Henry Winkler Comes Clean About His 50-Year Absence From The TV Screen
For over ten years, Henry Winkler's presence on Happy Days was a delight to Fonzie fans everywhere. But after the show's finale in 1984, fans were left heartbroken without Arthur Fonzarelli's dulcet tones on their TV screens. Worse still, he didn't return to primetime in a starring role for over 30 years! All that said, he recently revealed the reason behind his long absence from TV — and it wasn't what his fans were expecting.
TV Breakout
Of course, Henry Winkler's first big gig was Happy Days in 1974, but when it debuted, no one thought that the folksy sitcom about 1950s suburban Wisconsin would last. Ten years, 255 episodes, and seven spin-offs later, however, the early critics were eating their words.
The Fonz Rules
Though Henry Winkler was flourishing on set, his life wasn't all that it seemed to be. Because before the world had called him "The Fonz," he was struggling at home.
Childhood Troubles
See, his mother and father escaped to America from Germany on the brink of World War II. Their experiences left scars, making them pretty verbally abusive. It can't be easy for your parents to call you a "dumb dog" all the time!
Mean Teachers
And Henry was faring no better at school. We'd all love for all teachers to be Miss Honeys, but in reality, you get a few Dolores Umbridges tossed in there. When Henry did poorly in school, his parents punished him at home.
