Henry Winkler’s 10 Best Movies and TV Shows

With decades in show business and a legendary career, the best Henry Winkler Movies and TV shows have some true classics. Winkler began his screen career in the 1970s as one of television’s defining characters, playing the fan in Happy days. Although he would be somewhat stuck to the role for many years, Winkler eventually got more opportunities to showcase the different sides of his talents in a wide variety of movies and shows.

Winkler came across as one of the sweetest and lovable characters on screen, but he also showed a tremendous talent for playing self-centered and deeply flawed people. He built a career with a mix of dramatic and comedic roles, sometimes playing both aspects in the same role. With recent successes viz Barry Early in his career, Winkler had a number of stellar projects worth revisiting.

10

Click (2006)

Like Ted Newman

Henry Winkler’s kind and warm personality helped make him an easy person for audiences to relate to in his various roles. This was used to create some of the most memorable and heartbreaking moments in Adam Sandler’s fantasy comedy Click. Sandler stars as Michael Newman, a work-obsessed family man who seems to find the answer to his struggles with making enough time for himself by discovering a universal remote control that controls the world around him.

The movie opens with Sandler showing off wild antics using the device, but soon discovers that fast-forwarding and skipping through life has dire consequences. Winkler stars as Ted Newman, Michael’s loving and goofy father. He is the symbol that reminds Michael of how important it is to live in the present, especially for the sake of his family. Many fans see the 34% Rotten Tomatoes score for the Sandler movie as misleading as it is A funny movie that features some surprisingly moving moments that many fans are not expecting.

9

On the Count of Three (2022)

Like Dr. Brenner

On the count of three is a dark comedy-drama with themes that will be difficult and triggering for many audiences. However, the end result is a thoughtful and engaging story that is worth watching for those who are comfortable with the themes. Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott star as two troubled friends, Val and Kevin, who decide to kill themselves but take one last day to clean up unfinished business.

Henry Winkler is often the most likeable character in his projects, however On the count of three Flips that persona on its head like His character of Dr. Brenner is a psychiatrist who is at the center of many of Kevin’s traumas.. The movie itself is hard to watch and also includes a lot of dark humor and surprising heart. It makes for a truly unique and bold cinematic experience.

8

The French Dispatch (2021)

Like Uncle Joe

Wes Anderson movies often have a massive ensemble cast with many stars and Henry Winkler proved to be an ideal fit in the outstanding world of the filmmaker. The French Dispatch Serves as an anthology of sorts as it focuses on the titular newspaper in France run by expatriate writers. The movie is divided into segments for each section of the paper and the last story to appear in the final edition.

Winkler appears in the “Arts” section of the movie as Uncle JoeA wealthy art lover is helping his nephew (Adrien Brody) oversee his latest project that seeks to use the stunning art of a convict (Benicio del Toro). The French Dispatch Captures the charm and nostalgia of Anderson’s best movies as well as a mix of melancholy and humor. Winkler appeared alongside the likes of Bill Murray, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton and others.

7

Scream (1996)

Like Major Himbry

Despite the popularity of the scream movies, many fans may have forgotten that Henry Winkler helped kick off the beloved horror franchise. scream is a very influential slasher movie that follows a group of high school students who are targeted by a masked serial killer known as Ghostface. As they attempt to survive, it becomes clear that the killer is someone they know.

Winkler has an uncredited but substantial supporting role in the movie as Principal HimbryThe no-nonsense educator who is dealing with the pressure of a killer on the loose and multiple students who were killed. Although most of the movie focuses on the young characters, Winkler gets to copy his own intense sequence in which the killer targets him. scream Helped redefine the genre with the clever twist of characters who seem to recognize the tropes of the genre they find themselves in.

6

Heroes (1977)

Like Jack Dunn

Heroes Marks Henry Winkler’s first starring role in Hollywood and remains one of the best movies of his career. Winkler stars in the movie as Jack Dunne, a Vietnam veteran who suffers from PTSD. After escaping from a psychiatric facility, he embarks on a journey to find the other men he served with along with his reluctant yet caring girlfriend (Sally Field) and his army buddy (Harrison Ford).

The movie is an early sign of how, despite finding fame as the funs on Happy daysWinkler is not interested in embracing the role for the rest of his career. Heroes It’s a very different character for Winker, with him delivering a terrific performance as the man who struggles with reality yet tries to do something that will make a difference to those around him. It’s a funny and entertaining movie, but Winkler’s performance, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, also adds depth to it.

5

Night Shift (1982)

Like Chuck Lumley

After working for years together as acting partners on Happy daysRon Howard and Henry Winkler retimed for Night shift The former directed the latter in a wild 1980s comedy. Winkler stars as a reserved and mild-mannered guy, Chuck Lumley, who works alongside his crazy co-worker, Bill (Michael Keaton), in a morgue. When the duo sees more potential with the night shift job, they decide to transform the morgue into a brothel.

This movie is often mentioned as Michael Keaton’s best early role, which helped to launch his career, because he is hilarious and outrageous as the sidekick. however, Night shift Works so well as a comedy because of Winkler’s more understated performance grounding it all. It’s a perfect role to distance himself from the fans as he carries none of the same confidence and charm that only makes him funny. Night shift was a comedy hit and earned Winkler a Golden Globe nomination.

4

The Waterboy (1998)

Like Coach Klein

Henry Winkler ended up starring with Adam Sandler in a number of movies over the years, but their work together all started with Sandler’s hilarious sports comedy The Waterboy. The movie stars Sandler as Bobby Boucher, a simple but kind young man who works as a waterboy for a failing college football team. But when his years of ridiculousness explode in a moment of violence, the team’s beleaguered coach Klein (Winkler) sees Bobby as their secret weapon.

This is another role that highlights how much Winkler moved away from his iconic Fonzi role from Happy days. Coach Klein is a hilariously unconfident coach who is in a constant state of panic about how to improve the team. He is also a sweet and caring mentor type who acts as something of a father figure to Bobby. The Waterboy is filled with the same type of juvenile and slapstick humor Sandler became known for in the 1990s, creating one of his funniest and most entertaining movies.

3

Happy Days (1974-1984)

Like Arthur “The Fans” Fanzarelli

Henry Winkler’s portrait of Arthur “The Fans” Fanzarelli in Happy days is not only his most iconic role but also a pop culture touchstone. Happy days was a charming sitcom that explored 1950s nostalgia through its colorful collection of characters. However, it was the cool, leather-jacket-wearing mechanic who had a heart of gold, the fans, who became the breakout character of the series.

The fans were the epitome of “cool,” giving Winkler a character filled with confidence and charisma that was quite different from the role he became known for later in his career. Winkler also showed much of his versatility in playing the occasional moments of vulnerability in Funz’s personality, which added an endearing quality to the comedic character. Although the character helped popularize the disparaging term “jump the shark,” there was a long time when the fanz was the coolest character on television.

2

Barry (2018–2023)

Like Jean Cazineau

Although Happy days is surely Henry Winkler’s most iconic television role, Barry is his most acclaimed. Bill Hader stars in the HBO comedy series as the title character, a disillusioned and dark-minded hitman who feels he has found a new purpose in life by discovering his love for acting. One of the essential characters in his journey is his acting coach, Gene Cousineau, played by Winkler.

Gene is a former celebrated actor who faded into obscurity as a result of his massive ego and difficult personality. The role is perfectly suited for the dark and complex comedy series, as Winkler delivers an incredible performance that mixes humor with tragedy. Over the course of BarryJean grows and evolves but also often finds herself drifting back to being self-absorbed about every time. Barry has been called one of the best HBO series of all time, and Winkler won an Emmy for his supporting performance.

1

Arrested Development (2003-2019)

Like Berry Sugarcorn

Before winning huge acclaim with BarryHenry Winkler’s television comeback came years earlier with his scene-stealing role on Arrested development Like Barry Zuckerkorn. Arrested development is the cult comedy series that follows the Bluth family, a dynasty of land developers filled with spoiled, eccentric and self-absorbed people. However, they find their lives of luxury and power at risk when their patriarch, George Burth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) was arrested for “Light betrayal.”

The series is filled with hilarious actors like Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Michael Cera, but Winkler gives one of the funniest performances as the inept and deviant lawyer representing the Bluths. Although it is a guest starring role, Winkler appeared in 32 episodes over the course of Arrested Development’s run. The series was never huge in the ratings, but has been seen as one of the greatest comedy series of all time and an influence on many absurdist comedies that followed, such as Community And It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.