Henry Winkler Says He Didn’t Find His Footing in Acting Until He Was 72

Henry Winkler, 79, has been a mainstay in film and TV for over 50 years, but if you ask him, he’s just now getting the hang of acting.

“There are some projects I would like to inhale and do them again, because I was so off,” he told Woman’s World recently.

The legendary actor, who played the beloved Fonzie on Happy Days from 1974 to 1984, said he was 72 when he started shooting the HBO comedy-drama Barry (2018–2023). “I knew what I wanted at 27,” he said. “It took me till I was 72 to put it together!”

“I was stilted,” Winkler continued. “If I had to do a scene with somebody that was a star, I thought to myself, I’m in a scene with a star, as opposed to being in the scene. Oh, I had so many bad habits!”

The Waterboy actor also said that developing confidence took some time.

“It took me a long time to finally get out of my own way, and when you do, it’s like nirvana. You know it in every fiber of your being. It’s amazing,” he said.

Winkler has had a remarkable career appearing in many TV shows and films, including Heroes (1977), Night Shift (1982), Scream (1996), Arrested Development (2003–2019), Here Comes the Boom (2012) and Parks and Recreation (2013–2015).

When AARP spoke with the three-time Emmy winner in June, he acknowledged that people still call him the Fonz.

“Well, you see, yeah, this is the great thing. I go to a Comic-Con, and there are people in line to meet me who have only read my books, [who have only seen] Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, The Waterboy, Scream, Happy Days, Barry. And I’m telling you, they are specifically there for one of those things,” he says.

In 2023, the former AARP cover star discussed the challenges of portraying such a popular character and how it caused him to miss out on other roles. “I never resented the Fonz. He put a roof over my head,” Winkler said. “But after Happy Days, I struggled with being locked out of opportunity.”

Winkler said he “knew it was necessary to figure out something else because I was completely stymied. … I couldn’t just sit there. I had a family, and I am a doer.”

He currently hosts the History Channel docuseries Hazardous History With Henry Winkler.