Max Winkler is an American director, writer and producer and is also the son of legendary actor Henry Winker.
Background Info
He was born on August 18, 1983, in Los Angeles, California. His paternal grandparents were German Jewish immigrants who came to America to escape the Holocaust.
Max is one of the three children of Henry and Stacey Winkler, who married in 1978 after meeting in an L.A. clothing store in 1976.
Henry and Stacey have two children together, Max and his sister Zoe. Stacey has a child from her previous marriage to Howard Weitzman named Jed Weitzman, who is Henry’s stepson and Max’s stepbrother.
Henry Winkler is a famous actor, producer, director, and comedian known for his portrayal of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli for almost a decade on the CBS hit show Happy Days (1974). Later, Winkler would go on to star in movies like Click (2006), The Waterboy (1998), Night Shift (1982), and the hit television series Arrested Development (2003 – 2019).
Max graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2006. During his time at USC, he met David Gelb, who he later co-created the short The King of Central Park (2006), considered Winkler’s first professional work.
What does Max Winkler do?
Producer
Like his father, Max Winkler has found much success behind the scenes of films and television shows. While his father Henry produced iconic shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1995) and MacGyver (1985), Max has seen success producing shows like the 2021 hit series Cruel Summer, Clark and Micheal (2007), and Jungleland (2019) as well as films like Flower (2017). However, Max is not finished yet. He currently has four television movies completed and one television series in post-production that he will be producing in the near future.
Directing
In addition to being a producer, Max has been dazzling audiences with his directing ability. Most recently, he has been the director of several episodes in the pop culture icon show American Horror Story (2021 – 2022) and its spinoff series American Horror Stories (2021 – 2022). But his scary stories don’t end there. He was also the director of the hit Netflix series The Watcher in 2022.
Max Winkler isn’t only directing horror, though. His name also appears in the credits for directing episodes of comedy series like New Girl (2013 – 2014), Fresh Off the Boat (2015), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2014 – 2016).
None of his current credits could exist without the hard work Winkler put into his earlier projects. Perhaps the most notable early work was The King of Central Park, which Winkler co-wrote, co-produced, co-starred, and directed in 2006. The film was a project he took on with his friend from USC film school, David Gelb. Not only did the short film play at multiple international film festivals, but it also received critical acclaim, helping pave the way for Max to reach new heights in the film industry.
In 2010, Winkler directed his first feature film, Ceremony, which starred Micheal Angarano and Uma Thurman, which can be seen as a turning point in his career. The possibilities are endless for Max as he produces, writes, and directs more and more projects each year.
Personal Life
Max Winkler married Jessica Barden, a British actress best known for work as Alyssa in the television series The End of the F***king World (2017 – 2019), in March of 2021, and together they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Frankie, in October 2021.
He has a sister named Zoe Winkler, who married Rob Reinis on June 27, 2009. Rob Reinis is an actor and writer. He’s best known for NYPD Blue (2005), In The Land Of Women (2007), and Over There (2005). Together they have three children.
