Henry Winkler had fans excited to see a rare picture of one of his grandchildren, whom they likened to him.
The actor is a grandfather to many grandchildren, and he and his wife can’t help but shower them with love.
The star turned out to be an incredible father and grandfather despite never having good role models of his own.
Henry Winkler is known as a fun-loving actor with a warm personality and endless jokes. However, when he’s not entertaining people with his personality, comedy, and books, he’s focused on being a loving parent and grandfather.
The star doesn’t seem to have an Instagram presence, but he does post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In a rare occurrence this month, Henry uploaded a picture of someone who is near and dear to his heart.
On October 12, 2023, the actor thrilled his fans by sharing a rare social media photo of his granddaughter. Taking to X, he uploaded an image of the little girl holding up her sports jersey.
He tagged Taylor Swift’s National Football Federation (NFL) player, Travis Kelce, calling the child their granddaughter. The little girl’s jersey said she was the world’s biggest fan of Swift’s boyfriend’s team.
One fan of Henry thought the star’s granddaughter looked like a “female version” of him. Other people also saw the resemblance, with one noting, ” I can see you in her, Henry. She’s absolutely lovely!” Someone else tweeted:
“Does that Angel know how cool her grandpa is?”
Another follower of the star described his granddaughter as “so precious.” Meanwhile, a fan referenced Henry’s “Happy Days” character by saying:
“I see some Fonzie in her! Jenny and the Jets?”
In past interviews, Henry has opened up about his role as a grandfather. He revealed what his grandchildren called him and if they knew that he is a legendary actor beloved by all.
Henry Winkler as a Grandfather
In July 2014, Henry was asked if his grandchildren knew he was an actor, and the star confessed that they were too young back then to know about his career, adding:
“They know me only as Papa!”
In October 2020, he appeared virtually on “Good Morning America,” where again he spoke about his grandchildren. The “Lights, Camera, Danger! (Alien Superstar #2)” co-author shared that he was a grandfather of five grandchildren then: Lulu, India, Ace, Jules, and August. He would later welcome his sixth grandchild, Francis Joan.
In the show, the Emmy Award-winning actor shared a story about being surprised when he saw Ace dressed up as his “Happy Days” character. The star admitted to his heart flying out of his body in that incredible moment.
During a feature alongside his daughter, Zoe Winkler, who has three sons, Henry also opened up about being a grandparent. On the “The Puberty Podcast,” the actor confessed that he would break some of his daughter’s parenting rules, but with her permission.
Henry cited a time when his grandson Ace asked to be taken to McDonald’s while under his and his wife Stacey’s care. At the time, the actor had never taken Ace to McDonald’s as Zoe was quite clear about what she wanted for her children, and he didn’t want to get in the way of that, so he sought her permission first.
Henry admitted that his grandson knew to ask him to take him to the fast food joint because he knew the celebrity was a “softy” and that he could get away with things his parents didn’t allow. Zoe hilariously revealed that her children gladly waved her and her husband off whenever their grandparents were watching over them.
Zoe also revealed that her parents would bring a cake for each grandchild whenever they came over to her place to babysit her kids. Henry clarified that it was Stacey’s idea to bring the baked goods. He also praised his daughter and her husband for being great listeners, making them good parents to their offspring.
Henry praised one of his grandchildren, Jules, whom he said could become an architect. The doting grandfather said the boy was also an excellent athlete and great at math. In fact, he wanted to play math games with his grandfather at Stacey’s birthday party!
While Henry seems like an incredible grandparent who is very much in tune with his grandchildren, his childhood was nothing like theirs.
What Was Henry’s Upbringing Like?
During a 2019 interview, Henry revealed how tough his childhood was growing up with strict parents, who had a nickname for him in German, which when translated meant “dumb dog.”
In 2011, the actor confessed, As a child, before I went to bed, I thought every night that I would be a different parent from my parents.” While he never hit his children, Henry revealed his parents used their hands and once a hairbrush, with him.
Stacey’s husband hoped he taught his children to listen, a skill he felt was missing in adult-child relationships.
He recalled having cereal for breakfast and putting his ear to the bowl to listen to it snap, crackle, and pop. This made his mother angry, so she chased him around the breakfast table. Henry also recalled hearing other children at his school mentioning going on trips and having fun with their parents, but he didn’t even know that was possible.
Unlike his grandchildren, the celebrity admitted, “I mourned that I never had grandparents.” They were sent to concentration camps and missed out on ever meeting their grandchildren. Henry also lamented not having good stories about his parents.
His son, Max, once asked him to share a memory of his mother, and all he could recall was how she laughed only twice, years apart. The first was when they tickled her into a closet, and the second was during a drive when she read an article about an invention she thought was funny.
In an effort to become a better parent than his own, Henry always tried to be available for others, sharing life lessons whenever he could. His children’s friends would come to him with their problems, and he’d listen and try to help, causing his offspring to question why he couldn’t just greet them and walk away.
Henry hoped he taught his children to listen, a skill he felt was missing in adult-child relationships. He believed children understood more than we gave them credit for, and they could feel the tension and pick up on what was happening.
The jolly actor encourages parents to take 30 seconds to listen to their children if they have something to say, even when rushing somewhere. Henry said doing that can make a difference, and it is okay if you’re a little late.