Stacey Weitzman is an American businesswoman, activist, and the wife of actor Henry Winkler. Winkler became a household name playing Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on Happy Days in the 1970s. Before she met him, Weitzman ran her own fashion public relations firm. Her client list included Van Cleef & Arpels and Jag.

She met Winkler in 1976 and the couple married in 1978. Together they raised three children and later co-founded the Children’s Action Network. Weitzman also survived breast cancer twice. This guide covers her early life, career, family, health history, and the facts people search for most.

Profile Summary

Common Myths And Misconceptions

Weitzman is not related to Stuart Weitzman, the shoe designer. Her last name comes from her first husband, entertainment lawyer Howard Weitzman, not from any shoe brand. Her maiden name was Furstman. Her net worth is also widely misreported. Some sites claim $1 million. Others confuse her finances with her husband’s, which sit around $40 million. Neither figure has ever been confirmed by Weitzman herself.

Early Life And Education

Stacey Weitzman was born on November 15, 1947, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles with one brother, Scott. Her mother, Belvy Cooper, taught art at Beverly Hills High School and later taught fifth grade at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica. Her mother met her father, Edward Furstman, on the steps of Royce Hall at UCLA while both were students there.

Edward Furstman grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, before moving to Southern California. He served four years in the U.S. Army, then trained as a dentist and later taught at the USC School of Dentistry.

Weitzman herself wanted to study fashion design as a young woman. Her father encouraged her toward economics and business instead, and she enrolled at the University of North Carolina. She also studied dance and ballet at a local dance school growing up. After finishing college, she moved briefly to New York City before returning west to build her career.

First Marriage To Howard Weitzman

Weitzman met entertainment lawyer Howard Weitzman in 1968. The couple married on October 19, 1969. Their son, Jed Weitzman, was born in 1971. The marriage ended in divorce in 1976. Howard Weitzman went on to work as a criminal defense attorney and later picked up several acting credits of his own. He remarried a woman named Margaret in 1981.

Meeting Henry Winkler In 1976

In 1976, Weitzman was running her public relations firm’s account for a Beverly Hills clothing shop owned by Henry Winkler’s uncle, Jerry Magnin. Winkler walked in looking for a sport coat. He later said he noticed her red hair and the purple parachute pants she was wearing before she said a single word.

Weitzman helped him find a coat that day. When he came back a week later to pick it up, he asked if she wanted to get a soda. She said yes, and the two shared ginger ales at a shop across the street. Winkler later told People magazine he had found “someone who is intellectual enough to have her own life, and open enough to be in love with me.” That soda date turned into a courtship.

Wedding And Marriage To Henry

Weitzman and Winkler married on May 5, 1978, at a Manhattan synagogue, the same one where Winkler had his bar mitzvah. Weitzman’s young son, Jed, moved with her into Winkler’s Hollywood Hills home, along with her two Yorkies, Amanda and Percy. The couple has now been married for more than four decades. Weitzman has said the relationship works because both of them let each other change over the years, built on mutual respect and steady support rather than staying exactly who they were when they met.

Professional Career And PR Firm

Before her marriage, Weitzman built a successful fashion public relations firm. Her clients included the jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels and the clothing brand Jag, along with Jerry Magnin’s store, where she and Winkler first met. Some sources list the firm’s name as Sacheen, though that detail is not consistently confirmed.

Her work generated real headlines in fashion and entertainment circles before she ever met Winkler. She also had a brief run in acting. She worked as a casting department intern on the 1995 film Safe, then took small roles in the 2001 series As Told by Ginger and the 2005 drama Touch. Once she became a fixture in Winkler’s world, her name started appearing regularly in entertainment magazines and tabloid articles tied to the Hollywood party scene, though she scaled back her PR work as her family grew.

Children And Grandchildren

Weitzman and Winkler raised three children, and the family later grew to include five grandchildren.

Jed Weitzman

Jed is Weitzman’s firstborn from her first marriage. He grew up managing dyslexia as a child and later graduated from Georgetown University. He built a career in entertainment management as a talent manager and has largely stayed out of the tabloids.

Zoe Winkler Reinis

Zoe was born in September 1980. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University and became a nursery school teacher rather than pursuing entertainment. She married Rob Reinis in a backyard wedding at the Winkler home, an event covered in a New York Times wedding announcement, with guests including Ron Howard and Jonah Hill. Zoe later founded This Is About Humanity, an organization focused on families separated at the border.

Max Winkler

Max Daniel Winkler was born on August 18, 1983. He followed his father into entertainment as a director, screenwriter, and producer. His credits include episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, Fresh Off the Boat, and American Horror Story, along with independent films that carry a darker tone than his father’s sitcom roots.

Breast Cancer Battle And Recovery

Weitzman was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She underwent a lumpectomy along with chemotherapy. The cancer later returned, and by 2007 she had a double mastectomy. She has been cancer-free since that surgery.

The diagnosis reportedly strained the marriage at first, since Winkler struggled to stay emotionally present during her treatment. The couple went through therapy together and rebuilt that part of their relationship. Weitzman now speaks publicly about the importance of self-examination and regular mammograms for women, using her own experience as the reason why.

Marlee Matlin And Their Home

In the mid-1980s, actress Marlee Matlin won an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God. At the time, Matlin, who is deaf, was also struggling with drug addiction. Weitzman and Winkler invited her to live in a guest wing of their home. Matlin stayed there for two years while she worked toward becoming sober. She has since described the Winklers as a second family.

Children’s Action Network Advocacy

In 1990, Weitzman and Winkler co-founded the Children’s Action Network alongside several other couples, including Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw. The group focused on foster care and adoption, working with Hollywood writers and producers to bring more accurate stories about foster kids to television and film.

One of the organization’s signature projects, the Heart Gallery, used a traveling photo exhibit to put faces to children waiting for adoptive families. Weitzman also spent time lobbying politicians and organizing briefings on behalf of children in the system. The network has helped connect more than 175,000 children with free immunizations as part of a broader national adoption campaign.

Secret To Their Lasting Marriage

During a red-carpet interview in September 2019, host Jenny McCarthy asked Weitzman and Winkler about the secret to their marriage. Weitzman called herself “the luckiest” and said staying married comes down to commitment rather than luck. She summed it up as “stubborn staying,” while Winkler pointed to communication and a willingness to say yes.

In an April 2019 interview with People magazine, Weitzman explained that growth is part of what keeps the relationship strong. She said the two of them are not the same people they were when they married, but the core values they share have stayed intact. The couple also gives each other space. Winkler goes fly fishing, sometimes alone in Idaho, while Weitzman spends time with friends. They come back together for grandkids, movies, and dinners.

Net Worth And Financial Facts

Weitzman’s own net worth has never been publicly disclosed. Estimates online range as low as $1 million, tied to her years running a fashion PR company and her brief acting work. Henry Winkler’s net worth is separately estimated at around $40 million, built from his decades-long acting career. The two figures are often mixed together online, but they represent different sources of wealth.

Life Today And Recent Updates

Weitzman still lives in Los Angeles, in the same house she and Winkler have shared for decades, filled with family photos and grandchildren visiting often. She remains involved with the Children’s Action Network and continues to appear with Winkler on red carpets. She has reportedly also appeared on a podcast called What in the Winkler alongside family members, though this detail is not widely confirmed. Her focus these days centers on family, advocacy, and the quieter recovery she has built since her cancer diagnosis.

Conclusion

Stacey Weitzman’s story runs far deeper than her marriage to a famous actor. She built her own career first, survived cancer twice, opened her home to a friend in crisis, and helped launch an organization that has supported hundreds of thousands of children. Her nearly five-decade marriage to Henry Winkler is only one part of a life built on steady, private work.

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FAQs

Who is Stacey Weitzman? 

Stacey Weitzman is an American businesswoman and activist best known as the wife of actor Henry Winkler, who starred in Happy Days.

How old is Stacey Weitzman? 

Stacey Weitzman was born on November 15, 1947, which makes her 78 years old as of 2026.

How did Stacey Weitzman meet Henry Winkler? 

She met Henry Winkler in 1976 at a Beverly Hills clothing shop while he was looking for a sport coat and she was wearing purple parachute pants.

Is Stacey Weitzman related to Stuart Weitzman? 

No, Stacey Weitzman is not related to shoe designer Stuart Weitzman. Her last name comes from her first husband, and her maiden name was Furstman.

What is Stacey Weitzman’s net worth? 

Stacey Weitzman’s exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, with some estimates around $1 million, separate from Henry Winkler’s roughly $40 million.

Did Stacey Weitzman have breast cancer? 

Yes, Stacey Weitzman was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, underwent a lumpectomy and chemotherapy, and later had a double mastectomy in 2007.

Who was Stacey Weitzman’s first husband? 

Her first husband was entertainment lawyer Howard Weitzman, whom she married in 1969 and divorced in 1976 after having a son, Jed.

How many kids does Stacey Weitzman have? 

Stacey Weitzman has three children: Jed Weitzman from her first marriage, and Zoe Emily Winkler and Max Winkler with Henry Winkler.