Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days .
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Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days .
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Fonzie was originally a secondary character, but was positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity.
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Fonzie is one of only two characters to appear in all 255 episodes.
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Fonzie was originally envisioned as a tall blonde male character.
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Fonzie is resentful, but at the end of the episode he opens his father's letter explaining why he left and reads it.
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Fonzie learns that the sailor was his father, who admits in the letter that he doubted he would have the courage to reveal the truth to his son.
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Fonzie's convinces him she is not, but in the end, she looks at a picture of Fonzie she had in her possession.
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Fonzie has mixed emotions upon hearing this, as this left so many questions about his past unanswered, but Fonzie bonded with Arte, who helped him cope.
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Fonzie's is rarely referred to after that but she is featured in at least one later episode.
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Fonzie was able to be the older brother figure that Chachi needed in his life.
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In having Chachi come to live and work with him, Fonzie grows too, becoming an overall better, more responsible and caring person.
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Fonzie seems to respect people brave enough to stand up to him, as evidenced in the episode where Richie recalls meeting Fonzie for the first time while he was a member of a gang called the Falcons.
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Fonzie resented Richie at first, threatening to beat him up; but when Richie refused to back down, Fonzie told him "you got guts".
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At the beginning of the series, Fonzie is a high school dropout, prompting establishment characters to view him as a rebel and bad influence.
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Fonzie is shown once attempting to go back to school with Richie, but he later decides it just isn't for him and drops out again.
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However, a few seasons later, Fonzie is secretly attending night school and ultimately earns his high school diploma.
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Fonzie later became an auto mechanic instructor at Jefferson High School and finally a full-fledged teacher.
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Fonzie was consistently portrayed as being very successful with women.
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In Season 10, Fonzie maintained a long-term relationship with a single mother, but they would break up by the following year.
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Fonzie's was the only person Fonzie allowed to address him by his first name, Arthur, which she always did affectionately.
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Fonzie is able to be the big brother figure Joanie needs after Richie leaves for California.
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Fonzie gives Joanie advice about everything from boys to schoolwork.
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Fonzie is naturally delighted when his cousin who is his best friend decides to marry a young woman he has grown to love as a little sister.
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Fonzie self-appointed the men's restroom at Arnold's as his "office", where he, Richie, and his friends would gather to work out developing problems.
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Fonzie has an almost magical ability to manipulate technology with just a nudge, bump or a snap of his fingers; he is shown starting a car, turning on lights, coaxing free sodas from a vending machine, making girls respond, or changing the song selection on a jukebox – occasionally pounding one with his fist and eliciting the response of a classic 1950s tune, such as the Elvis Presley song Hound Dog.
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Fonzie thinks he is never wrong and, consequently, has trouble admitting so.
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Such advocacy builds on the previous season's episode where Fonzie hired wheelchair-using Don King to work in his garage, promising to provide workplace accommodation for his employee.
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Normally flirtatious with women, Fonzie is instead disgusted that the waitress does not serve black customers.
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Mr Cunningham, who was on the same jury, went to bat for Fonzie, saying all jurors are permitted to present arguments and he took it very seriously about taking a man's freedom away, which he refused to do without proof of guilt.
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Fonzie was able to get the black biker acquitted, explaining that his English-made Triumph Grand Mark 2 had its accelerators on the left handlebar.
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Winkler feared being typecast as a greaser after playing Fonzie ; to avoid this, he turned down the role of Danny Zuko in Grease.
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Fonzie nonetheless had difficulty finding work in the 1980s after Happy Days ended because of his association with the Fonzie role; he would work mainly behind the camera in the 1980s and eventually begin getting other roles in the 1990s, prompting a career rejuvenation.
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