45 years into his career, one scene finally “put it together” for Henry Winkler: “Took me till I was 72!”
After decades of being closely associated with The Fonz, Henry Winkler says his role in the comedy series *Barry* helped him finally overcome the anxieties and habits that had held back his acting. The part as acting coach Gene Cousineau earned him his first Emmy and marked a significant point in a career that had often been overshadowed by his best-known character.
Winkler said he was 72 when he realised how to be fully present in a scene, compared with 27 when he played The Fonz. After *Happy Days*, he struggled for years to find work and was often typecast; Adam Sandler later cast him in *The Waterboy*, helping revive his career. Winkler appeared in all four seasons of *Barry* and has since continued to land screen roles, with further television and film projects in development or production.
In short
- *Barry* helped Winkler move beyond years of acting anxiety.
- He won his first Emmy for playing Gene Cousineau.
- The breakthrough came at 72, decades after *Happy Days*.
Explained simply
Henry Winkler is an American actor best known for playing Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on the sitcom Happy Days, which ran from the 1970s into the 1980s. The character became so closely associated with him that, after the show ended, he found it difficult to get work beyond similar roles.
A later part in Adam Sandler’s comedy film The Waterboy helped bring Winkler back to wider screen work. In the television series Barry, he played Gene Cousineau, an acting coach; the role earned him his first Emmy, a US television award.