Dazzling the Screen Henry Fonda

American actor Henry Fonda had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1982 for his portrayal in “On Golden Pond." Unfortunately, the actor did not make it to the ceremony, being too ill, and died from heart disease five months later. Fonda was the patriarch of a family of actors, among them daughter Jane Fonda, son Peter Fonda, granddaughter Bridget Fonda, and grandson Troy Gantry. In 1999 he was named the sixth-greatest male screen legend of the Classic Hollywood Era.

Director John Ford directed the 1946 American Western “My Darling Clementine." The film starred Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Linda Darnell, Walter Brennan, and others. The title of the film comes from the theme song “Oh, My Darling Clementine." The screenplay was based on the biography “Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal” by Stuart Lake.

The storyline revolves around legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) set in the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral; the story follows Earp’s quest to avenge his brother’s death by becoming sheriff of the boom town of Tombstone.

Director John Ford directed the 1940 American drama “The Grapes of Wrath." The film is based on the 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. The film starred Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, and others.

The storyline revolves around an Oklahoma family, the Joads, who are sharecroppers who, after losing their farm to increased mechanization during the Great Depression, become migrant workers and wind up in California.

Director William Wyler directed the 1938 American romantic drama "Jezebel." The film starred Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, and others. It was adapted from the 1933 play of the same name by Owen Davis Sr. Bette Davis won her second Academy Award for her portrayal in this film.

The storyline revolves around Julie Marsden (Bette Davis), a headstrong young woman during the Antebellum period whose actions cost her Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda), the man she loves.

Director Sergio Leone directed the 1968 epic spaghetti Western “Once Upon a Time in the West." The film starred Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, and others.

The storyline follows a mysterious, harmonica-playing stranger, a desperado, and a recently widowed woman joining forces against a ruthless assassin working for a robber baron.

Director Mark Rydell directed the 1981 drama “On Golden Pond." The film was adapted from the 1979 play of the same name by Ernest Thompson. The film starred Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, and others. Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Hepburn the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The storyline revolves around Norman Thayer Jr. (Henry Fonda), a crusty, retired professor grappling with many effects of aging. He’s been married for many years to upbeat, feisty Ethel (Katharine Hepburn) but has a remote, difficult relationship with their daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda).

Director Alfred Hitchcock directed the 1956 American docudrama “The Wrong Man." The film starred Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. It was based on the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book “The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestreto” by Maxwell Anderson.

The storyline follows musician Manny Balestreto (Henry Fonda), a man wrongly accused of a crime. As his lawyer works to clear his name, the pressure threatens to destroy Manny's mental health and relationship with his family.

Director John Ford directed the 1939 American biographical drama “Young Mr. Lincoln." The film starred Henry Fonda and is about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln. (pictured above)

The storyline focuses on Abe Lincoln’s early life, focusing on his law career, courtship of Mary Todd, and his involvement in defending two brothers accused of murder.

Director Melville Shavelson directed the 1968 American family comedy “Yours, Mine, and Ours." The film starred Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, and Van Johnson.

The storyline revolves around Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda), a Navy Chief Warrant Officer with ten children who meets civilian nurse Helen North working at the dispensary at NAS Almeda, who has eight children of her own. The two widowers begin dating and fall in love. Finally combining their families and, at the end, expecting a child of their own.