I looked forward quite a bit to Henry Winkler’s autobiography. I grew up with Happy Days, watching it throughout its run on television, and like most people, I loved the character of Fonzie but really didn’t have a clue what he’d done since then. I saw him in a few movies (including Ground Control, which he tries to disavow) but I really didn’t know much about him. 

In Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond I got to know the real Henry Winkler. He grew up in New York City, the child of Jewish parents who fled the Holocaust in Germany. His mother resented his father lying to her to get her to leave Germany, even though all of the family that remained there died in the Camps. It seems like she suffered depression because of this, but as with most people of that era, they didn’t talk about it, never mind getting help for it.

Henry also suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia for many years. (He still has it, he just has the diagnosis now). This hindered him in school and he had a very hard time. When he discovered acting, though, everything changed.

Winkler details his struggles with remembering lines, often improvising when he couldn’t learn them. This worked well for him many times, but sometimes it didn’t. When he was cast as Fonzie, he felt it was a dream come true. At first, it was a supporting role to Ron Howard, who was supposed to be the star of the show. The character of Fonzie was soon getting more attention than that of Ritchie Cunningham. Winkler knew what was happening and was very forthright and honest with his costars, trying to prevent resentment from the rest of the cast. It would seem he was successful since he and Howard have a lifelong friendship.

The book details his struggles in trying to find his place in Hollywood after Happy Days was over, which wasn’t easy. He was typecast as Fonzie. This was when he began working behind the scenes as a creator and producer. Eventually, he would return to acting, but never in an iconic role like Fonzie.

I loved reading about his family. Although his parents weren’t as warm and supportive as he needed, Winkler found a great life partner in Stacey. She helped him give back to the community and showed him how, as “Fonzie”, he could enrich people’s lives. They still participate in the charities they founded.

The writing style is acerbic and witty, but also very forthright. I don’t know if Winkler could have written this earlier in his life, as he needed to come to terms with his relationship with his parents and the damage they did to him growing up. He was always looking to please them and knew that something was wrong there, but didn’t understand it. Like many of us, he comes to a lot of realizations about growing up a Winkler after they are gone. There are moments when his wife chimes in, either to fill in blanks he can’t remember or to clarify what he’s talking about from her viewpoint. I loved the honesty that both of them put into this book.

Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond was a pretty easy read and one that I enjoyed very much. He doesn’t gossip, and leaves out some names when he has any negativity about other actors. In one case, I figured out who he was talking about, but it isn’t a book where he’s dropping names and insulting people. He’s almost completely upbeat about everything, and the criticisms he has are mostly for himself and the way Hollywood works, as well as his parents. Even then, he seems to grasp that there was more behind how they acted and forgives them. He also owns “jumping the shark.” Yes, Henry Winkler knew how to waterski, and the writers eventually used this in the show and created that iconic story as well as a term that will likely live on.

I recommend Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond highly. It’s likely going to resonate most with those of us who grew up watching Happy Days, but there’s much more here. It’s not a hard book to read, and you might be surprised to learn just how much Winkler has done throughout the years.