Henry Fonda

With a career spanning five decades, Henry Fonda has a treasure house of memorable films from each. Among these are the Rom-Com film The Lady Eve (1941) from the '30s, the western The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) from the '40s, Twelve Angry Men (1957), Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), in a more minor role in the war epic Midway (1976), and his last film On Golden Pond (1981). For this film, he won his only Oscar. In addition to his film career, Fonda also achieved tremendous success in the theater. He starred as Farmer Dan Harrow in the Broadway play The Farmer Takes a Wife (1934-35) for which he reprised his role in the film - his first - alongside Oscar-winner Janet Gaynor. During his seven year break from Hollywood (1948-55), he returned to the theater. Among the plays he starred in during that time was the Tony award-winning Mister Roberts (1948). He would return to Hollywood to reprise his role as the understanding lieutenant, eager to see combat in the film version of the play.

It’s easy to think of Fonda simply in terms of the tall, stalwart, and solitary characters he depicted in films like Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). However, Fonda was much more than this. Just look at all of the varied characters he played. He portrayed every character earnestly and well. Although sometimes overlooked, he was a real actor!

Core Films

*= my personal favorites

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)*

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Grapes of Wrath (1940)*

The Lady Eve (1941)*

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)*

My Darling Clementine (1946)*

Fort Apache (1948)

Mr. Roberts (1955)*

The Wrong Man (1956)*

On Golden Pond (1981)*

For More

Books

Biography; Fonda: My Life as told to Howard Teichmann: https://www.amazon.com/Fonda-My-Life-Henry/dp/0453004024
Biography; The Man Who Saw a Ghost: The Life and Work of Henry Fonda by Devin McKinney: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Saw-Ghost-Henry/dp/125003826X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Joint Biography; Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman: https://www.amazon.com/Hank-Jim-Fifty-Year-Friendship-Stewart/dp/1501102184/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) — *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940)

With Cathy Downs in My Darling Clementine (1946) — With Cathy Downs in *My Darling Clementine* (1946)

12 Angry Men (1957) — *12 Angry Men* (1957)

In Rings on Her Fingers (1942) with Gene Tierney — In *Rings on Her Fingers* (1942) with Gene Tierney

Fonda and Tyrone Power in Jesse James (1939) — Fonda and Tyrone Power in *Jesse James* (1939)

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) — *Yours, Mine and Ours* (1968)

Rings on her Fingers (1942) — *Rings on her Fingers* (1942)

Jezebel with Bette Davis (1938) — *Jezebel* with Bette Davis (1938)

Fonda in Battle of the Bulge (1965) with Robert Ryan

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) with Jane Darwell and Dorris Bowdon — *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940) with Jane Darwell and Dorris Bowdon

With Dolores del Río in The Fugitive (1947) — With Dolores del Río in *The Fugitive* (1947)

The Big Street (1942) with Lucille Ball — *The Big Street* (1942) with Lucille Ball

In The Tin Star with Anthony Perkins (1957) — In *The Tin Star* with Anthony Perkins (1957)

With Gene Tierney and Spring Byington in Rings on her Fingers (1942) — With Gene Tierney and Spring Byington in *Rings on her Fingers* (1942)

You Only Live Once (1937) with Sylvia Sidney — *You Only Live Once* (1937) with Sylvia Sidney

Charles Pike (Fonda) overcome by Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) in The Lady Eve (1941) — Charles Pike (Fonda) overcome by Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) in *The Lady Eve* (1941)

You Only Live Once (1937) — *You Only Live Once* (1937)

Midway (1976) with Glenn Ford and Robert Mitchum — *Midway* (1976) with Glenn Ford and Robert Mitchum

With Maureen O’Hara in Immortal Sergeant (1943) — With Maureen O’Hara in *Immortal Sergeant* (1943)

With Katharine Hepburn and daughter Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond (1981) — With Katharine Hepburn and daughter Jane Fonda in *On Golden Pond* (1981)

My Darling Clementine (1946) — *My Darling Clementine* (1946)

The Longest Day (1962) — *The Longest Day* (1962)

With Joan Crawford in Daisy Kenyon (1947) — With Joan Crawford in *Daisy Kenyon* (1947)

With Claudette Colbert in Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) — With Claudette Colbert in *Drums Along the Mohawk* (1939)

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) — *Young Mr. Lincoln* (1939)

With James Stewart in the musical comedy On Our Merry Way (1948) — With James Stewart in the musical comedy *On Our Merry Way* (1948)

The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) with Janet Gaynor — *The Farmer Takes a Wife* (1935) with Janet Gaynor

With Lauren Bacall in Sex and the Single Girl (1964) — With Lauren Bacall in *Sex and the Single Girl* (1964)

The Male Animal (1942) with Olivia de Havilland — *The Male Animal* (1942) with Olivia de Havilland

Behind the scenes of War and Peace (1956) with Audrey Hepburn — Behind the scenes of *War and Peace* (1956) with Audrey Hepburn

Behind the scenes of Mister Roberts (1955) with James Cagney, William Powell, Ward Bond, and Jack Lemmon — Behind the scenes of *Mister Roberts* (1955) with James Cagney, William Powell, Ward Bond, and Jack Lemmon

Immortal Sergeant (1943) — *Immortal Sergeant* (1943)

Fonda with Maureen O’Hara in Spencer’s Mountain (1963) — Fonda with Maureen O’Hara in *Spencer’s Mountain* (1963)

As Pierre Bezukhov in War and Peace (1956) — As Pierre Bezukhov in *War and Peace* (1956)

The Return of Frank James (1940) — *The Return of Frank James* (1940)

With Barbara Stanwyck in a publicity photo for The Lady Eve (1941) — With Barbara Stanwyck in a publicity photo for *The Lady Eve* (1941)

Fonda with Tyrone Power and Nancy Kelly in Jesse James (1939) — Fonda with Tyrone Power and Nancy Kelly in *Jesse James* (1939)

The Wrong Man (1956) with Vera Miles — *The Wrong Man* (1956) with Vera Miles

Fonda with John Wayne and Shirley Temple in Fort Apache (1948) — Fonda with John Wayne and Shirley Temple in *Fort Apache* (1948)

Daisy Kenyon (1947) with Joan Crawford and Dana Andrews — *Daisy Kenyon* (1947) with Joan Crawford and Dana Andrews

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) — *Once Upon a Time in the West* (1968)

Advise and Consent (1962) — *Advise and Consent* (1962)

Battle of the Bulge (1965) — *Battle of the Bulge* (1965)

The Wrong Man (1956) — *The Wrong Man* (1956)

Mister Roberts (1955) with James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon — *Mister Roberts* (1955) with James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon

Fonda with Ward Bond in Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) — Fonda with Ward Bond in *Drums Along the Mohawk* (1939)

The Boston Strangler (1968) with Tony Curtis — *The Boston Strangler* (1968) with Tony Curtis

With Dana Andrews in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) — With Dana Andrews in *The Ox-Bow Incident* (1943)

Mister Roberts (1955) — *Mister Roberts* (1955)

Behind the scenes of Jesse James (1939) with Tyrone Power — Behind the scenes of *Jesse James* (1939) with Tyrone Power

Behind the scenes of On Our Merry Way (1948) with James Stewart — Behind the scenes of *On Our Merry Way* (1948) with James Stewart

The Male Animal (1942) with Olivia de Havilland and Jack Carson — *The Male Animal* (1942) with Olivia de Havilland and Jack Carson

Fort Apache (1948) — *Fort Apache* (1948)

Spencer’s Mountain (1963) with James MacArthur — *Spencer’s Mountain* (1963) with James MacArthur

Gideon’s Trumpet (1980) — *Gideon’s Trumpet* (1980)

The Best Man (1964) — *The Best Man* (1964)

Star Profile, Star of the MonthOliviaFebruary 4, 2019Star Profile, Henry Fonda, Star of the MonthComment