Happy Days star Henry Winkler won an Emmy – 42 years after he was first nominated.

The veteran actor, 72, scooped the outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series gong for his role as acting coach Gene Cousineau in HBO’s Barry.

Referencing his acceptance speech on stage, Winkler said: “I only have 30 seconds but I wrote this 40 years ago.”

Winkler told the audience he was once told that if you stay at the table long enough “the chips come to you”, adding: “Tonight I got to clear the table.”

It was the sixth time Winkler had been nominated for an Emmy, in a career spanning six decades.

He received three nods for his revered portrayal of Arthur “the Fonz” Fonzarelli on Happy Days in the 1970s, while a fourth came in 1979 for his narration of the documentary Who Are The Debolts? And How Did They Get 19 Kids?

Most recently, he was nominated in 2000 for a guest role on The Practice.

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, co-hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, were handed out live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.