Actors Henry Winkler and Marlee Matlin captivated the large crowd that filed into Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills Thursday, when the two spoke as a part of the "Cooperman Family Distinguished Speaker Series," an annual event at the temple that is open to the public.

But instead of offering tales of being famous celebrities, Winkler and Matlin shared anecdotes and stories that explained their personal struggles and how they formed an unlikely friendship.  

While both Winkler and Matlin have had a great deal of success in front of the camera, they both have had to overcome significant obstacles. Winkler, who is best known for his role as "The Fonz" on the 1970s hit sitcom Happy Days, suffers from dyslexia.

Matlin, who has appeared in a countless number of TV shows including Seinfeld, The West Wing and Dancing With The Stars, has been without her hearing since the age of 18 months.

"You spend one third of your time figuring out why you can't figure it out," said Winkler about dyslexia, which caused him to struggle in school before improving his conditioning and later graduating from Yale School of Drama.

Matlin, who spoke through an interpreter, echoed a similar story.

Despite the fact that Matlin was completely deaf, her parents refused to allow her to use it as a crutch.  She explained that her parents felt that there was "no such thing as deaf children."  As such, they encouraged her to live the most normal life possible, which is how she ended up meeting Winkler.

As a result of being on Happy Days,  Winkler received a great deal of fan mail and requests for him to make appearances.  One note he received came from the Chicago Center on Deafness, asking for him to to visit the school. Winkler obliged and he and his wife attended a dance performance put on by the school.

Matlin attended the school.

Once in the audience, Winkler and his wife were, as he put it, "drawn like magnets" to Matlin.  They couple met Matlin afterwards and quickly developed a strong bond with her.  In fact, they became such good friends that she even spent two years living in the Winkler residence in California while trying to pursue a job in Hollywood.

Throughout her career, Matlin has also looked to Winkler for guidance.

Like Winkler's parents, Matlin's mother and father were worried about her future in Hollywood. They feared she would struggle as a result of being deaf and discouraged her from pursuing such a career.

Winkler, though, disagreed and encouraged her to pursue her dreams because "you don't know what's inside of you until you try," he told her.

The advice paid off.  Early in her career, Matlin found herself winning an Oscar for her lead role in the movie Children of a Lesser God.

Outside of acting, Matlin and Winkler share advice on other matters, too.   Both have recently offered more encouragement to each other, as they've each recently stepped aside from the camera and have been working on literary projects.

Winkler has just finished the seventeenth book in a children's series entitled Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever.  His stories have a unique twist in that the main character, Hank, suffers from dyslexia.

Matlin recently finished an autobiography, I'll Scream Later, which discusses her struggles with not being able to hear, as well as the role Winkler played in helping her get her life on the right track.

During the course of the casual conversation, which lasted a little under an hour, it was evident how much the two stars value their friendship.  When speaking of Matlin, Winkler referred to her as his "second daughter."   Matlin even used Winkler's home as the venue for her wedding ceremony.  

There are likely many more endearing conversations for these two friends to share.  Last night, though, it seemed the engaged audience felt fortunate to hear at least some of them.