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Henry Winkler recently appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" where he shared some hilarious moments from his first date with his wife, Stacey Weitzman. The 79-year-old "Happy Days" alum fondly recalled the conversations that took place on that fateful night when he took his future bride to see a movie.
Arguing with a 4-Year-Old
Winkler recalled that their night out came amid the height of his fame on "Happy Days," where he played the iconic character Fonzie. When he picked up Stacey, her 4-year-old son, Jed, answered the door and called him "Fonz." Winkler said, "I'm arguing with a 4-year-old about typecasting." He added that he told Jed, "My name is Henry. Would you like it if I called you Ralph?"
Later that night, Winkler took Stacey to see a movie, and I said, 'It would be better if we sat toward the back of the theater.' And Stacey said, 'Why?' And I said, 'It's hard to describe. It would be better if we sat at the back of the theater.'" He explained that their night out came amid the height of his fame on "Happy Days," where he played the iconic character Fonzie. As they sat down in the middle of the theater, "all of a sudden, the entire theater stood up to come over and say hello. And Stacey turned to me and said, 'Oh.'"
A Bond Strengthens
That bond was strengthened when they found out that they shared something in common - dyslexia. Winkler recalled that Jed had to write a report in third grade and couldn't do it. He said to Jed, "Go back to your room. You're being lazy. Live up to your potential. You're so verbal." Then, he had Jed tested, and they read everything they said. He went, "Oh my God, Stacey, this is me. I have something with a name."
Winkler shared more about the diagnosis in his 2023 memoir, "Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond." He wrote, "I didn't find out I was severely dyslexic until I was 31. 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."
Years later, he and Stacey are still going strong. In 2019, the actor told PEOPLE to his long-lasting love story: "We enjoy fly fishing together. We enjoy grandchildren together. We enjoy going to the movies together. We truly enjoy each other every day."
Stacey also weighed in at the time, saying, "The most wonderful thing is to really be able to grow with someone.
Of course, their relationship isn't perfect. Stacey reflected, "It does take work. There are glitches in the road, and you get a little off kilter, but if you have the ability and the stick-to-itiveness based on love, then your friendship and your relationship only gets better."