As he enters his mid seventies, Henry Winkler is experiencing an impressive late-career renaissance. Last year, he won his first ever Emmy Award for his supporting role as acting coach Gene Cousineau on Barry, the acclaimed HBO show. Alien Superstar, the latest in a series of best-selling children’s books Winkler has written with a co-author, Lin Oliver, was published in early October by Amulet. And he is set to appear in Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated forthcoming film, The French Dispatch, the release date of which is yet to be disclosed.
All of these accomplishments suggest Winkler has achieved a level of confidence that seems to have been lacking in his professional life since Happy Days, the TV show in which he starred as hip greaser Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, ended its decade-long run 35 years ago. What accounts for his recent success? He chalks it up, in large part, to an unlikely pastime: fly fishing.
“It is the greatest metaphor for life,” Winkler told InsideHook in a recent phone conversation from his home in Los Angeles. “You have got to take a risk and try and get your fly in the most inaccessible water. You have to take a risk of losing the fly if you want to get something on it. You have got to be very patient, and once you get the fish on, you have to stay calm.” READ MORE
