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5[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/henryfonda.png]]
6->''"Have you seen Henry Fonda walking? That's cinema."''
7-->-- '''Creator/JohnFord'''
8
9Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 -- August 12, 1982) was a highly prolific American actor.
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11His 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.
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13In his lifetime, Fonda was typecast as straitlaced yet heroic characters like Tom Joad in ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'' 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.
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15Fonda was married five times. His children from his third wife, Frances Ford Seymour, Creator/{{Jane|Fonda}} and Creator/{{Peter|Fonda}}, as well as granddaughter Creator/{{Bridget|Fonda}}, 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 Though he often played nice guys in his films in real life he was reportedly very distant and withdrawn from people, even his own children, and by his own admission he was not an ideal parent. Peter recalled breaking in to tears upon hearing Henry praise his acting in an interview as it was the first time he'd ever heard his father praise his work. He died of heart failure on August 12, 1982 at age 77.
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17----
18!!Henry Fonda on TV Tropes:
19
20* 1935 -- ''Film/TheFarmerTakesAWife''
21* 1938 -- ''Film/{{Jezebel}}''
22* 1938 -- ''Film/TheMadMissManton''
23* 1939 -- ''Film/JesseJames'' as Frank James
24* 1939 -- ''Film/YoungMrLincoln''
25* 1939 -- ''Film/DrumsAlongTheMohawk''
26* 1940 -- ''Film/TheReturnOfFrankJames'' as Frank James
27* 1940 -- ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'' as Tom Joad
28* 1941 -- ''Film/TheLadyEve''
29* 1943 -- ''Film/TheOxBowIncident''
30* 1946 -- ''Film/MyDarlingClementine''
31* 1948 -- ''Film/FortApache''
32* 1955 -- ''Film/MisterRoberts''
33* 1956 -- ''Film/{{War and Peace|1956}}''
34* 1956 -- ''Film/TheWrongMan''
35* 1957 -- ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'' as Juror #8
36* 1959 -- ''Film/Warlock1959'' as Clay Blaisedell
37* 1962 -- ''Film/AdviseAndConsent''
38* 1962 -- ''Film/TheLongestDay''
39* 1962 -- ''Film/HowTheWestWasWon''
40* 1964 -- ''Film/{{The Best Man|1964}}''
41* 1964 -- ''Film/FailSafe''
42* 1964 -- ''Film/SexAndTheSingleGirl''
43* 1965 -- ''Film/BattleOfTheBulge''
44* 1965 -- ''Film/InHarmsWay''
45* 1966 -- ''Film/ABigHandForTheLittleLady''
46* 1968 -- ''Film/TheBostonStrangler''
47* 1968 -- ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'' as Frank
48* 1968 -- ''Film/YoursMineAndOurs''
49* 1970 -- ''Film/TheCheyenneSocialClub''
50* 1970 -- ''Film/ThereWasACrookedMan''
51* 1973 -- ''Film/MyNameIsNobody''
52* 1976 -- ''Film/{{Midway|1976}}''
53* 1977 -- ''Film/{{Rollercoaster}}''
54* 1978 -- ''Film/TheSwarm1978''
55* 1979 -- ''Film/{{Meteor}}''
56* 1979 -- ''Film/WandaNevada''
57* 1980 -- ''Film/GideonsTrumpet''
58* 1981 -- ''Theatre/OnGoldenPond''
59
60
61----
62!!Tropes associated with his work:
63* CelebrityEndorsement: In TheSeventies, when his MoneyDearBoy phase hit its stride, he became the spokesman for GAF Materials Corporation, endorsing things like blank film and kitchen floors in a long series of TV commercials. GAF also made the View-Master around this time, and one of Fonda's View-Master commercials featured him talking to some kids, including an 8-year-old named Creator/JodieFoster.
64* DoggedNiceGuy: His standard role, exemplified by ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath''. Later in his career he typically played {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s.
65* InnocentBlueEyes: One of his signatures. Or CreepyBlueEyes when playing less savory characters.
66* 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/TheSwarm1978'' or ''Film/{{Meteor}}''.
67* 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''.
68* 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.
69* WorkingClassHero: His 30s roles in films like ''Literature/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.

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