Happy Birthday, Henry Winkler!

According to the IMDB, Henry Franklin Winkler was born on October 30, 1945, in Manhattan, New York, to Jewish immigrants.

Since the actor is most well known for his character the very cool Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli from the sitcom Happy Days, it’s hard to believe according to IMDB, Henry grew up with "a high level of low self-esteem."

Following high school, he received a bachelor's degree from Emerson College in 1967, a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1970, and later an honorary Ph.D. in Hebrew Literature in 1978 from Emerson College.

If Winkler had not found success in acting, IMDB writes he wanted to become a child psychologist, but after commercials and a film role in 1974’s The Lords of the Flatbush, he landed a reccurring role on TV’s Happy Days. The site notes his character initially had a small role, but “The Fonz” became a 1970s icon. The site also notes “his motorcycle, leather jacket, thumbs-up gesture, and uttering of the phrase "Aayyyy!" became television trademarks.”

In the mid-1980s, the actor’s focus changed to producing and directing. According to IMDB, “He produced and directed several television shows and movies … MacGyver (1985) and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996).” He also appeared in Scream (1996), The Waterboy (1998) and on TV shows The Practice (1997) and Arrested Development (2003).

The man even writes books: Hank Zipzer, The World’s Greatest Underachiever, is based on Winkler’s trouble with dyslexia and has sold 2 million copies around the world. He is also involved with a number of charities.

In addition to wishing the actor a “Happy birthday,” since the man’s special day falls so close to Halloween, you could easily use him for last-minute costume inspiration. All you need is a black leather jacket (a fake one will do), jeans, motorcycle boots, and a white t-shirt. Odds are you have most or all of these items in your closet, and since they hit on several current trends, you’re bound to wear the pieces the rest of the year, even all together.