Henry Winkler reveals awkward moment McCartney shunned him

He became a household name playing Fonzie in Happy Days, and now Henry Winkler has made a triumphant return to the screen to share some of his favourite memories with fans.

The 72-year-old star appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where he opened up about meeting The Beatles – and even admitted he was ignored by Paul McCartney after thinking they’d hit it off and were destined for friendship. 

The grandfather-of-five looked incredibly energetic as he sat down with the host on the US chat show, and laughed and joked about the awkward moment decades later.

“I met Paul on Lexington Avenue… We’re walking down the street, my wife Stacey and I, and we stop and he goes ‘The Fonz’,” Henry recalled.

After happily chatting in the street for a while, Henry even walked away with the musician’s phone number – apparently having formed a strong bond in a few short minutes. But it wasn’t to be.

He explained: “He [Paul] said ‘we should get together’,” and asked by Jimmy if they did, Henry replied: “He never answered!”

The Fonz also recalled his time on Happy Days and revealed the cast was visited by the late John Lennon during their first season.

“He was so, so shy. I didn’t know how to get into a conversation with John Lennon. I just started talking about Imagine, the solo album he made. There’s a cut on it called ‘Mother’, like a primal scream, I started talking to him about it and he opened like a flower. It was amazing,” he said.

Read more: Erin Moran, Joanie from ‘Happy Days’, has passed away aged 56

While Lennon was sadly killed in 1980, McCartney has continued to perform solo right across the globe. Meanwhile, Henry himself is still acting and recently appeared in new comedy Barry. He has also turned to producing, and from 2016, he has starred in and produced the NBC series Better Late Than Never.

Were you a fan of Henry on ‘Happy Days’? Do you think Paul should get in touch?