Henry Jaynes
Henry Jaynes "Hank" Fonda was an American actor. He was born on May 16, 1905 in Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S. He graduated from Omaha Central High School, Fonda and thereafter enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study journalism but could not complete it. He came back home in Nebraska and start spending time at the Omaha Community Playhouse and shared the stage with Marlon Brando's mother. By the late 1920s, he had made acting his profession. He moved to New England and joined the University Players Guild. He was cast alongside other young actors including James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. His first big breakthrough was Broadway production's "New Faces" released in 1934. After one year, he moved to Hollywood, where he spend nearly 50-year career in the movies. He made his screen debut in The Farmer Takes a Wife. After that he performed in The Trail of the Lonesome Pine in 1936, The Moon's Our Own also in 1936, Wings of the Morning in 1937, You Only Live Once in 1937 and Jezebel in 1938. His role of Abraham Lincoln in the John Ford directed by Young Mr. Lincoln in 1939 was appreciated by critics. The next year he teamed up with Ford again in the 1940 film adaption of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. He played the role of farm worker Tom Joad and nominated for his first Oscar nomination. He became one of the Hollywood's biggest stars due to his talent playing the roles in movies such as The Lady Eve (1941), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), Twelve Angry Men (1957) and Fail Safe (1964). He did more than 80 films during his celebrated career. His final on-screen performance was 1981's the family tale On Golden Pond in which he was cast opposite his daughter Jane Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. The film was criticaly and commercialy success and he won his first Best Actor Oscar Award. He was married five times. He had three children Jane and Peter Fonda are also actors and a second daughter, Amy Fonda. He is also the grandfather of actress Bridget Fonda. At the time of his Oscar win, he was too ill to attend the award ceremony, so, his daughter Jane accepted the honor for him. He died on August 12, 1982 at his Los Angeles home.