Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, Henry Fonda started his acting debut with the Omaha Community Playhouse, a local amateur theater troupe directed by Dorothy Brando. He moved to the Cape Cod University Players and later Broadway, New York to expand his theatrical career from 1926 to 1934. His first major roles in Broadway include "New Faces of America" and "The Farmer Takes a Wife". The latter play was transfered to the screen in 1935 and became the start-up of Fonda's lifelong Hollywood career. The following year he married Frances Seymour Fonda with whom he had two children: Jane and Peter Fonda also to become screen stars. He is most remembered for his roles as Abe Lincoln in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), for which he received an Academy Award Nomination, and more recently, Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond (1981), for which he received an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1982. Henry Fonda is considered one of Hollywood's old-time legends and was friend and contemporary of James Stewart, John Ford and Joshua Logan. His movie career which spanned almost 50 years is completed by a notable presence in American theater and television.
Movie | AFI Life Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary Special | Self (archive footage) | 2023-12-30 |
Movie | Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth | Self (archive footage) | 2020-03-06 |
Movie | Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity | Self (archive footage) | 2020-11-29 |
Movie | Jane Fonda in Five Acts | Self (archive footage) | 2018-01-21 |
Movie | Spanish Western | Self (archive footage) | 2015-05-04 |
Movie | John Ford & Monument Valley | Self (archive footage) | 2013-03-05 |
Movie | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Making '12 Angry Men' | Self (archive footage) | 2008-03-04 |
Movie | Sacco and Vanzetti | Prof. Tommy Turner (archive footage) | 2006-04-06 |
Movie | Jezebel: Legend of the South | Self (archive footage) | 2006-05-30 |
Movie | An Opera of Violence | Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2003-11-18 |
Movie | La Classe américaine | Hugues (archive footage) | 1993-12-31 |
Movie | Fonda on Fonda | Self (archive footage) | 1992-01-13 |
Movie | Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire | Self (archive footage) | 1991-07-15 |
Movie | Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker | 1991-10-28 | |
Movie | Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To | (archive footage) | 1990-06-04 |
Movie | The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind | (archive footage) | 1988-10-01 |
Movie | Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | The Greatest Man in the World | Self - Series Host (uncredited) | 1981-06-09 |
Movie | On Golden Pond | Norman Thayer Jr. | 1981-12-04 |
Movie | Summer Solstice | Joshua | 1981-12-30 |
Movie | The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's | Self (archive footage) | 1980-01-04 |
Movie | Barn Burning | Self - Series Host (uncredited) | 1980-03-17 |
Movie | The Oldest Living Graduate | Col. J.C. Kincaid | 1980-04-07 |
Movie | Gideon's Trumpet | Clarence Earl Gideon | 1980-04-30 |
Movie | Wanda Nevada | Old Prospector | 1979-06-01 |
Series | Roots: The Next Generations | Col. Frederick Warner | 1979-02-18 |
Movie | City on Fire | Fire Chief Risley | 1979-07-11 |
Movie | Meteor | The President | 1979-10-19 |
Movie | The Great Smokey Roadblock | Elegant John | 1978-06-21 |
Movie | The Biggest Battle | Generale Foster | 1978-02-07 |
Movie | Home to Stay | Grandpa George | 1978-05-02 |
Movie | Fedora | President of the Academy | 1978-06-29 |
Movie | The Swarm | Dr. Walter Krim | 1978-07-14 |
Series | The Kennedy Center Honors | Unknown | 1978-12-28 |
Movie | A Special Sesame Street Christmas | Self | 1978-12-08 |
Movie | Soldier's Home | Self - Series Host (uncredited) | 1977-01-01 |
Movie | Underground Doctors | Self - Host | 1977-01-01 |
Movie | The Displaced Person | Self - Series Host (uncredited) | 1977-04-12 |
Movie | Tentacles | Mr. Whitehead | 1977-02-25 |
Movie | Rollercoaster | Simon Davenport | 1977-06-10 |
Series | Captains and the Kings | Sen. Enfield Bassett | 1976-09-30 |
Movie | Midway | Adm. Chester W. Nimitz | 1976-06-18 |
Movie | Bernice Bobs Her Hair | Self - Series Host (uncredited) | 1976-10-06 |
Movie | The Last Four Days | Kardinal Schuster | 1974-03-27 |
Movie | Clarence Darrow | Clarence Darrow | 1974-09-04 |
Series | The American Film Institute Salute to ... | Unknown | 1973-04-02 |
Movie | The Red Pony | Carl Tiflin | 1973-03-17 |
Movie | The Serpent | Alan Davies | 1973-04-07 |
Movie | My Name Is Nobody | Jack Beauregard | 1973-12-13 |
Movie | Ash Wednesday | Mark Sawyer | 1973-11-01 |
Movie | The Alpha Caper | Mark Forbes | 1973-10-06 |
Movie | Letter to Jane | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1972-10-10 |
Movie | Directed by John Ford | 1971-09-06 | |
Series | All in the Family | Unknown | 1971-01-12 |
Series | The Smith Family | Chad Smith | 1971-01-20 |
Movie | The American West of John Ford | Self - Narrator | 1971-12-05 |
Movie | Sometimes a Great Notion | Henry Stamper | 1971-12-17 |
Movie | The Cheyenne Social Club | Harley Sullivan | 1970-06-12 |
Movie | Too Late the Hero | Capt. John G Nolan | 1970-05-20 |
Movie | There Was a Crooked Man... | Woodward W. Lopeman | 1970-09-18 |
Movie | An Impression of John Steinbeck: Writer | John Steinbeck (voice) | 1969-01-01 |
Movie | Stiletto | 1969-07-30 | |
Series | The Bill Cosby Show | Unknown | 1969-09-14 |
Movie | Firecreek | Bob Larkin | 1968-01-24 |
Movie | Madigan | Commissioner Anthony X. Russell | 1968-03-29 |
Movie | The Boston Strangler | John S. Bottomly | 1968-10-08 |
Movie | Once Upon a Time in the West | Frank | 1968-12-21 |
Movie | Yours, Mine and Ours | Frank Beardsley | 1968-04-24 |
Movie | Welcome to Hard Times | Mayor Will Blue | 1967-04-30 |
Movie | Stranger on the Run | Ben Chamberlain | 1967-10-31 |
Movie | The Really Big Family | Self - Narrator | 1966-01-01 |
Movie | A Big Hand for the Little Lady | Meredith | 1966-06-08 |
Movie | In Harm's Way | CINCPAC II | 1965-04-06 |
Movie | The Rounders | Marion 'Howdy' Lewis | 1965-01-08 |
Movie | The Dirty Game | Dimitri Koulov | 1965-06-23 |
Movie | Battle of the Bulge | Lt Col Kiley | 1965-12-16 |
Movie | The Best Man | William Russell | 1964-04-05 |
Movie | Sex and the Single Girl | Frank Broderick | 1964-12-25 |
Movie | Fail Safe | The President | 1964-10-07 |
Movie | Spencer's Mountain | Clay Spencer | 1963-05-16 |
Movie | Advise & Consent | Robert Leffingwell | 1962-06-06 |
Movie | The Longest Day | Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt jr. | 1962-09-25 |
Movie | How the West Was Won | Jethro Stuart | 1962-11-02 |
Movie | Hollywood: The Selznick Years | Self - Narrator | 1961-12-31 |
Movie | The Fabulous Fifties | Narrator (segment "Fifties Dead Sequence") (voice) | 1960-01-22 |
Series | The Bell Telephone Hour | Self - Host | 1959-01-12 |
Movie | Warlock | Clay Blaisedell | 1959-05-15 |
Series | The Deputy | Marshal Simon Fry | 1959-09-12 |
Movie | The Man Who Understood Women | Willie Bauche | 1959-10-02 |
Movie | Stage Struck | Lewis Easton | 1958-04-22 |
Movie | The Tin Star | Morgan Hickman | 1957-10-23 |
Movie | 12 Angry Men | Juror 8 | 1957-04-10 |
Series | Tony Awards | Unknown | 1956-04-01 |
Series | The Steve Allen Show | Unknown | 1956-06-24 |
Movie | The Wrong Man | Manny Balestrero | 1956-12-22 |
Movie | War and Peace | Pierre Bezukhov | 1956-08-21 |
Series | The Star and the Story | Self - Host | 1955-01-08 |
Movie | Mister Roberts | Lieutenant Roberts | 1955-07-10 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |
Movie | Pictura | Narrator: Grant Wood episode (voice) | 1951-06-01 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Movie | Jigsaw | 1949-03-11 | |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Movie | On Our Merry Way | Lank Solsky | 1948-02-03 |
Movie | Fort Apache | Lt. Col. Owen Thursday | 1948-06-14 |
Movie | The Long Night | Joe Adams | 1947-05-28 |
Movie | Daisy Kenyon | Peter Lapham | 1947-12-25 |
Movie | The Fugitive | A Fugitive | 1947-11-11 |
Movie | My Darling Clementine | Wyatt Earp | 1946-10-17 |
Movie | The Ox-Bow Incident | Gil Carter | 1943-03-11 |
Movie | Immortal Sergeant | Corporal Colin Spence | 1943-04-29 |
Movie | Rings on Her Fingers | John Wheeler | 1942-03-20 |
Movie | The Male Animal | Tommy Turner | 1942-03-12 |
Movie | The Battle of Midway | Narrator (voice) | 1942-09-14 |
Movie | The Magnificent Dope | Thadeus Winship 'Tad' Page | 1942-07-01 |
Movie | Tales of Manhattan | George | 1942-08-05 |
Movie | It's Everybody's War | Narrator | 1942-09-06 |
Movie | The Big Street | Agustus 'Little Pinks' Pinkerton, II | 1942-08-13 |
Movie | The Lady Eve | Charles Pike | 1941-02-25 |
Movie | You Belong to Me | Peter Kirk | 1941-10-22 |
Movie | Wild Geese Calling | John Murdock | 1941-08-15 |
Movie | The Grapes of Wrath | Tom Joad | 1940-03-15 |
Movie | Lillian Russell | Alexander Moore | 1940-05-24 |
Movie | The Return of Frank James | Frank James | 1940-08-10 |
Movie | Chad Hanna | Chad Hanna | 1940-12-25 |
Movie | The Story of Alexander Graham Bell | Thomas Watson | 1939-04-04 |
Movie | Jesse James | Frank James | 1939-01-14 |
Movie | Let Us Live | "Brick" Tennant | 1939-03-29 |
Movie | Drums Along the Mohawk | Gilbert Martin | 1939-11-10 |
Movie | Young Mr. Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | 1939-06-09 |
Movie | Jezebel | Preston Dillard | 1938-03-26 |
Movie | I Met My Love Again | Ives Towner | 1938-01-14 |
Movie | Blockade | Marco | 1938-06-17 |
Movie | Spawn of the North | Jim Kimmerlee | 1938-08-26 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1938 | Self (archive footage) | 1938-12-31 |
Movie | The Mad Miss Manton | Peter Ames | 1938-10-21 |
Movie | You Only Live Once | Eddie Taylor | 1937-01-23 |
Movie | Wings of the Morning | Kerry Gilfallen | 1937-02-19 |
Movie | That Certain Woman | Jack V. Merrick, Jr. | 1937-08-30 |
Movie | Slim | Slim | 1937-06-24 |
Movie | The Moon's Our Home | Anthony Amberton / John Smith | 1936-04-10 |
Movie | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | Dave Tolliver | 1936-03-13 |
Movie | Spendthrift | Townsend Middleton | 1936-07-22 |
Movie | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Dan Harrow | 1935-07-05 |
Movie | I Dream Too Much | Johnny Street | 1935-11-29 |
Movie | Way Down East | David Bartlett | 1935-10-25 |