Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond (2023) is a memoir by Henry Winkler published by Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The book explores Henry Winkler’s life, his fame and legacy as Arthur “the Fonz/Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the sitcom Happy Days, his other work in the entertainment industry, and his struggles with dyslexia, insecurities, anxiety, and perfectionism. The memoir explores The Impact of Learning Disabilities, Navigating the Entertainment Industry, and The Importance of Self-Acceptance. Winkler is a prolific actor, director, and producer, and the author of the Hank Zipzer books.

This guide is based on the 2023 Celadon Books e-book edition.

Content Warning: This novel contains a reference to child abuse and mentions a person contemplating suicide. These aspects are discussed in this study guide.

Summary

Winkler begins the book by recalling his first reading as Arthur “the Fonz” Fonzarelli in the sitcom Happy Days. He remembers his childhood growing up in New York with German Jewish refugee parents. He wanted to act since he was a child and loved to perform. However, he struggled in school due to having undiagnosed dyslexia. Not understanding his disability, his parents thought he was dumb or not trying hard enough and punished him. This caused him to grow deeply insecure and desperate for validation.

Despite his struggle with dyslexia, Winkler graduated from Emerson College and Yale School of Drama. He acted on stage before moving to Los Angeles to try screen-acting so that he would be known around the world. After acting in two movies, he auditioned for Happy Days in 1973 and impressed creator Garry Marshall. He befriended his castmates, especially Ron Howard. Winkler’s performance as the Fonz made his character immensely popular, with the Fonz eventually becoming the focus of the show. Spotlighting the Fonz over the rest of the cast, including Howard’s character, the protagonist Richie Cunningham, made Howard angry with ABC, though he did not blame Winkler.

During the show’s run, Winkler met Stacey Weitzman, whom he married in 1978. He also made pop culture history as the Fonz when jumping over a shark in an episode. Winkler details meeting then-newcomer Robin Williams, who would later get his own spin-off and become a successful actor and comedian.

Winkler talks about raising Stacey’s son Jed with her and the couple having their daughter Zoe and their son Max. He explores how the series changed after Howard left the show in 1980 to become a full-time director. He recalls working on Howard’s 1982 film Night Shift, in which he acted alongside Michael Keaton. He parted with Howard and the rest of the cast in the Happy Days series finale and struggled to find work after the series end.

Winkler wanted to be able to support his family. He joined a production company, helping to create the show MacGyver and other series. He also started directing, directing A Smoky Mountain Christmas and two feature films: Memories of Me starring Billy Crystal, and Cop & 1/2 starring Burt Reynolds. He also got roles in Wes Craven’s film Scream and in The Waterboy, the latter of which was the first of several collaborations with Adam Sandler. He became a regular collaborator with John Ritter in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Over the years, Winkler continued to look for work while his and Stacey’s children reached adulthood and started careers of their own. He began to go fly-fishing as a form of meditation and began writing children’s books with Lin Oliver based on his struggles with dyslexia as a child, inventing a child protagonist called Hank Zipzer. During the 2000s, Stacey was diagnosed with and fought breast cancer. Winkler grieved Ritter’s death in 2003. He continued to work on the Hank Zipzer book and various television shows, including Arrested Development. He recalls finally getting a dyslexia diagnosis as an adult and working through his anger at the lack of support and understanding he had as a child. He says he wants to ensure that no child goes without support for dyslexia like he did, leading to many students being helped by his books.

In the 2010s, he earned long-term roles on Parks and Recreation and Royal Pains. He began to confront his anxiety, insecurity, and perfectionism as it created more problems in his marriage to Stacey. He also worked with Kevin James on the 2017 film Here Comes the Boom, shooting a scene where he pretended to conduct music with a children’s band. This took him back to listening to music as a child and attending the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Stacey. He also got a new agent and was asked to play Gene Cousineau on Barry, which starred and was created by Bill Hader. He won a Primetime Emmy after the first season and gained more confidence and self-acceptance.

Winkler concludes the book by saying that he now accepts himself as he is and is at peace in his life, and that he loves the impact and happiness the Fonz has brought people.