Henry Fonda
Known for
One of the greatest actors and icons of classic Hollywood. He embodied like few others American moral conscience and decency in absolute classics such as John Ford's 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1940) and '12 Angry Men' (1957), where he played the juror who saves a defendant. He won the Oscar for 'On Golden Pond' (1981). He surprised audiences as a villain in Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968). American actor of legendary naturalness and integrity, an absolute benchmark of classic cinema, recognized for his authenticity and his depth, until his death in 1982.
Henry Fonda
87 Movies
11 Series
One of the greatest actors and icons of classic Hollywood. He embodied like few others American moral conscience and decency in absolute classics such as John Ford's 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1940) and '12 Angry Men' (1957), where he played the juror who saves a defendant. He won the Oscar for 'On Golden Pond' (1981). He surprised audiences as a villain in Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968). American actor of legendary naturalness and integrity, an absolute benchmark of classic cinema, recognized for his authenticity and his depth, until his death in 1982.
Movies
Producer
Plays Juror 8
12 Angry Men
1957
Plays Frank
Once Upon a Time in the West
1968
Plays Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The Longest Day
1962
Plays Frank Broderick
Sex and the Single Girl
1964
Plays Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
Midway
1976
Plays Pierre Bezukhov
War and Peace
1956
Plays Jethro Stuart
How the West Was Won
1962
Plays Manny Balestrero
The Wrong Man
1956
Plays Jack Beauregard
My Name Is Nobody
1973
Plays Norman Thayer Jr.
On Golden Pond
1981
Plays The President
Fail Safe
1964
Plays Tom Joad
The Grapes of Wrath
1940
Plays Lt. Col. Owen Thursday
Fort Apache
1948
Plays Lt Col Kiley
Battle of the Bulge
1965
Plays Clay Blaisedell
Warlock
1959
Plays Wyatt Earp
My Darling Clementine
1946
Plays CINCPAC II
In Harm's Way
1965
Plays Morgan Hickman
The Tin Star
1957
Plays Dr. Krim
The Swarm
1978
Plays Preston Dillard
Jezebel
1938
Plays Marion 'Howdy' Lewis
The Rounders
1965
Plays Robert Leffingwell
Advise & Consent
1962
Plays Frank James
Jesse James
1939
Plays John S. Bottomly
The Boston Strangler
1968
Plays The President
Meteor
1979
Plays Charles Pike
The Lady Eve
1941
Plays Frank Beardsley
Yours, Mine and Ours
1968
Plays Alan Davies
The Serpent
1973
Plays Gil Carter
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
Plays Commissioner Anthony X. Russell
Madigan
1968
Plays Woodward W. Lopeman
There Was a Crooked Man...
1970
Plays Lieutenant Roberts
Mister Roberts
1955
Plays Abraham Lincoln
Young Mr. Lincoln
1939
Plays President of the Academy
Fedora
1978
Plays Meredith
A Big Hand for the Little Lady
1966
Plays Peter Lapham
Daisy Kenyon
1947
Plays Capt. John G Nolan
Too Late the Hero
1970
Plays Eddie Taylor
You Only Live Once
1937
Plays A Fugitive
The Fugitive
1947
Plays William Russell
The Best Man
1964
Plays Clay Spencer
Spencer's Mountain
1963
Plays Frank James
The Return of Frank James
1940
Plays Lank Solsky
On Our Merry Way
1948
Plays Simon Davenport
Rollercoaster
1977
Plays George
Tales of Manhattan
1942
Plays Old Prospector
Wanda Nevada
1979
Plays Harley Sullivan
The Cheyenne Social Club
1970
Plays Joe Adams
The Long Night
1947
Plays Fire Chief Risley
City on Fire
1979
Plays Henry Stamper
Sometimes a Great Notion
1971
TV Shows
Producer
Plays Marshal Simon Fry
The Deputy
1959
Plays Chad Smith
The Smith Family
1971
Plays Self - Host
The Star and the Story
1955
Plays Sen. Enfield Bassett
Captains and the Kings
1976
Plays Self - Mystery Guest
What's My Line?
1950
Plays Colonel Frederick Warner
Roots: The Next Generations
1979
Plays Joshua Richards
The Bill Cosby Show
1969
Plays Emmett Kelly
General Electric Theater
1953
Plays Clarence Earl Gideon
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
Plays James Lawrence
Family
1976
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Summer Solstice
Full Filmography
On Golden Pond
Norman Thayer Jr.
1981
Film
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Clarence Earl Gideon · 1 episode
1979–1980
TV
Family
James Lawrence · 1 episode
1979
TV
Roots: The Next Generations
Colonel Frederick Warner · 3 episodes
1979
TV
Meteor
The President
1979
Film
City on Fire
Fire Chief Risley
1979
Film
Wanda Nevada
Old Prospector
1979
Film
Fedora
President of the Academy
1978
Film
The Swarm
Dr. Krim
1978
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Henry Fonda still alive?
Henry Fonda passed away on August 12, 1982 at age 77.
What are the most famous roles of Henry Fonda?
Henry Fonda is best known for roles in 12 Angry Men, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Grapes of Wrath.
How many movies has Henry Fonda been in?
Over a 47-year career (since 1935), Henry Fonda has appeared in 86 movies and 9 TV shows.
What was Henry Fonda's first movie?
The career of Henry Fonda began with The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935).
What is Henry Fonda's most recent movie or series?
Henry Fonda's most recent release is Let Poland Be Poland, which premiered on January 31, 1982.
What TV shows has Henry Fonda appeared in?
On television, Henry Fonda has appeared in All in the Family, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Roots: The Next Generations, What's My Line?.
Henry Fonda
1905-05-16 · Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor who had a career that spanned five decades in Hollywood. Fonda cultivated a strong, appealing screen image in several films now considered to be classics, earning one Academy Award for Best Actor on two nominations.
Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor and made his Hollywood film debut in 1935. His film career began to gain momentum with roles such as Bette Davis's fiancee in her Academy Award-winning performance in Jezebel (1938), brother Frank in Jesse James (1939), and the future President in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), directed by John Ford. His early career peaked with his Academy Award-nominated performance as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, about an Oklahoma family who moved to California during the Dust Bowl 1930s. This film is widely considered to be among the greatest American films.
In 1941 he starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in the screwball comedy classic The Lady Eve. Book-ending his service in WWII were his starring roles in two highly regarded westerns: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and My Darling Clementine (1946), the latter directed by John Ford, and he also starred in Ford's western Fort Apache (1948). After a seven-year break from films, during which Fonda focused on stage productions, he returned with the WWII war-boat ensemble Mister Roberts (1955). In 1957 he starred as Juror No.8, the hold-out juror, in 12 Angry Men. Fonda, who was also co-producer, won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Actor.
Later in his career, Fonda moved into darker roles, such as the villain in the epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), underrated and a box office disappointment at its time of release, but now regarded as one of the best westerns of all time. He also played in lighter-hearted fare such as Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball, but also often played important military figures, such as a Colonel in Battle of the Bulge (1965), and Admiral Nimitz in Midway (1976). He finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 54th Academy Awards for his final film role in On Golden Pond (1981), which also starred Katharine Hepburn and his daughter Jane Fonda, but was too ill to attend the ceremony. He died from heart disease a few months later.