{"id":1214,"date":"2025-06-21T03:05:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T03:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1214\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T03:05:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T03:05:08","slug":"how-henry-winkler-became-marlee-matlins-real-life-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1214\/","title":{"rendered":"How Henry Winkler Became Marlee Matlin\u2019s Real-Life Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t you just love it when two worlds collide? That\u2019s exactly what happened when Henry Winkler <\/a>lent a helping hand to Marlee Matlin <\/a>during a critical time in her life. <\/p>\n

Not only did the \u201cHappy Days\u201d star offer support, but he literally saved the life of the 59-year-old actress, who has spoken openly about their enduring friendship.<\/p>\n

Matlin and Winkler\u2019s connection began early in her career when she was just 12-years-old. Winkler first saw her perform on stage at a variety show in Chicago. At the time, Matlin\u2019s mother urged Winkler to discourage her daughter from pursuing acting, <\/a>worried about the challenges a deaf actress would face. Winkler recalled telling her mother, \u201cYou got the wrong guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

From that moment, Winkler became a steadfast mentor and friend to Matlin, a bond that has lasted decades. \u201cHe was probably one of the most famous people in the world at times\u2014more famous than the President, in my opinion\u2014and one of the most beloved,\u201d Matlin shared. <\/a>\u201cWho would have thought he\u2019d take the time to give attention to a little deaf girl like me, especially when he didn\u2019t even know American Sign Language?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think anyone who has a mentor like that would understand how important he was to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winkler\u2019s Support During Matlin\u2019s Hardest Times<\/p>\n

Matlin\u2019s new documentary, \u201cMarlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,\u201d premieres on June 20th and explores several personal chapters of her life. This includes her troubled relationship with the late actor William Hurt.<\/a> Hurt, who passed away in 2022 at age 71, was described by Matlin as a \u201chabit of abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two met on the set of \u201cChildren of a Lesser God\u201d in 1986, when Matlin was just 19. Hurt was 35. Despite the difficulties, Hurt encouraged Matlin to seek help for substance abuse, leading her to check into the Betty Ford Center. There, she received treatment for marijuana and cocaine addiction. Yet Matlin made it clear that once she left the toxic relationship, she never returned. \u201cI walked out of that house and never went back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

During this challenging time, Matlin leaned heavily on Winkler. Speaking through an interpreter with Fox News Digital,<\/a> she described how Winkler and his wife, Stacey Weitzman, opened their home. \u201cHe didn\u2019t make it hard for me to reach out. He was always available. It was like an open door to his heart and to mine. And he knew that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Matlin praised Winkler\u2019s kindness and unwavering support. \u201cHe\u2019s done this for so many people. But to have that close relationship with him and his wife\u2026 I was very fortunate. I don\u2019t think if I had Henry in my life, I would be here today. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Home Away From Home<\/p>\n

Winkler recalled the moment Matlin asked for help in the documentary. \u201cShe said, \u2018I just broke up with my boyfriend. Can I stay with you just for the weekend?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Sure.\u2019 Then I asked Stacey, and she said, \u2018Of course.\u2019\u201d Matlin revealed that Winkler and his wife treated her like family, welcoming her with open arms.<\/p>\n

To everyone\u2019s surprise, including Winkler\u2019s, <\/a>Matlin stayed much longer than a weekend. \u201cTwo years later, she finally moved out!\u201d Winkler chuckled.<\/p>\n

He also shared the advice he gave her during that time, saying, \u201cIf you know what you want, without ambivalence, if you\u2019re clear about what you want, everything else will fall into place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their relationship continued to deepen through the year. So much so that in 1993, Matlin asked Winkler for one more favor, to host her wedding. She married her husband, Kevin Grandalsi, in Winkler\u2019s backyard.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just knew it was different, that this was where a home is made,\u201d Winkler said in the film. \u201cThere was no other place for her to get married except in our yard\u2014her home away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A Clear World\u2019<\/p>\n

Matlin reflected on the profound impact Winkler had on her life. \u201cHe provided a place where I felt safe. I could always depend on him, knowing he genuinely believed in me. He helped me build my self-confidence and trust, and he allowed me to be open and see the world more clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite not knowing much about deaf culture, Winkler never treated Matlin differently. \u201cHe didn\u2019t ignore the fact that I\u2019m deaf, but he treated me with love and respect, just like anyone should. I knew from the moment we met that he was the real deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore\u201d <\/a>premieres on June 20th, offering an intimate look at the actress\u2019s journey and the powerful friendship that helped her survive and thrive.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t you just love it when two worlds collide? That\u2019s exactly what happened when Henry Winkler lent a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[185,171,1694,431,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-1214","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-henry-winkler","11":"tag-marlee-matlin","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114719144748853533","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}