Henry Winkler knows a thing or two about Hollywood, having spent nearly three decades enjoying success in the business. “Happy Days” is history and the leather jacket worn by The Fonz has hung in the Smithsonian since February 13th, 1980. For his portrayal of The Fonz for 10 seasons (1974-84), Winkler won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, and three Emmy® nominations in the same category. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Fonz continues to live in the past on Nick At Nite and T.V.
Land while Winkler lives very much in the present as an actor, director, producer and, now, an award-winning author, having received acclaim for his Hank Zipzer: The World's Best Underachiever series of books aimed at children in grades three through six. In 1979, Winkler formed his first production company, Fair Dinkum Productions. Its first venture was “Who Are the DeBolts and Where Did They Get 19 Kids?,” a television documentary about Dorothy and Robert DeBolt’s remarkable children—13 of them adopted—and most of them physically and/or emotionally challenged. Winkler served as on-camera host and executive producer of the ABC presentation, which went on to win the prestigious Humanitas Prize. Fair Dinkum’s first made-for-television movie, “Scandal Sheet,” aired in January 1985 on ABC.