Henry Fonda (1905-1982), American actor, noted for portraying men of strong moral character. Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, he first appeared on the stage in You and I (1925) in Omaha, Nebraska, and on Broadway in 1929. His first film part was in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935). Two of his most highly acclaimed film roles were the title role in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) and that of Tom Joad, a refugee from the Oklahoma dustbowl, in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). In later years he divided his time between films and the stage, playing the title role in the Broadway play Mister Roberts (1949) and in the film adaptation (1955). Other films in which Fonda starred were Twelve Angry Men (1957), Advise and Consent (1962), Sometimes a Great Notion (1971), and On Golden Pond (1981), for which he received the Academy Award for best actor. He appeared in a Broadway revival of The Time of Your Life. Fonda died on August 12, 1982, in Los Angeles.

Fonda's children also pursued film careers. His daughter, Jane Fonda, has starred in many films and has also been active in pacifist and other liberal causes. Fonda's son, Peter, is an actor, writer, producer, and director.