Let’s take a trip down memory lane to the unforgettable days of Happy Days, which first premiered over 45 years ago. Henry Winkler, the legendary actor who brought Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli to life, recently opened up about how deeply the character impacted his life. Even today, people still call him by his iconic TV name, and Winkler couldn’t be more grateful for it.

Still the Fonzie After All These Years

At 73 years old, Winkler recently spoke with Daily Mail about the lasting legacy of Fonzie. "People still call me Fonzie," he shared with a laugh. "And you know what? I don’t care. The Fonz gave me the world. He gave me a house, and he even put my kids through college." But it’s not just about the material success—the character of Fonzie changed Winkler’s life in profound ways.

Winkler, who now stars in the critically acclaimed series Barry, admitted that Fonzie was someone he wished he could be in real life. "There’s something about the Fonz that I aspire to," he confessed. "He’s confident, cool, and has this magnetic charm. Who wouldn’t want to be like that?"

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The Mirror Opposite: How Fonzie Helped Winkler Find Himself

But here’s the thing: growing up, Winkler struggled with self-esteem issues. "I had no sense of myself back then," he recalled. "On the outside, I was gregarious, but on the inside, I was anxious and scared all the time." Enter Fonzie, a character who allowed Winkler to transform not just his voice and posture but his entire presence.

"Fonzie became the mirror opposite of who I really was," Winkler explained. "By changing my voice and my body language, I was able to step into this persona that was so different from my own insecurities. It was liberating." And let’s not forget—Winkler faced additional challenges growing up, including a tough childhood marked by unsupportive parents.

A Difficult Childhood That Shaped Him

Winkler’s parents weren’t exactly the warm, encouraging type. "I’m grateful for my life, but my parents were very prickly and difficult people," he revealed. "My father spoke 11 languages, and guess what? He told me I was stupid in every single one of them." Winkler, who later learned he has dyslexia, struggled in school because of it.

"Education was really hard for me," he admitted. "And if that wasn’t enough, my parents used to call me 'dummer Hund,' which means 'dumb dog' in German. Talk about supportive, right?" Despite these hardships, Winkler found strength in his craft and used it to rise above the negativity.

A Successful Career Built on Passion and Hard Work

Despite the challenges he faced early in life, Winkler went on to achieve incredible success. His career spans multiple films and TV shows, earning him two Golden Globe Awards along the way. And his personal life? Equally impressive. Winkler has been married to Stacey Weitzman for 40 years, and together they have two children, Zoe Emily Winkler, 39, and Max Winkler, 35.

"He’s a completely selfless guy," an insider once told Closer Weekly. "Instead of spending his newfound fortune on fancy cars or real estate, he spoils his family, especially his grandkids. He loves giving them generous gifts, but he also dotes on them in meaningful, non-materialistic ways, like reading them the stories he’s written." Now that’s what I call a guy with heart.