From failure to Fonz. Winkler aims to inspire

By Belinda Goldsmith

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As a child with dyslexia, Henry Winkler was ridiculed, so as "the Fonz" in the 1970s television sitcom "Happy Days" he made himself into everything he wanted to be -- cool, funny and popular.

Winkler, 61, won international fame for playing the ultra-cool auto mechanic Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in the ABC sitcom that ran from 1974 to 1984 with his motorcycle, leather jacket and thumbs-up gesture becoming television icons.

But a new generation of children are relating to Winkler in a different way -- not as his alter-ego The Fonz but as Winkler, a child teased at school for being dumb.

After a lifetime of struggling with dyslexia, Winkler put pen to paper in 2003 with co-author Lin Oliver and recreated himself as Hank Zipzer, a smart fourth grader with learning difficulties but a great sense of humor and adventure.

"Hank Zipzer is my life. It is the building I was born in, it is the school I went to ... and it is the frustration at trying to figure out how to cope," said Winkler, who embarks on his first national tour next month to promote the 11th book in the Hank Zipzer series.

"I was called stupid and lazy and not living up to my potential. I was grounded for most of my school career and never saw the moon. The parents thought if I stayed at my desk I would learn geometry."

Winkler, whose dyslexia was not diagnosed until he was 31, said his difficult childhood was probably part of the reason for his success, as he had been determined to get over it.

After being cast at The Fonz, he helped mould the character himself and gradually became the focus of the show.