Henry Winkler said that the reason Fonzie was so appealing was because he genuinely enjoyed playing the character

He's Henry Winkler's favorite cool guy!

CBS Television Distribution

All of the best things are created through love, determination, and a whole lot of passion. Luckily for Henry Winkler, he was never short on any of those three things.

Winkler has a long and storied career, both as an actor and director. However, he is perhaps best known as the Fonz of Happy Days. It's the role that made him a star, but it didn't just fall into his lap. According to an article in The Orlando Sentinel, Winkler earned a master of fine arts from the Yale School of Drama, proving that he had the talent and the drive to pursue his dream.

When he landed the role of Fonzie, Winkler said that it was the best of both worlds; not only was the character popular with viewers, but it was also a character that Winkler genuinely enjoyed playing.

"I've wanted to be an actor for so long, and I really enjoy the role," said Winkler. "Hopefully, one of the reasons for Fonzie's appeal is the fact that I enjoy doing him. The energy you give to a role is the energy you get back."

Winkler worked hard to make sure Fonzie wasn't just a two-dimensional cool guy persona; Fonzie had a heart and was loyal to his friends. These traits were the ones that truly appealed him to Happy Days fans.

"He's a hard guy but a hard guy with soul," the actor said. "He's spontaneous. He lives hard and loves fast, and no one ever uses his comb. That may sound like a lot of words, but it really means something."

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10 Comments

AnnieM 1 month ago
I know a lot of folks here prefer the early seasons shot on film with 'Windbreaker Fonzie', but I can't help it, I was a child of the 70's, and once they began shooting in front of an audience, that's when the character really came to life for a lot of us kids. Fonzie was pretty much like a superhero to us each week. Realistic? Of course not; we knew that. But he was handsome, funny, and kind, and always stood up for those who got knocked down by who or whatever. And for me at least, it was always made me happy to see it, especially Fonzie's friendship with Richie, which always brought Fonzie 'back down to Earth', so to speak.
Elise2320 1 month ago
I was talking to my family about six months ago saying how I'd wish they'd bring back Happy Days. Corny or not it gave me great childhood memories, I had a crush on Anson Williams in the later years and always loved Henry Winkler as Fonzie. Of course Ron Howard was fabulous. I'm also watching Emergency and find that I learn more about Firemen and Paramedic responsibilities and situations than I do watching ANYTHING on nowadays. It's all soap opera like now where Emergency focused on the job itself with their lives as backdrops. Amazing, modern tech and the 70s are teaching me more!
gb9535 Elise2320 1 month ago
I love Happy Days too and there’s a channel on Pluto TV dedicated to it
MrsPhilHarris 1 month ago
I kind of disagree. The character became cartoonish, in my opinion.
Coldnorth MrsPhilHarris 1 month ago
All of the girls hanging on him was not a good look for Milwaukee girls. They looked desperate for a little attention from the Fonz. I did like it when he wouldn’t fight, always respected Ritchie’s family. Didn’t care for the way he treated Ritchie’s friends. A lot to like and dislike.
MrsPhilHarris Coldnorth 1 month ago
I liked that he respected Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, Joanie, and at least on the first Christmas episode, Chuck.
AnnieM MrsPhilHarris 1 month ago
Well, they definitely wrote him to be way over the top, but that's when the show started to skyrocket in the ratings, soooo....more of the same. In any case, the seasons I liked best were the 'live audience' years of high school and early college. For me, once Ron Howard left, the show hit bottom and started burrowing. 🤷‍♀️
MrsPhilHarris AnnieM 1 month ago
I like the first few seasons before they went to a live audience. I liked the secondary characters such as Chuck, Bag and Marcia.
MrsPhilHarris AnnieM 1 month ago
Yes you are right the ratings soared when they changed the target audiences from adults to children, but I just found Fonzi too cartoonish.
Runeshaper 1 month ago
Love, determination, and a whole lot of passion make for a winning combination! I could tell Winkler enjoyed playing Fonzie and I know I'm not alone in that (-:
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