NEED TO KNOW
Henry Winkler has had to do some risky stunts throughout his time as an actor
The Happy Days alum tells PEOPLE about a time on that set and others where he had scary moments and why he isn’t as thrill-seeking as some of his characters
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler premieres Sunday, June 15 at 10/9c on the History Channel
Henry Winkler is no stranger to danger.
Speaking with PEOPLE about his new History Channel series, Hazardous History with Henry Winkler, the actor opens up about times he’s encountered dangerous situations in the name of acting.
Winkler says the most dangerous thing he’s had to do for a role is “ride a motorcycle,” as he often would as Arthur ‘The Fonz’ Fonzarelli.
“I am so dyslexic. I couldn’t figure out what was the gas, what was the gear, what was the brake. And I nearly killed the head of cinematography on Happy Days,” he tells PEOPLE.
Universal Pictures
Sally Field, Henry Winkler and Harrison Ford in “Heroes”
That wasn’t Winkler’s only brush with danger on a set. He also had a scary experience during the filming of the 1977 film Heroes, which he starred in with Sally Field and Harrison Ford.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“In the movie Heroes, I raced a car around a track. I was surrounded by these wonderful stuntmen. I stepped on the brake too hard and spun out, and they all had to miss me,” he recalls.
“It wasn’t in the script. I did it by mistake, and they all screeched to a halt and ran over and said, ‘Do you understand that you could have just been killed?’ “
©️2025, A&E Television Networks, LLC photo: Jabari Jacobs
Henry Winkler for “Hazardous History”
Though it was an accident, it was “so scary” to hear their feedback, “because I didn’t realize what the ramifications of that spin-out could have been.”
When it comes to his own life, “I am not a thrill seeker,” he admits. That said, he admits he has an appreciation for life’s riskier things, which led him to the new History Channel series.
©️2025, A&E Television Networks, LLC photo: Jabari Jacobs
Henry Winkler for “Hazardous History”
“It’s just mind-blowing all the different subjects in every area,” Winkler shares. “You could mail your child through the post office to his grandparents. One thing that so many people of the generation have mentioned to me as I talk to them are jarts [lawn darts]. Those land darts, the garden darts that you would throw high in the air, and they would land in your best friend’s foot
Each 60-minute episode of Hazardous History tells the stories of the things we did for fun, for money or out of plain boredom that you can’t do anymore. Pastimes, practices and products that were once allowed, even encouraged, which you will never see again in modern America. The show shares some of the most exciting, reckless and unsupervised tales of Americana in our history.
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler premieres Sunday, June 15 at 10/9c on the History Channel.
Read the original article on People
