For Henry Winkler, receiving the Award of Excellence at the Banff World Media Festival represents an embarrassment of riches.
Winkler is best known as the Fonz on “Happy Days,” one of the coolest and smoothest smallscreen characters of all time. Now, younger generations know his work on “Arrested Development” and as a semi-series regular on “Parks and Recreation.”
“I dreamt of my career being just like this,” says Winkler. “I’m living ‘Be careful what you wish for.’”
But what the actor is most proud of are the 27 novels for children he has co-written with Lin Oliver titled “Hank Zipzer: The Mostly True Confessions of the World’s Best Underachiever.”
The Award of Excellence is an honor that Winkler does not take lightly. “I live by two words — tenacity and gratitude,” he says. “Tenacity gets you where you want to go and gratitude doesn’t allow you to be angry along the way, because sometimes this business can be maddening.”
Banff, notes Winkler, should also provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“I get to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth and hopefully, while I’m there, maybe I get to fly fish for trout.”
