Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler stars as the voice of Fritz in season two of Disney Branded Television’s “Monsters at Work,” inspired by the world of Disney and Pixar’s Academy Award®-winning “Monsters, Inc.”

Winkler will celebrate 50 years of success in Hollywood this year and continues to be in demand not only as an actor, producer and director but as a bestselling author. His autobiography, “Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond,” was published last October. It was on The New York Times bestseller list for 11 weeks and was a Good Reads Award winner for Best Humor book.

Winkler co-starred as acting teacher Gene Cousineau on the hit HBO dark comedy “Barry.” In 2018, he won his first Primetime Emmy® Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his role in the series. He was nominated again for an Emmy in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Winkler has also won two Television Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for both a Golden Globe® and SAG Award. The series ended in 2023.

A 1973 audition in Los Angeles forever changed the life of the Yale School of Drama graduate when producer Garry Marshall and Tom Miller cast Winkler in the iconic role of Arthur Fonzarelli, aka “The Fonz,” in the TV series “Happy Days.” During his 10 years on the popular sitcom, he won two Golden Globes, was nominated three times for an Emmy and was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Both his famous leather jacket and Fonzie’s lunch box became part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum in 1980.

In recent years, Winkler appeared in a number of series, including “Arrested Development,” “Children’s Hospital,” “Royal Pains,” “New Girl” and “Parks and Recreation.” He also starred in and co-executive produced the popular NBC reality series “Better Late Than Never.”

His guest role in the ABC drama series “The Practice” earned him an Emmy Award nomination, and he also starred in the CBS sitcom “Out of Practice.” His other guest-starring roles have included “Numb3rs,” “Third Watch,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and the popular Hallmark Channel holiday movie “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

Lately, he’s become a much sought-after voice actor, having lent his talent to such shows as “Rugrats,” “Monsters at Work,” “The Legend of Vox Machina,” “Central Park,” “Reindeer in Here,” “Human Resources,” “American Dad,” “All Hail King Julien,” “Puppy Dog Pals,” “South Park,” “King of the Hill,” “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons” and “Clifford: The Puppy Years,” for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award.

Some of his other notable roles include Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” “On the Count of Three,” “Pink Skies Ahead,” “Night Shift,” “Here Comes the Boom,” “The Waterboy,” “Click,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “Heroes,” “Holes” and “Scream.”

Behind the scenes, he has also made his mark as a producer and director. Winkler has executive produced or produced TV series and specials for over 25 years, including “MacGyver” (which ran a total of 13 years), “So Weird,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “Sightings,” “A Family Again,” “All Kids Do It” (which won him a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Director), “Ryan’s Four,” “Scandal Sheet” and the ABC documentary “Who Are the DeBolts and Where Did They Get 19 Kids?,” which won the prestigious Humanitas Prize.

He directed several movies, including “Memories of Me,” starring Billy Crystal, and “Cop and a Half,” starring the late Burt Reynolds. On stage, Winkler has appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” (with the late John Ritter) and “The Performers.”

Winkler has always been concerned about the quality of children’s television programming. He has produced countless worthwhile projects for young audiences, including “Happily Ever After” for PBS and its sequel, “Two Daddies to Love Me.” Additional specials include “Run, Don’t Walk” and “All the Kids Do It,” which was about teenage drunk driving (he also directed).

Along with his acting/producing/directing credits, Winkler adds the title of author to his resume. In addition to his memoir, he is a well-known children’s book author. His first children’s book, “Hank Zipzer the World’s Greatest Under-Achiever: Niagara Falls or Does It?,” became a New York Times bestseller. Inspired by Winkler’s struggle throughout his education due to his learning challenges, the book became so popular it grew into a series of 28 novels. The series is still available in bookstores and online across the United States and has been published worldwide in nine languages, with more than 7 million copies sold.

To date, he and his co-author, Lin Oliver, have written 39 children’s novels. “Alien Superstar,” a trilogy, became an instant New York Times bestseller. Their newest book, “Detective Duck,” was published in October 2023.

Winkler has always believed in helping others and is especially passionate about children. He is a featured speaker at WE Day celebrations, promoting education and service for students. His work also included honorary chairman of United Friends of the Children, a founding member of the Children’s Action Network, the first national honorary chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, national chairman of the annual Toys for Tots campaign, the National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, the Special Olympics, and the Los Angeles Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival for children with physical disabilities, as well as participating in numerous teenage alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs.

He has received a number of accolades from a variety of prestigious organizations, including B’nai B’rith, a Peace Prize by the United Nations, and Women in Film’s Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award, presented to both Winkler and his wife, Stacey, for their tireless efforts and devotion to the “improvement of the human condition.”

He also received the Chevallier de l’Ordre des Artes et Lettres, the French government’s highest honor. In addition, Winkler was one of 10 individuals honored by AARP with their 2010 Inspire Award.

Of all the titles he has received, the ones he relishes most are husband, father and grandfather. Winkler and his wife, Stacey, have three children — Jed, Zoe and Max — and six grandchildren. They reside in Los Angeles with their three dogs.