The actor confessed that the self-doubt from his childhood does haunt him sometimes, but he has come far from it.
Henry Winkler, 77, has been a remarkable actor. He has also been happily married to Stacey Weitzman for 45 years and has been a caring son to his mother after she suffered from a stroke. However, life has tested him many times. As a child, Winkler took four years to learn geometry as his classmates graduated, per Guardian. He also told Reading Rockets in an interview that he was name-called by his own parents who thought he was just a lazy kid. He was not even allowed to go out as a kid, per NPR, "I saw the moon from the window." However, this tough childhood experience made Winkler a better parent. As when his stepson had learning problems, Winkler took him to a doctor.
A Hollywood marriage still going strong. Henry Winkler and his wife, Stacey Weitzman were married in 1978 and are still married to this day. 💕 pic.twitter.com/D5w0BODKvn
— Groovy History (@GroovyHistory) October 13, 2018
After consulting the doctor, his stepson was diagnosed with dyslexia. As the doctor discussed the struggles of dyslexia, Winkler realized he also suffered from it. With this realization, he also understood that he had not been lazy or not clever enough, as his parents thought but that he had a medical condition. When asked by NPR, how he felt after his diagnosis, Winkler replied he had anger and resentment towards his parents. The tough childhood he had was not his fault, but he had "something with a name." The pain of finding out about being dyslexic at 31 was not easy. The actor confessed that the self-doubt from his childhood does haunt him sometimes, but he has come far from it.
Life took a different turn for Winkler when he became a grandfather. He was pitched the idea of writing children's books, but the actor did not think it would be possible because he did not feel he was good enough. As per The Guardian, after reading his first novel at 31, Winkler knew he could help children who felt ostracized because of their disabilities. The actor published a children's book, Here's Hank, about an elementary school student with dyslexia. His work as a writer has been appreciated and now he has over 30 books. The decision to write them was inspired by the struggles he faced as a kid.
Even though reading is still difficult for Winkler, he reads to all four of his grandchildren. He has admitted that while he reads very slowly, the books he has read are lined up on a shelf like trophies. Winkler has a wonderful bond with each of his grandchildren and he even shared videos on TikTok of him dancing with them. In the first video he shared, he was seen dancing in front of a Christmas tree on New Year's Day. In another video, he was dancing with his grandchildren.
Winkler also loves to share updates about his family on social media. In 2021, he took to Twitter when his youngest grandson was born, to thank fans for their good wishes on his new grandchild. Now at 77, Winkler also recently shared a video of him and his grandchildren dancing on Thanksgiving. His youngest grandchild was seen in the video as he held him and danced with him. In the caption, Winkler wishes his fans a Happy Thanksgiving.
THANK YOU ALLLLLLL SO much for your good wishes ..We Winklers are so appreciative
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) October 14, 2021
After years of struggle, Winkler is enjoying his life with his grandchildren!
References:
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/712178030
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p8NimiCcxA
Cover Image Source: Getty Images/Frazer Harrison / Staff
