His dad played one of the most iconic television characters of all-time – can you guess the nepo baby at the Grotesquerie premiere?
His father is a household name and has been in show business for half a century.
His father was the center of one of the most beloved TV series that ran for 11 seasons in the 70s and 80s: Happy Days.
Since the show went off the air, the 78-year-old Hollywood veteran has become a fixture in show business, appearing in hundreds of television and film productions, including Parks and Recreation, Royal Pains, The Practice and Arrested Development.
His father has also won several awards, winning an Emmy for acting in 2018 for his work in the HBO series Barry, being nominated more than 10 times in his career, and winning two Golden Globes in the late 1970s for Happy Days, of which he was nominated seven times.
His father is also an outspoken advocate and activist for causes dear to him, from his own personal battle with dyslexia to his pride in his Jewish faith and culture.
His father is a household name who has been in show business for half a century – can you guess what this fake baby is, photographed in NYC on Monday?
He is Max Winkler, the 41-year-old son of the legendary Henry Winkler, best known for his role as Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli on the famous ABC series Happy Days.
On Monday night, Max was photographed in New York City at Spring Studios for the premiere of the new FX horror drama Grotesquerie, of which he directed five episodes.
Max posed at the event with two of the series’ lead actors, Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance, who play Det. Lois Tryon and Marshall Tryon, respectively, in the new series from creators Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken.
Max wore a black blazer over a white shirt, light jeans and brown shoes as he walked the red carpet.
Max is no stranger to the director’s chair, having held this position for 18 years without interruption, including in TV series such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat, New Girl, Minx, School Spirits and films such as Jungleland and Flower.
He has also collaborated extensively with Murphy on his series, including Monster, The Watcher, The New Normal, Feud and American Horror Story.
Max is the youngest child of Henry and his wife Stacey Weitzman. He is also the stepfather of businessman Jed Weitzman, 52, and the father of Zoe Winkler, 43, who founded the nonprofit This is About Humanity.
Henry spoke about Max and their relationship in a December 2023 appearance on The conversation.
On Monday night, Max was photographed in New York City at Spring Studios for the premiere of the new FX horror drama Grotesquerie, of which he directed five episodes
Max has also worked extensively with Ryan Murphy on his shows such as Monster, The Watcher, The New Normal, Feud and American Horror Story
Max is no stranger to the director’s chair, having worked steadily in this role for 18 years, on TV shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat, New Girl, Minx, School Spirits; and films such as Jungleland and Flower
Max posed at the event with two of the series’ lead actors, Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash
Max posed with producer Alexis Martin Woodall at the event in the Big Apple
“My son Max told us when he was 10 that he wanted to be a director. He kept his word,” Henry said during his performance.
Henry spoke candidly about working with Max in their respective roles in the entertainment industry.
“My son is very strict,” Henry said. “My son coached me through my audition for Barry. I had the script, I said, ‘Max, do you want to look at it?’
‘I’m sitting at my desk, he’s standing above me, I’m reading it and he says, “Dad… respect the writer!”‘
Henry revealed during his performance that he improvised his entire career because of his dyslexia, but Max gave him some sage advice that helped him land the award-winning role in the HBO series Barry.
Henry said Max told him, “Not this time. There’s an exclamation point at the end of that sentence. Use it.”
Henry Winkler is best known for his role as Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli in the famous ABC series Happy Days
Henry and Max were photographed on the red carpet for an event in July 2007
The Tinseltown family was photographed at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC
Max praised his father for releasing his book Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond in a clip on The Tamron Hall Show late last year. He said his father convinced him to write the book.
“Dad, congratulations on the release of your book,” Max said in the clip. “I love you so much and I’m so happy that the rest of the world gets to read this beautiful book.
“I think it will inspire a lot of people. I think you should consider giving whoever gave you the idea to write this book 10 percent of the proceeds, just because it feels like the right thing to do.”