English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once said that “friendship is a sheltering tree.” This is more than true for award-winning actors and directors Henry Winkler and Marlee Matlin, who have been close friends for decades.
Winkler and Matlin are next up to speak in the 2025 Newsmakers: Lesher Speaker Series at the Lesher Center for the Arts on March 18 in Walnut Creek. They are following former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who spoke there on Feb. 24.
The Newsmakers: Lesher Speaker Series brings together influential and renowned figures to discuss global issues, politics, the arts, journalism, sports, and more. The events are also used to highlight local nonprofits and provide them with a platform to increase awareness and connect with the community.
As the Lesher Foundation marks its 20th year of hosting the speakers series, Winkler and Matlin were enthusiastically invited back to be featured together, series producer Michael White said. Previously, they participated in the Newsmakers series once each, with Matlin in the series’ eighth season, from 2011-2012, and Winkler in season 18 in 2023.
“Both are fiercely dedicated to speaking out on behalf of those who are differently-abled or challenged,” White said.
Winkler has dyslexia, which is a challenge for anyone, but provides a unique hindrance for an actor. Over time he developed ways to work around it, according to an article on the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity website.
“You learn to negotiate with your learning challenge. I improvised,” said Winkler in the article. “I never read anything the way that it was written in my entire life.”
Matlin also hasn’t allowed her differences to hold her back. She has been deaf since she was 18 months old, and she has used her disability and her audience to raise awareness for inclusivity. She has won many awards for her work, including the Best Actress Academy Award in 1987 for her work in the film “Children of Lesser God,” a role which also garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a drama.
Winkler has been a popular actor for years, with one of his best-known roles being the iconic “Fonzie” in the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days,” for which he won two Golden Globe awards. He has acted in, as well as directed and produced, numerous other movies and shows, most recently on the HBO series “Barry,” for which he won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Matlin credits Winkler with encouraging her to become an actress despite her disability. They first met when she was 12 years old and part of an after-school program at the International Center on Deafness and the Arts outside Chicago. She told him that she wanted to be an actor just like him.
“Henry turned around and knelt down and looked me straight in the eye,” Matlin is quoted on the Hands & Voices website, which advocates for people with deafness and their families. “In his coolest, most Fonzie-like voice he said, ‘Marlee, sweetheart, you can be whatever you want to be. Just follow it here – in your heart – and your dreams will come true. Don’t let anything stand in your way.’”
Matlin even lived with Winkler and his wife for some years. They both have commented on how important their friendship has been, with Matlin even calling Winkler her “fairy godfather” because of all the ways he has supported her.
Most importantly, they have an incredible story of friendship since they consider themselves lifelong friends – some might even say family.
“It’s a moving story and we’re eager for our audience to hear all about it,” White said.
The two were supposed to be the leadoff speakers for the 2025 series in January, but the Los Angeles fires that tore through Pacific Palisades and other parts of the county forced both actors to evacuate their homes.
Because Matlin is hearing impaired, she will have her own podium and sign her own commentary, but she will have her interpreter and friend, Jack Jason, next to her to verbally assist her. For those in the audience who are deaf, there will be two signers who will sign all comments from the speakers.
This year, Matlin has come out with a new documentary called “Not Alone Anymore,” which takes the audience on a journey of her life and career. Similarly, Winkler has been cast in the upcoming film “Rolling Loud.”
The evening is anticipated to be inspirational.
“My feeling is that these two remarkable individuals will share a united story that will inspire our audience and clearly convey that a person’s disabilities don’t dissolve dreams, hinder acceptance, or limit anyone from achieving a lifetime of success,” White said.
Caroline Donahoe is an 11th grader at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. This story was made by possible by support from the Lesher Foundation, its Newsmakers speaker series, and the Bay City News Foundation. Stories are produced independently by the CCYJ news team.
