--- name: "Henry Fonda" canonical: "https://film.one/person/henry-fonda" fi1m_id: "henry-fonda" imdb_id: "nm0000020" tmdb_id: 4958 wikidata_id: "Q19155" roles: ["Actor"] born: "16 May 1905" died: "12 August 1982" reviewed_on_fi1m: 13 average_fi1m_score: 81 average_as: "actor" average_over: 12 updated: "2026-09-25T07:44:49.883770+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Henry Fonda ## Identity Henry Fonda - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/henry-fonda - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** henry-fonda - **IMDb ID:** nm0000020 - **TMDB ID:** 4958 - **Wikidata ID:** Q19155 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fonda, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19155, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000020/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4958 Actor. Born 16 May 1905 in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA. Died 12 August 1982. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 16 May 1905, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA - **Died:** 12 August 1982 - **Active:** 1938–1981 - **Also known as:** Hank Fonda, Henry Jaynes Fonda, One-Take Fonda, هنری فوندا - **Titles on Fi1m:** 13: 12 acting, 1 other - **Frequently works with:** [John Ford](https://film.one/person/john-ford.md), [Darryl F. Zanuck](https://film.one/person/darryl-f-zanuck.md), [Lee J. Cobb](https://film.one/person/lee-j-cobb.md) - **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated) - **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 12 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 78 (1), 1940s 87 (4), 1950s 83 (3), 1960s 74 (3), 1970s 82 (1), 1980s 72 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 77 across 11 titles - **Score spread:** 7 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 9 of 12 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 8, Western 4, Romance 3, Comedy 2, War 2, Action 1 - **Screen time:** 24 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $207m across 9 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fonda, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19155, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000020/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4958 ## Streaming the US now - **Disney+:** [*12 Angry Men*](https://film.one/film/12-angry-men.md) (91) - **HBO Max:** [*The Wrong Man*](https://film.one/film/the-wrong-man.md) (83) - **Peacock:** [*On Golden Pond*](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md) (72) - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Longest Day*](https://film.one/film/the-longest-day.md) (68) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Henry Fonda > Henry Fonda is worth watching for how much he can make a quiet question matter. *12 Angry Men* tests the patience beneath his reasonable manner; *Once Upon a Time in the West* makes his composure frightening. Eleven men have voted guilty, and Henry Fonda asks for more discussion. In Sidney Lumet's *12 Angry Men* (1957), his Juror 8 gives each question enough weight to interrupt that easy agreement. We were unsettled by how readily the others were prepared to finish; Fonda's insistence on talking makes their certainty look careless. He holds our attention by making patience look like work. That quiet authority had been central to his work with John Ford, as Tom Joad in *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940) and Wyatt Earp in *My Darling Clementine* (1946). Those parts helped establish him as the decent man others ought to hear. His underplaying made the decency seem natural, though repeated casting as the honest hero could make his presence too reassuring. In *12 Angry Men*, we sometimes know whose judgement to trust a little too soon. Reginald Rose's screenplay sometimes supplies Fonda with opponents whose mistakes are arranged too helpfully for him to correct. Yet Lumet surrounds him with actors who make resistance convincing. Lee J. Cobb gives the argument a force that makes Fonda's patience look hard-earned, and E.G. Marshall's certainty is formidable. Their pressure keeps the performance from becoming merely a demonstration of good sense. Sergio Leone puts that familiar composure to a different use in *Once Upon a Time in the West* (1968), casting Fonda as the villainous gunman Frank. The performance is frightening because Frank seems settled in what he does; Fonda has no need to strain after menace. Leone gives faces and pauses time to matter, and Fonda makes that time uncomfortable. Knowing his earlier decent men sharpens the effect, but the calm would be disturbing without that knowledge. Watch *12 Angry Men* first, then try trusting that composure when he works for Leone. ## Biography Henry Fonda was an American actor whose career spanned five decades in film and on stage. He was born on 16 May 1905 in Grand Island, Nebraska, and died on 12 August 1982 in Los Angeles, California. Fonda made his Hollywood debut in 1935. He is known for roles including Tom Joad in *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Wyatt Earp in *My Darling Clementine* (1946), Juror 8 in *12 Angry Men* (1957), and Norman Thayer Jr. in *On Golden Pond* (1981). He also served as producer on *12 Angry Men*. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.* ## On Fi1m (13) ### Performed in (12) — the average rests on these - *On Golden Pond* (1981), Fi1m 72, as Norman Thayer Jr. — [page](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md) - *Once Upon a Time in the West* (1968), Fi1m 91, as Frank — [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west.md) - *How the West Was Won* (1962), Fi1m 62, as Jethro Stuart — [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md) - *The Longest Day* (1962), Fi1m 68, as Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. — [page](https://film.one/film/the-longest-day.md) - *12 Angry Men* (1957), Fi1m 91, as Juror 8 — [page](https://film.one/film/12-angry-men.md) - *The Wrong Man* (1956), Fi1m 83, as Manny Balestrero — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wrong-man.md) - *Mister Roberts* (1955), Fi1m 76, as Lieutenant Roberts — [page](https://film.one/film/mister-roberts.md) - *My Darling Clementine* (1946), Fi1m 88, as Wyatt Earp — [page](https://film.one/film/my-darling-clementine.md) - *The Ox-Bow Incident* (1943), Fi1m 84, as Gil Carter — [page](https://film.one/film/the-ox-bow-incident.md) - *The Lady Eve* (1941), Fi1m 90, as Charles Pike — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve.md) - *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Fi1m 86, as Tom Joad — [page](https://film.one/film/the-grapes-of-wrath.md) - *Jezebel* (1938), Fi1m 78, as Preston Dillard — [page](https://film.one/film/jezebel.md) ### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited - *All in the Family* (1971), Fi1m 82, as Self — [page](https://film.one/tv/all-in-the-family.md) ## Complete filmography (130) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Citizen Jane Fonda* (2020), Actor - *Sacco and Vanzetti* (2006), as Prof. Tommy Turner (archive footage) - *Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults* (1999), as (archive footage) - *La Classe américaine* (1993), as Hugues (archive footage) - *Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker* (1991), Actor - *Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To* (1990), as (archive footage) - *Going Hollywood: The '30s* (1984), as (archive footage) - *Summer Solstice* (1981), as Joshua - *On Golden Pond* (1981), as Norman Thayer Jr. — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md) - *Gideon's Trumpet* (1980), as Clarence Earl Gideon - *The Oldest Living Graduate* (1980), as Col. J.C. Kincaid - *Meteor* (1979), as The President - *City on Fire* (1979), as Fire Chief Risley - *Wanda Nevada* (1979), as Old Prospector - *Roots: The Next Generations* (1979), series, as Colonel Frederick Warner - *Fedora* (1978), as President of the Academy - *The Swarm* (1978), as Dr. Krim - *The Great Smokey Roadblock* (1978), as Elegant John - *Home to Stay* (1978), as Grandpa George - *The Biggest Battle* (1978), as Generale Foster - *Laugh-In* (1977), series, as Guest Performer, Guest Performer (uncredited) - *Rollercoaster* (1977), as Simon Davenport - *Tentacles* (1977), as Mr. Whitehead - *Captains and the Kings* (1976), series, as Sen. Enfield Bassett - *Midway* (1976), as Adm. Chester W. Nimitz - *Family* (1976), series, as James Lawrence - *Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur* (1976), as Gen. Douglas MacArthur - *Henry James' The Jolly Corner* (1975), as Narrator - *Clarence Darrow* (1974), as Clarence Darrow - *The Last Four Days* (1974), as Kardinal Schuster - *Parker Adderson, Philosopher* (1974), as Narrator (Voice) - *The Music School* (1974), as Narrator (voice) - *My Name Is Nobody* (1973), as Jack Beauregard - *Ash Wednesday* (1973), as Mark Sawyer - *The Alpha Caper* (1973), as Mark Forbes - *The Serpent* (1973), as Alan Davies - *The Red Pony* (1973), as Carl Tiflin - *Sometimes a Great Notion* (1971), as Henry Stamper - *Directed by John Ford* (1971), Actor - *The Smith Family* (1971), series, as Chad Smith - *There Was a Crooked Man...* (1970), as Woodward W. Lopeman - *The Cheyenne Social Club* (1970), as Harley Sullivan - *Too Late the Hero* (1970), as Capt. John G Nolan - *The Bill Cosby Show* (1969), series, as Joshua Richards - *An Impression of John Steinbeck: Writer* (1969), as John Steinbeck (voice) - *Once Upon a Time in the West* (1968), as Frank — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west.md) - *Pat Paulsen for President* (1968), as Narrator (voice) - *The Boston Strangler* (1968), as John S. Bottomly - *The Doris Day Show* (1968), series, as Henry Fonda (uncredited) - *Yours, Mine and Ours* (1968), as Frank Beardsley - *Madigan* (1968), as Commissioner Anthony X. Russell - *Firecreek* (1968), as Bob Larkin - *A Space to Grow* (1968), as Narrator - *The World About Us* (1967), series, as Narrator - *Stranger on the Run* (1967), as Ben Chamberlain - *Welcome to Hard Times* (1967), as Mayor Will Blue - *To Save a Soldier* (1966), as Narrator (voice) - *Born to Buck* (1966), as Narrator - *A Big Hand for the Little Lady* (1966), as Meredith - *Battle of the Bulge* (1965), as Lt Col Kiley - *The Dirty Game* (1965), as Dimitri Koulov - *In Harm's Way* (1965), as CINCPAC II - *The Rounders* (1965), as Marion 'Howdy' Lewis - *Sex and the Single Girl* (1964), as Frank Broderick - *Fail Safe* (1964), as The President - *The Best Man* (1964), as William Russell - *Spencer's Mountain* (1963), as Clay Spencer - *Hollywood: The Fabulous Era* (1962), as Narrator / Host - *How the West Was Won* (1962), as Jethro Stuart — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md) - *The Longest Day* (1962), as Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-longest-day.md) - *Advise & Consent* (1962), as Robert Leffingwell - *The Fabulous Fifties* (1960), as Narrator (segment "Fifties Dead Sequence") (voice) - *The Man Who Understood Women* (1959), as Willie Bauche - *The Deputy* (1959), series, as Marshal Simon Fry · Executive Producer - *Warlock* (1959), as Clay Blaisedell - *Stage Struck* (1958), as Lewis Easton - *The Tin Star* (1957), as Morgan Hickman - *12 Angry Men* (1957), as Juror 8 · Producer — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/12-angry-men.md) - *The Wrong Man* (1956), as Manny Balestrero — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wrong-man.md) - *War and Peace* (1956), as Pierre Bezukhov - *Mister Roberts* (1955), as Lieutenant Roberts — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/mister-roberts.md) - *The Petrified Forest* (1955), as Alan Squier - *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Emmett Kelly - *The Real Miss America* (1952), as Narrator (voice) - *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Clarence Earl Gideon - *Pictura* (1951), as Narrator (segment "Grant Wood") (voice) - *Benjy* (1951), as Narrator (voice) - *Jigsaw* (1949), as Nightclub Waiter (uncredited) - *Fort Apache* (1948), as Lt. Col. Owen Thursday - *On Our Merry Way* (1948), as Lank Solsky - *Daisy Kenyon* (1947), as Peter Lapham - *The Fugitive* (1947), as A Fugitive - *The Long Night* (1947), as Joe Adams - *My Darling Clementine* (1946), as Wyatt Earp — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/my-darling-clementine.md) - *Immortal Sergeant* (1943), as Corporal Colin Spence - *The Ox-Bow Incident* (1943), as Gil Carter — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-ox-bow-incident.md) - *The Battle of Midway* (1942), as Narrator (voice) - *It's Everybody's War* (1942), as Narrator - *The Big Street* (1942), as Little Pinks - *Tales of Manhattan* (1942), as George - *The Magnificent Dope* (1942), as Thadeus Winship 'Tad' Page - *Rings on Her Fingers* (1942), as John Wheeler - *The Male Animal* (1942), as Tommy Turner - *You Belong to Me* (1941), as Peter Kirk - *Wild Geese Calling* (1941), as John Murdock - *The Lady Eve* (1941), as Charles Pike — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve.md) - *Chad Hanna* (1940), as Chad Hanna - *The Return of Frank James* (1940), as Frank James - *Lillian Russell* (1940), as Alexander Moore - *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), as Tom Joad — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-grapes-of-wrath.md) - *Drums Along the Mohawk* (1939), as Gilbert Martin - *Young Mr. Lincoln* (1939), as Abraham Lincoln - *The Story of Alexander Graham Bell* (1939), as Thomas Watson - *Let Us Live* (1939), as "Brick" Tennant - *Jesse James* (1939), as Frank James - *The Mad Miss Manton* (1938), as Peter Ames - *Spawn of the North* (1938), as Jim Kimmerlee - *Blockade* (1938), as Marco - *Jezebel* (1938), as Preston Dillard — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/jezebel.md) - *I Met My Love Again* (1938), as Ives Towner - *That Certain Woman* (1937), as Jack V. Merrick, Jr. - *Slim* (1937), as Slim Kincaid - *Wings of the Morning* (1937), as Kerry Gilfallen - *You Only Live Once* (1937), as Eddie Taylor - *Spendthrift* (1936), as Townsend Middleton - *The Moon's Our Home* (1936), as Anthony Amberton / John Smith - *The Trail of the Lonesome Pine* (1936), as Dave Tolliver - *I Dream Too Much* (1935), as Johnny Street - *Way Down East* (1935), as David Bartlett - *The Farmer Takes a Wife* (1935), as Dan Harrow ## Gallery - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-3ea6dfb30edc.jpg) Henry Fonda — Studio publicity still, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Henry_Fonda_in_Warlock.jpg/1280px-Henry_Fonda_in_Warlock.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Boyd Theater (1948)](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-fdfbc906a710.jpg) Boyd Theater (1948) — Self Scanned, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/1948_-_Boyd_Theater_-_20_Apr_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg/1280px-1948_-_Boyd_Theater_-_20_Apr_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Anne Bancroft and Henry Fonda during rehearsals for the Broadway play Two for the Seesaw. Photographed by Arthur Cantor in 1957. (2021)](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-731dcfcff352.jpg) Anne Bancroft and Henry Fonda during rehearsals for the Broadway play Two for the Seesaw. Photographed by Arthur Cantor in 1957. (2021) — GarboTalks, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Anne_Bancroft_and_Henry_Fonda_%28Two_for_the_Seesaw%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Actors Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in scene from television broadcast play "Petrified Forest"; publication date: May 29, 1955. Petrified Fore](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-d550ba92c922.jpg) Actors Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in scene from television broadcast play "Petrified Forest"; publication date: May 29, 1955. Petrified Fore — The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Bacall%2C_Bogart%2C_Fonda.jpg/1280px-Bacall%2C_Bogart%2C_Fonda.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-6a0b025a207e.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-e82ea6ba4831.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-7550b97de1a4.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB - ![Title: Actors Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in scene from television broadcast play "Petrified Forest", 1955](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-8fee8ea52aca.jpg) Title: Actors Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in scene from television broadcast play "Petrified Forest", 1955 — Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Bacall%2C_Bogart%2C_Fonda_crop.jpg/1280px-Bacall%2C_Bogart%2C_Fonda_crop.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Photo of Guy Madison (left) and Henry Fonda from the television series The Smith Family. Madison played an ex-cop who was a suspect in an armored car robbery. (1972)](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-c8b27ae8b502.jpg) Photo of Guy Madison (left) and Henry Fonda from the television series The Smith Family. Madison played an ex-cop who was a suspect in an armored car robbery. (1972) — ABC Television-the logo portion of the release is pasted under the text, but is visible enough for recognition., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Guy_Madison_Henry_Fonda_Smith_Family_1972.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-32830cef0b49.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-658c6f2a16c7.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB - ![Henry Fonda](https://film.one/media/person/59304/gallery-2a955a0b6761.jpg) Henry Fonda — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated - 1982: Best Actor (won), for *On Golden Pond* - 1958: Best Picture (nominated), for *12 Angry Men* - 1941: Best Actor (nominated), for *The Grapes of Wrath* ### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won - 1958: Best Foreign Actor (won), for *12 Angry Men* ### Other awards — 4 won, 1 nominated - Academy Honorary Award 1981: Academy Honorary Award (won) - Kennedy Center Honors 1979: Kennedy Center Honors (won) - AFI Life Achievement Award 1978: AFI Life Achievement Award (won) - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1975: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated) - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1948: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/henry-fonda