Henry Winkler's 3 Children: All About Jed, Zoe and Max

Mar. 15, 2025

Max Winkler, Henry Winkler, Stacey Winkler, Zoe Winkler and Jed Weitzman honor Henry Winkler as he receives the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Awards at Sportsmens Lodge on January 29, 2016.Photo:Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Henry Winklermight be best known as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli fromHappy Days, but he’s also a father to Max and Zoe Winkler, a stepfather to Jed Weitzman and a grandpa of six.

Henry began building a family in 1978 when he marriedPR executive Stacey Weitzman. In 2019, he told PEOPLE thesecret to their long, happy marriage. “We enjoy fly fishing together. We enjoy grandchildren together. We enjoy going to the movies together. We truly enjoy each other every day," Henry said.

When Henry and Stacey met, she already had her son Jed, who was 4 years old, from a previous marriage. Just a few years after marrying, Henry welcomed his first child with Stacey, daughter Zoe, in 1980. Three years later, in 1983, they had their son Max.

The Winkler family is tight-knit and very close. When Henrywon his 2018 Emmy forBarryhe joked that he’d penned his acceptance speech, “43 years ago,” before giving a shout-out to his wife and then joking with his kids, “Jed, Zoe and Max, you can go to bed now, daddy won!”

In October 2024, when Henry turned 79, he told PEOPLE he planned to celebrate his birthday with his family. “I amhaving dinner with my childrenand my grandchildren,” he said. “I will blow out the candles on a chocolate mousse cake.”

Here’s everything to know about Henry Winkler’s kids.

Jed Weitzman, 52

Jed Weitzman at Sportsmens Lodge on January 29, 2016 as Henry Winkler receives the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Awards.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Stacey already had her son Jed when she met Henry.On theTamron Hall Show, Henry recalled meeting Jed on his very first date with Stacey, which took place during the height of Henry’sHappy Daysfame — apparently, Jed was already a huge Fonzie fan.

“I was a candle on his cake before I ever met him,” Henry told Hall on her show.

He added, “When I picked up Stacey for her and my first date, the door opened and there’s a little 4-year-old, and he said, ‘Hi, Fonz!’ ”

When Jed hit middle school, he and Henryboth discovered they had dyslexia. “In third grade he had to write a report and couldn’t do it,” Henry told PEOPLE in 2023. “I said to him everything that was said to me: ‘Go back to your room. You’re being lazy. Live up to your potential. You’re so verbal.’ I then had him tested and we read everything they said. I went, ‘Oh my God, Stacey, this is me. I have something with a name.’ "

That moment of realization didn’t happen until Henry was 31. In his memoirBeing Henry: The Fonz…and Beyondhe wrote, “I didn’t find out I was severely dyslexic until I was thirty-one. For all the years before that, I was the kid who couldn’t read, couldn’t spell, couldn’t even begin to do algebra or geometry or even basic arithmetic.” His other two children Zoe and Max would both later be diagnosed with dyslexia as well.

Today, Jed is a businessman who works in the entertainment industry. He is currently head of music for the ticketing platform, Logitix.

Zoe Winkler, 44

Zoe Winkler and Henry Winkler attends the TIAH 4th Annual Fundraiser on August 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Henry and Stacey welcomed their daughter, Zoe, in 1980.

“She was the cutest thing I’d ever seen,” Reinis told the newspaper. When exchanging vows, Zoe told her new husband, “It was hard for me to leave home, and with you, I feel I am home.” Zoe and Rob have since welcomed three sons.

Zoe toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat she was inspired to launch the organization after seeing the conditions migrants were living in at border holding facilities. “I could not get the images out of my head of these children,” she told the publication. “I have a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 6-year-old, and having them separated from me would be, I don’t know that they would make it. I mean it’s so damaging and we’re living in such a scary time as it is right now that I feel like I never in my life thought I would become an activist, but I don’t have any other choice.”

In 2022, Henry revealed that he once hosted a massive gathering for Zoe’s organization … but didn’t know it until he got the invite. “We got an invitation that read, ‘Come because your daughter and her friends are having an event,’ ” Winkler said at the event,according toToday. “And then we look to where we were going, it was our house!”

After college, Zoe had her sights set on beingThe Bacheloretteand she was asked to be a part of a show calledQuarter Life Crisiswith her friendsKim Kardashianand Sarah Howard.

“I’ll never forget Matt Hanna [an executive producer]. He worked at VH1 at the time, he flew out to LA and did a sizzle reel of us. He came to the house and you met him outside,” Zoe recalled. “I did,” Henry continued. “I said, it is so lovely that you’re here, I can suggest some really good restaurants, [but] my daughter is not doing your show.”

Max Winkler, 41

Max Winkler and Henry Winkler at the ‘Flower’ film premiere on March 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, Calfornia.Todd Williamson/January Images/Shutterstock

Todd Williamson/January Images/Shutterstock

Henry and Stacey welcomed their son Max in 1983.

Max takes after his dad and has had a successful career in Hollywood, but instead of acting, he spends most of his time behind the camera as a director, producer, and writer. He’s directed multiple episodes of hit series likeNew Girl,American Horror Storyand its anthology spin-off series,American Horror Stories.

In a 2023 interview onThe Talk, Henry said that his son had always wanted to work in Hollywood. “My son Max told us at 10 that he wanted to be a director,” theHappy Daysstar told the hosts, “he kept his word.”

In the same interview, Henry also said that his son’s work as a director helped him earn one of his most prominent roles. “My son is very strict,” Henry said. “My son directed me in my audition forBarry. I had the script, I said ‘Max, will you take a look at it?’ I’m sitting at my desk, he’s standing over me, I’m reading it, and he says ‘Dad … respect the writer!’ ”

Winkler went on to explain that he sometimes improvises because of his dyslexia, but his son told him, “Not this time. There’s an exclamation point at the end of that sentence … use it.” But Max’s coaching worked because not only did Henry land the role onBarry, but the actor ended up receiving four Emmy nominations for his performance, winning once in 2018.

In 2019, Max directed the boxing filmJunglelandwhich starredCharlie Hunnam. Also in the cast was British actress Jessica Barden. According toNME,Max and Jessica fell in love while filming and eventually married in 2021. Later that same yearthey had their first child, a daughter.

Speaking toNMEin 2023, Jessica shared how much her life has changed since marrying Max and moving to LA – including having Henry as a father-in-law and meeting Max’s friends like Jonah Hill.

“Jonah’s exactly what you want him to be like,” she said, “he’s hilarious.” She also said that Henry likes to come over and hang out. “He’ll call us on the weekend on Sunday morning and go, ‘Is there going to be a soccer match this weekend?’ ”

Max also helped encourage his dad to write his memoir. In December 2023, Henry appeared on theTamron Hall Showas part of his press tour for his book. What he didn’t know was that Max had taped a special video message for his dad, which Hall played.

“Dad, congratulations on your book coming out,” Max says at the start of the video. “I love you very much and I’m so excited for the rest of the world to read this beautiful thing you’ve written. I think it’s going to inspire a lot of people, and I think you should consider whoever gave you the idea to write this book, consider giving them a 10% piece of the sales, just because it feels like the right thing to do.”

Henry immediately began laughing and Hall asked, “He’s got 10% coming?” Henry then shouted, “Ten percent? On my life!”

source: people.com