Henry Fonda Biography: Age, Height, Net Worth, Movies, Children, Death, Career, Awards

Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American stage and film actor whose naturalistic style and portrayal of principled, honest characters won him wide acclaim. He grew famous through roles such as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and later as Juror 8 in 12 Angry Men (1957).

His final role in On Golden Pond (1981) earned him his first Academy Award. Over a career of more than five decades, Fonda became known as one of the defining figures of what’s often called the “classic Hollywood” era.

Profile

• Full name: Henry Jaynes Fonda
• Date of birth: May 16, 1905
• Age: Deceased
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor (stage & film)
• Parents: Father: William Brace Fonda; Mother: Herberta (Jaynes) Fonda
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Henry Fonda was married five times
• Children: Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda and Amy Fishman
• Relationship status: N/A
• Religion: Agnostic
• Ethnicity: White
• Net worth: US $2 million

Early Life and Education

Henry Jaynes Fonda was born May 16, 1905, in Grand Island, Nebraska. His parents were William Brace Fonda (a printer) and Herberta Jaynes. His family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, when he was a small child. He grew up attending local schools; as a young man he developed interests in athletics (skating, running, swimming) and took on jobs such as working in his father’s print plant and with the telephone company after school.

He enrolled at the University of Minnesota intending to study journalism, but left before graduating. At about age 20 he joined the Omaha Community Playhouse, where he began acting.

Personal Life

Henry Fonda had five marriages. His first marriage was to Margaret Sullavan (1931-1933). Then to Frances Ford Seymour, with whom he had two children: Jane Fonda (born 1937) and Peter Fonda (born 1940). Later he married Susan Blanchard; they adopted a daughter, Amy Fishman. Afterwards he married Afdera Franchetti.

His last marriage was to Shirlee Mae Adams in 1965, and they remained married until his death. His spouses passed away or divorced; Frances Seymour committed suicide in 1950. He had a complex relationship with his children, described in some sources as emotionally distant.

Career

Henry Fonda began acting in the late 1920s on stage; one of his early roles was at the Omaha Community Playhouse. His Hollywood film debut came in 1935 in The Farmer Takes a Wife; this was after success in Broadway. He rapidly gained notice with roles in Jezebel (1938), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), and Jesse James (1939).

In 1940 he starred as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy (Air Combat Intelligence), from about 1942-1945. After the war he returned to films and theatre, appearing in Westerns (e.g. My Darling Clementine) and dramas.

Later roles included 12 Angry Men (1957) in which he played the dissenting Juror 8; war films; and in his last years On Golden Pond (1981), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Awards

• Academy Award, Best Actor, On Golden Pond (1981) — won.
• Nominations for Academy Awards: for The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
• BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy nominations in various years.
• Honorary awards for lifetime achievement.

Net Worth

Henry Fonda’s net worth at the time of his death was at least $2 million.

Death

Henry Fonda died of heart disease on August 12, 1982, in Los Angeles, California. He was 77 years old.

Social Media

N/A

Filmography

• The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)
• I Dream Too Much (1935)
• The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936)
• You Only Live Once (1937)
• Jezebel (1938)
• Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
• Jesse James (1939)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
• The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
• My Darling Clementine (1946)
• Fort Apache (1948)
• Mister Roberts (1955)
• The Wrong Man (1956)
• 12 Angry Men (1957)
• Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
• Battle of the Bulge (1965)
• Fail-Safe (1964)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• On Golden Pond (1981)