Henry Winkler Swore Not to Repeat His Parents’ Mistakes While Raising His Kids — Inside His Fatherhood

Henry Winkler is a celebrated American actor, comedian, producer, and director, best known for his role as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on Happy Days in the 1970s. Despite his professional success, Winkler’s childhood was fraught with challenges, including undiagnosed dyslexia and a lack of support from teachers and parents.

Acting became his solace, leading him to earn an MFA from Yale School of Drama and eventually land his iconic role in Happy Days. Winkler married Stacey Weitzman, and together they raised two children, along with Stacey’s son from a previous marriage. Determined to provide a nurturing environment, Winkler focused on giving his children a normal upbringing despite his fame.

Henry Winkler on His Childhood

Reflecting on his upbringing, Winkler said, “I made a decision when I was 10—and I thought about it every day—that I was going to be a different parent from my parents. One of the most important things in being a parent is seeing your child as who they are, not who you want them to be. If you do that, it solves about two million problems right off the bat.”

Winkler’s parents emigrated from Germany to New York just before World War II. Growing up with undiagnosed learning disabilities, he faced harsh criticism from his parents, who often called him “stupid” and “dumb.” His parents even nicknamed him “Dumm Hund” (dumb dog).

“I was grounded for most of my high school career. They thought if I stayed at my desk for six weeks at a time, I was going to get it and put an end to the silliness of my laziness. That was going to be that.”

Despite admiring his parents for escaping Nazi Germany and building a new life, Winkler described them as “emotionally destructive,” feeling unheard throughout his childhood. His stepson Jed’s dyslexia diagnosis at a young age led to Winkler’s own diagnosis at 31. “I went, ‘Oh my goodness. I have something with a name.’ That was when I first understood it.” Later, his other children were also diagnosed with dyslexia. “Fortunately, we found out early, but if you don’t catch it early, a child’s self-image plummets, as mine did.”