Celebrity actor Henry Winkler visits Sarasota. Here’s what he would tell his younger self.
Henry Winkler, who rose to fame as “Fonzie” in the “Happy Days” TV series 1974-1984, has been busy ever since.
His resume is packed with accomplishments as an actor, producer, director and children’s book author — he has written 38 books so far.
“I am so grateful to play ‘The Fonz’ at 27 and now at 76 to play Gene Cousineau on the HBO series ‘Barry,’ ” Winkler said Friday, before speaking to the crowd for the 13th annual Tidewell Hospice Signature Luncheon at the Ritz Carlton.
“It is a serial comedy that will make your jaw drop,” Winkler said of “Barry,” which starts its third season on April 24.
Asked to look back on his career and if he has any regrets, Winkler looked behind him, smiled, and answered “no.”
But after a pause, he added: “You know what I would have done differently in my career is tell my younger self to relax. That if you do the work, if you prepare your mind and your body, if you are courageous to put one foot in front of the other, you’ll get to where you want to go.
“I spent so much of my time worrying, and I wish that I could have that back because there are so many wonderful things I could have done while I sat in a corner shivering,” he said.
Before he wrote his first children’s book, Winkler said he had to overcome his own self doubts.
“I didn’t think I could do it. I thought I was stupid. I thought I was lazy. I thought I was not living up to my potential. There is nothing you cannot do,” he said.
Asked about his greatest memory of “Happy Days,” he said it was the time he spent off the set with his cast mates.
“The camaraderie of all the cast members. We are still friends. We played softball together on Sunday, we played charades on Saturday. We traveled all over the world together for the American troops in Okinawa, Germany and all over America,” he said. “I think those are my greatest memories.”
Winkler was in town Friday to raise money for Tidewell Hospice’s programs and services. Hospice serves more than 10,000 people each year, regardless of their ability to pay.
“Henry’s personal experiences, which include helping to care for his mother after a debilitating stroke and supporting his wife through her battle with breast cancer, will undoubtedly move and inspire our guests,” Tidewell Foundation President Debbie Mason previously said.
Tidewell services include charity care, grief support services, specialized veterans care, music therapy, telehealth and other programs across Manatee and Sarasota counties.
“I would like to say I am thrilled I was invited today. I am honored that I am here to help raise money for Tidewell. This is a really important moment in an individual’s life — to move from one plane to another with dignity, with love, and with respect is an extraordinary gift. But it doesn’t come free. I am very appreciative of people I don’t ever know who are caretakers,” he said.
For more information, visit tidewellfoundation.org.
