Henry Winkler’s road to success was anything but smooth. Long before he became “The Fonz,” he was a kid who spent most of his school years feeling defeated. No matter how hard he tried, the letters on the page just wouldn’t make sense. His parents, convinced he simply wasn’t applying himself, scolded him, punished him, and grounded him for grades he couldn’t change. Winkler carried those words with him for years, and quietly made himself a promise: My kids will never feel this way.

Growing up, the struggle followed him everywhere. While other students went to dances, clubs, and games, Winkler was stuck at home, staring at textbooks that refused to cooperate. Still, he pushed forward. Against the odds, he earned a spot at Yale’s School of Drama, eventually graduating with an MFA. But even with a prestigious degree, the shame never really left. As an actor, he memorized scripts with sheer willpower, leaning heavily on improvisation. Table reads were the worst—especially during his time on Happy Days—because reading aloud felt like being exposed.....