Profile of the Day: Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler

Remember watching Happy Days? Today star Henry Winkler turns 70!

A graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama, the classically trained actor got his big break when he was cast as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the classic sitcom Happy Days. Although the Fonz was originally meant to be a minor character, Winkler immediately became an audience favorite.

Did you know initially he was not allowed to wear his signature leather jacket? Executives believed it would make his character appear to be a criminal. Throughout the beginning of the first season, Winkler is seen only wearing windbreaker jackets. Eventually, the executives relented and the rest is history. Today his famous leather jacket is held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Are you a Fonzie fan? Perhaps you can help expand Henry Winkler’s family tree and connect him to over 95 million people on Geni!
 

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Image: Abbyarcane, Wikimedia Commons