Marlee Matlin & Henry Winkler

A Conversation with Henry Winkler & Marlee Matlin

Join acclaimed actor, author, producer, and director Henry Winkler and Academy Award-winning actress, activist, and advocate Marlee Matlin for an engaging conversation about perseverance, creativity, advocacy, and life in Hollywood.

For more than five decades, Winkler has built an extraordinary career across television, film, and publishing. Beloved worldwide for his iconic role as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the classic television series Happy Days, he later earned renewed acclaim for his Emmy Award-winning performance as Gene Cousineau in the HBO series Barry. Beyond acting, Winkler is a celebrated producer and director and a New York Times bestselling author. Inspired by his own experience with dyslexia, he co-created the immensely popular Hank Zipzer and Here’s Hank children’s book series with co-author Lin Oliver, helping young readers embrace learning differences and discover confidence.

Matlin made cinematic history with her film debut in Children of a Lesser God, earning the Academy Award for Best Actress at age 21 and becoming the youngest recipient of the honor at the time as well as the first Deaf performer to win an acting Oscar. Throughout her career, she has starred in acclaimed projects including Switched at Birth, The West Wing, CODA, and Quantico, while also becoming one of the entertainment industry’s most prominent advocates for accessibility, inclusion, hearing health awareness, children’s causes, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Together, Winkler and Matlin bring humor, honesty, and inspiring personal stories to a conversation exploring resilience, overcoming challenges, navigating success, and using their platforms to create meaningful change.