History Creator / HenryFonda

In his lifetime, Fonda was typecast as straitlaced yet heroic characters like Tom Joad in ''The Grapes of Wrath'' or Juror #8 in ''Film/TwelveAngryMen''. His signature role was the beleaguered but sympathetic naval officer in ''Film/MisterRoberts'', which he played for years on stage and later on film. Fonda cemented this image playing Presidents, statesmen, generals and other authority figures in most of his later movies. Ironically, today's audiences probably recognize Fonda from his drastically against-type role in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'' as a psychotic gunslinger.

* DoggedNiceGuy: His standard role, exemplified by ''Film/TheGrapesOfWrath''. Later in his career he typically played {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s.

* WorkingClassHero: His 30s roles in films like ''Film/TheGrapesOfWrath'' and ''Film/YouOnlyLiveOnce'' made him this. Indeed author and Civil Rights protestor, James Baldwin noted that Henry Fonda was especially popular with African-American audiences who related to him better than they did other WASP stars.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cfd377f4_3953_468c_b274_a731bf43a45d.jpeg]]

His career lasted from 1935 to 1981, where he was in over a hundred films, television programs, theatre productions and various shorts. He received one UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination (''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'') and eventually won one in 1981 for ''Theatre/OnGoldenPond''. Between 1943 and 1946 his career was blank as he had been enlisted in the Navy during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He was also friends with Creator/JimmyStewart (despite their opposing political views[[note]]Stewart was a hawkish conservative, while Fonda was a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. They actually once got into a fistfight after they had a political debate, and they made up by vowing never to talk politics again.[[/note]]), his former roommate.

* ''Film/{{Midway}}'' (1976)

Fonda was married five times. His children from his third wife, Frances Ford Seymour, Creator/{{Jane|Fonda}} and Creator/{{Peter|Fonda}}, as well as granddaughter Bridget, are also accomplished actors in their own right. Though he often played nice guys in his films in real life he was reportedly very distant and withdrawn from people, even his own children, and by his own admission he was not an ideal parent. He died of heart failure on August 12, 1982 at age 77.

His career lasted from 1935 to 1981, where he was in over a hundred films, television programs, theatre productions and various shorts. He received one UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination (''The Grapes of Wrath'') and eventually won one in 1981 for ''On Golden Pond''. Between 1943 and 1946 his career was blank as he had been enlisted in the Navy during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He was also friends with Creator/JimmyStewart (despite their opposing political views[[note]]Stewart was a hawkish conservative, while Fonda was a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. They actually once got into a fistfight after they had a political debate, and they made up by vowing never to talk politics again.[[/note]]), his former roommate.

In his lifetime, Fonda was typecast as straitlaced yet heroic characters like Tom Joad in ''The Grapes of Wrath'' or Juror #8 in ''12 Angry Men''. His signature role was the beleaguered but sympathetic naval officer in ''Mister Roberts'', which he played for years on stage and later on film. Fonda cemented this image playing Presidents, statesmen, generals and other authority figures in most of his later movies. Ironically, today's audiences probably recognize Fonda from his drastically against-type role in ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' as a psychotic gunslinger.

!!Tropes:
* AdultFear: He prohibited his daughter Jane from political activism, out of fear that she would be blacklisted. Fonda was grey listed in the 1950s for his political activism.
* DoggedNiceGuy: His standard role, exemplified by ''Film/TheGrapesOfWrath''. Later in his career he typically played [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Reasonable Authority Figures]].

* OddFriendship: He was good friends with Creator/JimmyStewart. The two were diametric opposites in personality and political beliefs and even came to blows once because of it. Their children say that the friendship mostly consisted of the two men working on model airplanes in complete silence. He was also friendly with Creator/JohnWayne, another conservative; Fonda was one of the last people to visit Wayne before his death.

* WorkingClassHero: His 30s roles in films like ''Film/TheGrapesOfWrath'' and ''Film/YouOnlyLiveOnce'' made him this. Indeed author and Civil Rights protestor, James Baldwin noted that Henry Fonda was especially popular with African-American audiences who related to him better than they did other W.A.S.P. stars.

* HeroicDimples: Added to his characters’ bravery and innocence.

Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 -- August 12, 1982) was an American actor.

In his lifetime, Fonda was typecast as straight-laced, heroic characters like Tom Joad in ''The Grapes of Wrath'' or Juror #8 in ''12 Angry Men''. His signature role was the beleaguered but sympathetic naval officer in ''Mister Roberts'', which he played for years on stage and later on film. Fonda cemented this image playing Presidents, statesmen, generals and other authority figures in most of his later movies. Ironically, today's audiences probably recognize Fonda from his drastically against-type role in ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' as a psychotic gunslinger.

Fonda was married five times. His children from his third wife, Frances Ford Seymour, [[Creator/JaneFonda Jane]] and [[Creator/PeterFonda Peter]], as well as granddaughter Bridget, are also accomplished actors in their own right. Though he often played nice guys in his films in real life he was reportedly very distant and withdrawn from people, even his own children, and by his own admission he was not an ideal parent. He died of heart failure on August 12, 1982 at age 77.

Fonda was married five times. His children from his third wife, Frances Ford Seymour, [[Creator/JaneFonda Jane]] and Peter, as well as granddaughter Bridget, are also accomplished actors in their own right. Though he often played nice guys in his films in real life he was reportedly very distant and withdrawn from people, even his own children, and by his own admission he was not an ideal parent. He died of heart failure on August 12, 1982 at age 77.

* NiceCharacterMeanActor: Mean might be stretching it, but Fonda was famous for being emotionally distant from his family and all but his closest friends. When his son Peter saw Henry praise one of his performances during a television interview, he broke down crying since his father had ''never'' done that in person. Jane further fell out with her father over her political activism in the '60s and '70s (while Fonda was a liberal Democrat, he didn't approve of Jane becoming involved with radical groups and especially disliked her still-controversial trip to North Vietnam). Fonda himself thought that he put so much emotion into his acting that he didn't have much left for his day-to-day life.

[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Fonda_8065.jpg]]

* ''Film/YoursMineOurs'' (1968)

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

Henry Jaynes Fonda (1905-1982) was an American actor.

* ProductionPosse: Close friend and frequent collaborator with Creator/JohnFord. They had a serious falling out while shooting ''Film/MisterRoberts'', where Ford grew so angry at Fonda that the director struck him. They patched up their friendship but never worked together again.

* MoneyDearBoy: From the '60s onward the balance of Fonda's roles were cameos in movies of varying quality. Occasionally it was something like ''Film/TheLongestDay'' or ''Film/HowTheWestWasWon'', sometimes it was ''Film/TheSwarm'' or ''Film/{{Meteor}}''.

* PlayingAgainstType: Fonda almost always played straight-laced heroes, which made his few villain roles extremely effective. See ''Film/FortApache'', ''Film/AdviseAndConsent'', ''Firecreek'' and most famously ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest''.

His career lasted from 1935 to 1981, where he was in over a hundred films, television programs, theatre productions and various shorts. He received one UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination (''The Grapes of Wrath'') and eventually won one in 1981 for ''On Golden Pond''. Between 1943 and 1946 his career was blank as he had been enlisted in the Navy during WorldWarII. He was also friends with Creator/JimmyStewart (despite their opposing political views[[note]]Stewart was a hawkish conservative, while Fonda was a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. They actually once got into a fistfight after they had a political debate, and they made up by vowing never to talk politics again.[[/note]]), his former roommate.

Henry Jaynes Fonda (1905-1982) was an American actor, known for a variety of roles in movies such as:

* ''WarAndPeace'' (1956)

His career lasted from 1935 to 1981, where he was in over a hundred films, television programs, theatre productions and various shorts. He received one UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination (''The Grapes of Wrath'') and eventually won one in 1981 for ''On Golden Pond''. Between 1943 and 1946 his career was blank as he had been enlisted in the Navy during WorldWarII. He was also friends with Creator/JimmyStewart (despite their opposing political views[[note]]Stewart was a hawkish conservative, while Fonda was a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. They actually once got into a fistfight after they had a political debate, and they made up by vowing never to talk politics again.[[/note]]), his former roommate.

In his lifetime, Fonda was typecast as straight-laced, heroic characters like Tom Joad in ''The Grapes of Wrath'' or Juror #8 in ''12 Angry Men''. His signature role was the beleaguered but sympathetic naval officer in ''Mister Roberts'', which he played for years on stage and later on film. Fonda cemented this image playing Presidents, statesmen, generals and other authority figures in most of his later movies. Ironically, today's audiences probably recognize Fonda from his drastically against-type role in ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' as a psychotic gunslinger.

Fonda was married five times. His children from his third wife, Frances Ford Seymour, [[Creator/JaneFonda Jane]] and Peter, as well as granddaughter Bridget, are also accomplished actors in their own right. Though he often played nice guys in his films in real life he was reportedly very distant and withdrawn from people, even his own children, and by his own admission he was not an ideal parent. He died of heart failure on August 12, 1982 at age 77.