Henry Winkler might be the guy who could start a jukebox with a fist bump, but at home, the cool factor belongs entirely to his wife. For over 45 years, Stacey Weitzman has stood beside—not behind—one of television’s biggest icons. She hasn’t just survived the Hollywood meat grinder; she has thrived in it, carving out a life defined by resilience, sharp wit, and a refusal to let fame dictate her reality.
Most people know her as the woman on the red carpet holding Henry’s hand. But that barely scratches the surface. Stacey Weitzman is a breast cancer survivor who stared down mortality while her husband froze in fear. She is a former PR dynamo who gave up the hustle to raise a blended family. She is the fierce advocate who turned her own privileges into a lifeline for foster children across America.
This isn’t just a bio. It’s the story of how a girl in purple parachute pants walked into a clothing store and accidentally fell in love with the most famous man in America.
Also Read: Marcy Wudarski and Christopher Jarecki
Key Takeaways
- The Meet-Cute: Stacey Weitzman met Henry in 1976 at a Beverly Hills shop; she was wearing purple parachute pants, and he was looking for a sport coat.
- Survivor Story: She beat breast cancer twice, a terrifying ordeal that forced her and Henry to completely rebuild the emotional foundation of their marriage.
- Instant Mom: Stacey had a son, Jed, from a previous marriage; Henry stepped into the stepfather role immediately, despite Jed’s initial skepticism.
- Advocacy in Action: She co-founded the Children’s Action Network, using her connections to get foster kids adopted and noticed by the media.
- The Open Door: Stacey and Henry famously let a struggling Marlee Matlin live with them for two years, helping the actress get sober and stable.
How Did a Pair of Purple Pants Change History?
The year was 1976. Happy Days was the number one show in the world. Henry Winkler couldn’t walk down the street without getting mobbed. He needed a sport coat, so he ducked into Jerry Magnin, a high-end clothing store in Beverly Hills.
Stacey Weitzman (then Stacey Furstman) was there working. She wasn’t a starry-eyed fan hoping for an autograph. She was a public relations pro handling the store’s account. And she was making a statement. Stacey was wearing purple parachute pants.
Henry walked in, saw the pants, saw the girl, and that was it. He later told People magazine that he thought, “Woah, beautiful woman standing in front of me.” But he didn’t make a move right away. He asked for help with the coat. She helped him. Professional. Cool. Detached.
He came back a week later. He didn’t need clothes. He needed to see if she was still there. He asked her if she wanted to get a soda. Stacey actually hesitated. She told him she was busy. But Henry, channeling a bit of that Fonz charm but mostly just his own genuine kindness, persisted. They walked across the street for ginger ales. No fancy dinner. No paparazzi. Just two people and some soda. That ten-minute date changed the trajectory of both their lives.
Why Was Their First “Real” Date a Total Disaster?
Dating the Fonz in the 70s wasn’t romantic; it was a logistical nightmare. Henry wanted to take Stacey to the movies for their first proper outing. He knew what would happen if people saw him. He suggested they sit in the back row, in the dark, before the trailers started.
Stacey Weitzman didn’t get it. She lived in Los Angeles, sure, but the level of hysteria surrounding Henry was foreign to her. She told him she liked the middle. She insisted on the middle. Henry, not wanting to be difficult, agreed.
They sat down. The lights were still up.
It took about three seconds. One person pointed. Then a whisper. Then a shout. Suddenly, the entire theater—hundreds of people—stood up and rushed them. It was a stampede. Stacey sat there, frozen, watching a wall of humanity descend on her date. She turned to Henry and said, simply, “Oh.”
It was her wake-up call. She wasn’t just dating a guy named Henry. She was dating a phenomenon. Most women would have bolted. Stacey stayed.
How Did She Handle the “Stepfather” Situation?
Stacey Weitzman wasn’t coming into this relationship solo. She had a four-year-old son, Jed, from her marriage to entertainment lawyer Howard Weitzman. This is where the story gets real. It takes a special kind of man to date a single mom, and it takes a tough woman to let a celebrity into her child’s life.
When Henry came to pick her up for one of their early dates, he knocked on the door. Little Jed opened it.
Jed looked up. He didn’t see Henry. He saw the guy from the lunchbox. He saw the guy on his t-shirt. “Fonz,” the kid said.
Henry dropped to one knee. He looked the boy in the eye. He didn’t do the “Ayyyy!” thing. He didn’t snap his fingers. He said, “My name is Henry. Would you like it if I called you Ralph?”
Jed wasn’t having it. “But you’re the Fonz.”
They stood in the doorway arguing about typecasting. It was messy and human and hilarious. But it showed Stacey something vital: Henry wasn’t there to play a character. He was there to be a person. He loved Jed immediately. He didn’t try to replace his father; he just expanded the circle of love. That was the moment, Stacey says, that sealed the deal.
What Happened When Cancer Struck?
Fast forward to 2001. The couple had been married for over 20 years. They had raised three kids. Henry was enjoying a new wave of success. Then, a routine checkup shattered their world. Stacey found a lump.
It was breast cancer.
This is the part of the story most glossymagazines skip. They like to say the couple “fought it together.” The truth is messier. Stacey Weitzman went into survival mode. She had surgery. She started aggressive chemotherapy. She lost her hair. She felt sick, tired, and scared.
Henry? He panicked. He has been open about this in recent years. He didn’t know how to handle the possibility of a world without Stacey. He went to her chemo appointments, sat in the chair next to her, and… fell asleep.
It wasn’t malice. It was a trauma response. He shut down. Stacey Weitzman was fighting for her life, and her partner had mentally checked out because he was too terrified to be present.
It caused a rift. They had to go to therapy. Stacey had to tell him, point-blank, “I need you to be here, not just in the room, but here.” It took work. They had to strip their marriage down to the studs and rebuild it. Stacey’s strength forced Henry to grow up. She beat the cancer, but more importantly, she saved their marriage by demanding he show up. Today, they are stronger for it, but they don’t pretend it was easy.
Who Are the Children They Raised?
Stacey Weitzman is the matriarch of a clan that is as creative as it is close-knit.
Jed Weitzman
Her firstborn, Jed, grew up with two fathers in the industry. He navigated the complexities of Hollywood and carved out his own space. He works in entertainment management. He stays out of the tabloids, focused on the business side of the town that raised him.
Zoe Winkler Reinis
Born in 1980, Zoe is the soul of the family. She didn’t go into acting. She became a nursery school teacher. But like her mother, she has a fire for justice. Zoe saw the crisis at the border—families being separated, children in cages—and she didn’t just tweet about it. She started “This Is About Humanity,” an organization that raises awareness and funds for separated families. Stacey Weitzman’s influence is all over Zoe’s work.
Max Winkler
Born in 1983, Max couldn’t escape the storytelling gene. He became a director and screenwriter. But he didn’t ride his dad’s coattails. He started making indie films, grinding it out. He has directed episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and American Horror Story. He has his own style, darker and edgier than Happy Days, but he credits his parents for supporting his weird, creative impulses.
Did They Really adopt Marlee Matlin?
Okay, they didn’t legally adopt her, but they might as well have. In the mid-80s, Marlee Matlin won an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God. She was young, deaf, and suddenly famous. She was also struggling deeply with drug addiction and a volatile relationship.
She had nowhere to go. Stacey Weitzman didn’t hesitate. She told Henry, “She’s staying with us.”
Marlee moved into their guest wing. She lived there for two years. Stacey became her rock. When Marlee was having a bad day, Stacey was there. When she needed to get clean, the Winklers provided the safe house she needed to do it.
Marlee Matlin credits Stacey and Henry with saving her life. She even got married in the Winklers’ backyard. This wasn’t a PR stunt. There were no cameras. It was just Stacey Weitzman doing what she does best: taking care of people who need it.
What is the Children’s Action Network?
Stacey Weitzman realized early on that being “Mrs. Henry Winkler” gave her access to rooms most people couldn’t enter. She decided to use that access.
In 1990, she and Henry co-founded the Children’s Action Network (CAN). The goal was specific: get children in foster care adopted.
Stacey didn’t want to just throw charity galas. She wanted to change the narrative. CAN started working with Hollywood writers and producers. They said, “Hey, if you’re writing a story about a kid, why not make them a foster kid? Why not show the reality of the system?”
They created the “Heart Gallery,” a traveling photo exhibit of children in need of homes. They put faces to the statistics. Stacey Weitzman has spent decades sitting in boring meetings, lobbying politicians, and organizing briefings, all to help kids she will never meet. It is her life’s work.
How Do They Stay Married in Hollywood?
45 years. In Hollywood years, that’s roughly three centuries. How do they do it?
Stacey Weitzman has a theory: “We’re not the same people we were when we met.”
She explains that most couples break up because they try to force their partner to stay the same person they fell in love with at 25. Stacey let Henry evolve. Henry let Stacey evolve. She went from PR girl to mom to cancer survivor to advocate. He went from The Fonz to a struggling actor to a character actor to an Emmy winner for Barry.
They also give each other space. Henry loves fly fishing. He stands in rivers in Idaho holding a trout. Stacey? She hates it. She doesn’t go. She stays home, sees her friends, does her own thing. They don’t do everything together.
But they do the important stuff together. They spoil their grandkids. They have a rule: grandparents are for saying “yes.” Stacey admits they dope the kids up on sugar and send them back to Zoe and Max. It’s revenge for the teenage years.
What Did She Do Before Henry?
It is important to remember that Stacey Weitzman had a life before Henry walked into that store. She was an educated, career-driven woman in the 1970s. She graduated from USC (University of Southern California).
She didn’t just work in a clothing store; she ran the PR for it. She had her own firm. Her clients included Jag Jeans and Van Cleef & Arpels. She was navigating the high-stakes world of fashion and luxury goods on her own terms.
When she married Henry, the demands of his fame and their growing family meant she stepped back from the daily grind of PR. But that skillset never left her. You can see it in how she manages the family’s image, how she runs her charity work, and how she handles the press. She remains a PR pro; she just works exclusively for Team Winkler now.
Is She Related to the Shoe Guy?
Let’s clear this up once and for all because Google confuses everyone.
Stacey Weitzman is not related to Stuart Weitzman, the famous shoe designer.
Her maiden name is Furstman. She became a Weitzman when she married her first husband, Howard Weitzman. She kept the name. Stuart Weitzman is a totally different guy from a totally different family. Stacey has great style, and she probably owns a pair of his boots, but there is no blood relation.
What is Her Life Like Right Now?
If you catch Stacey Weitzman today, she looks relaxed. The frantic energy of the Happy Days era is gone. The terrifying days of chemotherapy are in the rearview mirror.
She spends her time in Los Angeles, in the same house they have lived in for decades. It’s full of dogs, noise, and grandchildren. She is still active with the Children’s Action Network. She still walks the red carpet with Henry, looking just as stylish as she did in those purple parachute pants.
But mostly, she is the keeper of the memories. She is the one who remembers the “Ralph” argument with Jed. She is the one who remembers the silence in the movie theater. She is the one who remembers the fear of the cancer diagnosis and the joy of the recovery. Henry Winkler is the face of the operation, but Stacey Weitzman is the heart, the spine, and the guts of the family.
For more on their advocacy work, visit the Children’s Action Network
FAQs – Stacey Weitzman
How did Stacey Weitzman and Henry Winkler meet?
Stacey Weitzman met Henry Winkler in 1976 at a Beverly Hills shop where she was working and wearing purple parachute pants; Henry was looking for a sport coat.
What was the significance of Stacey’s purple parachute pants?
The purple parachute pants Stacey was wearing caught Henry Winkler’s eye, leading to their initial encounter and eventually changing their lives.
How did Henry Winkler handle dating Stacey Weitzman, especially during their first date?
Their first proper date was a disaster because the theater was overwhelmed by fans recognizing Henry, causing a stampede, but Stacey stayed despite the chaos.
How did Stacey Weitzman support Henry Winkler during her battle with breast cancer?
Stacey fought breast cancer twice with surgery and chemotherapy, while Henry initially panicked and struggled to be present, but they worked through it and rebuilt their marriage.
What is the Children’s Action Network and what role did Stacey Weitzman play in it?
The Children’s Action Network, co-founded by Stacey and Henry in 1990, aims to promote the adoption of foster children; Stacey used her access and skills to advocate for these children.
