Henry Winkler Recalls How He ‘Nearly Flunked Out’ of College in Georgetown Commencement Speech
He’s one of the most beloved stars of classic (and current-day!) television, but Henry Winkler didn’t always have Happy Days.
In a graduation speech at Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences on May 17, Winkler discussed his early setbacks. As he grew up on New York City’s Upper West Side — with “very, very short Germans” as parents — Winkler dreamt of acting. But first, he needed an education, and geometry class turned out to be the sticking point during high school, both during the regular school year and during summer school.
“I finally passed it with a D-minus in August of 1963,” he said. “And if I did not get that D-minus, I could not go to the one college that accepted me: Emerson College in Boston. I applied to 28.”
But college also proved challenging for Winkler. “I nearly flunked out,” he said. “I talked my way back in, I don’t know where I got the nerve.”
Then Winkler attended the Yale School of Drama, where he was one of 25 actors chosen for the program, 11 who finished, and three who were invited into the professional company. “I was now making $173 a week,” he said. “I was on my way. This was amazing.”
Back in New York City, Winkler took TV commercial jobs, which led to Broadway parts, film roles, and TV parts. And only a few years later, he hit the big time, playing The Fonz on Happy Days. And more recently, he endeared himself to new generations of TV viewers with his parts on Parks and Recreation and Barry.
And he told the Class of 2025 to follow their gut. “Do not be deterred,” he said. “When your instinct talks to you, you listen. You don’t double-think it. … Never let your dream out of your brain. And when you decide what it is you want to do, just know it without a doubt.”
Remind