Henry "uncompromised" Winkler

In the television world, too much fame can be a bad thing. Ask Michael Richards. Aside from a solid role as Stanley Spadowski in the cult film UHF, who is he? Well he was Kramer. He still is Kramer. He will always be Kramer. Ask Kelsey Grammer. Ask Bob Denver.

Now ask Henry Winkler. Henry “Arthur Fonzarelli on Happy Days, Fonzie, the Fonz, epitome of cool, girls coming at the snap of his fingers, fixing the jukebox by hitting it, beating Frenchmen at fencing, jumping the shark” Winkler. Television icon. American treasure. The Fonz is the inescapable shadow that would haunt most actors’ lives, but not Henry’s.

He’s nothing like the Fonz. In reality, he’s Henry “quiet, not intimidating, unconfident, low self-esteem because of dyslexia, well-spoken” Winkler. He is not the character and the character is not him.

Also, he’s beloved by more than one generation. He’s Henry “guest appearance and constant syndication” Winkler. He’s Henry “lovable coach from The Waterboy” Winkler. He’s Henry “Barry Zuckerkorn from Arrested Development and found on funnyordie.com” Winkler. Quite simply, he’s Henry “Good Actor” Winkler.

“I’m very lucky,” said Winkler in a phone interview promoting a new television movie called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. “The job of an actor is not to be a celebrity. The job of an actor is to tell a story — to illuminate life in some way.”

But he’s not just Henry “one trick” Winkler. He’s also an accomplished children’s writer. Along with Lin Oliver, Winkler has written 15 books in the comedic Hank Zipzer series, which is based on Winkler’s own childhood adversity due to undiagnosed dyslexia.

The Fonz is lurking there, though. This year the city of Milwaukee, where Happy Days takes place, unveiled a bronze likeness not of Henry Winkler, but of Arthur Fonzarelli. Fonzie is externally being imposed on him. Fonzie is the first thought when hearing Henry Winkler’s name.

Thinking of this, Winkler said “That is part of my life. It’s part of my history. I really enjoyed myself. Garry Marshall [creator of Happy Days] is my don, I kiss his ring. You take the good with the bad. Sometimes I’m not cast because people say ‘Oh yeah, he’s wonderful, but he was the Fonz,’ and other times they go ‘Wow, he’s a good actor.’”

With all of these projects, some wholesome, some not, can he be considered Henry “bad influence” Winkler?

“I don’t think of it in those terms. I do what my instinct tells me is right. I don’t think of the word ‘wholesome.’ I choose [projects] when I read them and say ‘Yes, I know how to do this.”

But isn’t he concerned about his image? “Sometimes they draw me with a very long face. That bums me out.”

What happens when a child sees him offering to kiss Michael Bluth’s nuts on Arrested Development? “It is up to the parents. The parents are the most important influences on their children. It’s important to monitor what goes in. They get so much information. A lot of it, they cannot handle.” He’s Henry “Sage Advice” Winkler.

He’s pure gold, not bronze. He’s straightforward Henry “Hollywood sweetheart, no compromise of integrity” Winkler. He said “Every human being has a choice. And it’s just a matter of choosing how to live your life. Every human being faces temptation.”

He’ll never be Henry “whatever happened to [ . . . ]?” Winkler. He will continue.

“Producing is like holding sand in your arms. Directing is like trying to get all that sand into one box, and as an actor I get to play in the sand and I hope, very sincerely, unabashedly, that I continue to get to play in the sand,” said Winkler.

He will. He’s starring in an upcoming film The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, airing on Dec. 13, on the Hallmark Channel.

“If I hear you didn’t watch the movie, I will come to Manitoba and look for you,” he said to one intrepid and nervous interviewer.

Unfortunately, the Hallmark Channel is unavailable in Canada.

He is also appearing in a new animated sitcom on FOX called Sit Down, Shut Up, from Mitch Hurwitz, executive producer of Arrested Development.

After all, he’s Henry “play in the sand” Winkler.