Henry Winkler gave a 43-year-old speech at the Emmy Awards.
Henry Winkler
The 72-year-old actor picked up his first-ever prize at the ceremony on Monday (17.09.18), taking home Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in 'Barry', and he joked he was giving the same thanks he would have done when he received his first of seven nominations many years ago.
He quipped: "I wrote this 43 years ago."
"[My lawyer] Skip Brittenham said to me a long time ago, 'If you sit at the table long enough, the chips will come your way'. Tonight, I got to clear the table."
After thanking 'Barry' creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader and the show's cast and crew, the former 'Happy Days' star turned his attention to his family.
Calling back to his old speech, he quipped to his adult children: "Jed, Zoe, and Max, you can go to bed now!"
After collecting his award, Henry - who plays acting teacher Gene Cousineau in 'Barry' - spoke to reporters backstage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and described himself as a "great tree".
Giving advice for a long career as an actor, he said: "Be yourself, be honest about your ability, prepare so that you are not a flash in the pan.
"When I first started here in Hollywood ... I thought of myself as a tree or sapling. I planted. I wanted to grow and be strong until I couldn't do this anymore. And what a great tree it is."
He also praised "everybody who works between the roof and the lobby on both coasts" at network HBO.
He added: "They took such good care of our show."
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