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The character was seldom seen during the first few episodes as ABC initially feared he would be perceived as a hoodlum. He was given the role of high school dropout and greaser Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.
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After that, he was cast on a new ABC series which was set in the 1950s, Happy Days (1974). His first major film role was in The Lords of Flatbush (1974) in which he played a member of a Brooklyn gang. Like many other actors, he began his career by appearing in 30 commercials. However, if this was unsuccessful, he wanted to become a child psychologist because of his deep interest in working with children. He later received an honorary PhD in Hebrew Literature in 1978 from Emerson College.įollowing college, his top priority was to become an actor. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Emerson College in 1967 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1970. Following his graduation from McBurney High School, Winkler was able to incorporate his learning disability and succeed in higher education. Winkler’s acting debut came in the eighth grade when he played the role of Billy Budd in the school play of the same name. However, he had other plans as he saw roles on stage as the key to his happiness. His parents expected him to eventually work with them at the lumber company. This was due to what he would later identify as dyslexia. Winkler grew up with “a high level of low self-esteem.” Throughout elementary school and high school, he struggled with academics. His father was the president of an international lumber company while his mother worked alongside his father. His parents, Ilse Anna Maria (Hadra) and Harry Irving Winkler, were German Jewish immigrants who escaped the Holocaust by moving to the US in 1939. Henry Franklin Winkler was born on October 30, 1945, in Manhattan, New York.
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