If you’re walking along the river in Downtown Milwaukee, you may see a familiar face cast in bronze: the character affectionately known as “The Fonz” from the TV show Happy Days. During the show’s decade-long tenure, the Fonz became one of the most beloved characters on television — as well as the man who portrayed him: Henry Winkler.
Winkler says the Bronze Fonz is something that still takes getting used to. “I have to tell you that I still pinch myself. That is not something you get over. It’s pretty amazing that I should have a statue anywhere, let alone my adopted second home.”
Winkler still recalls the Happy Days cast visiting Wisconsin to familiarize themselves with the area in preparation for the series. Ever since those first visits 50 years ago, Winkler says he has experienced warmth whenever he’s returned to the state.
In addition to his acting work in television shows and films, Winkler has also become a prolific author — despite his own struggle with dyslexia. He’s written 39 children’s book, but one of his latest projects is a bit different — a book for adults, titled Being Henry: the Fonz and Beyond.
“My son Max, our youngest, said, ‘You’ve got so many stories. People will want to read them.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know how to do that. I know how to write children’s books,” says Winkler. “I’m not sure I know how to write an adult book. [But] where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Winkler will be in Milwaukee on Wednesday, October 23 to talk about this book at the Oriental Theatre.
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