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer during the ’90s, and then again in 2007 when she underwent a double mastectomy and is cancer free ever since.

In support of his wife, Winkler has gotten involved in some organizations which help raise breast cancer awareness. Among the rest, he was a guest speaker at the 13th annual “In The Pink of Health” Luncheon, an event that is one of many run by the organization to raise money for breast cancer patients and their families.

What we love about Winkler is that he’s never afraid to express his love for his wife of many years publicly. When James Corden surprised them with a photo of their wedding day on his show, Winkler said Stacey had been as beautiful as the first day he laid eyes on her.

”It does take work. There are glitches in the road, and you get a little off-kilter. Still, suppose you have the ability and the stick-to-itiveness based on love. In that case, your friendship and your relationship only get better,” Stacey once explained to People when speaking of the couple’s long-lasting marriage.

Henry Winkler and his wife love being grandparents.

These two are true inspirations.

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