Skip to content
MovieCove
Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

Actor, also producer · Died August 12, 1982, aged 77 · Grand Island, Nebraska, USA

Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor who had a career that spanned five decades in Hollywood. Fonda cultivated a strong, appealing screen image in several films now considered to be classics, earning one Academy Award for Best Actor on two nominations. Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor and made his Hollywood film debut in 1935. His film career began to gain momentum with roles such as Bette Davis's fiancee in her Academy Award-winning performance in Jezebel (1938), brother Frank in Jesse James (1939), and the future President in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), directed by John Ford. His early career peaked with his Academy Award-nominated performance as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, about an Oklahoma family who moved to California during the Dust Bowl 1930s. This film is widely considered to be among the greatest American films. In 1941 he starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in the screwball comedy classic The Lady Eve. Book-ending his service in WWII were his starring roles in two highly regarded westerns: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and My Darling Clementine (1946), the latter directed by John Ford, and he also starred in Ford's western Fort Apache (1948). After a seven-year break from films, during which Fonda focused on stage productions, he returned with the WWII war-boat ensemble Mister Roberts (1955). In 1957 he starred as Juror No.8, the hold-out juror, in 12 Angry Men. Fonda, who was also co-producer, won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Actor. Later in his career, Fonda moved into darker roles, such as the villain in the epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), underrated and a box office disappointment at its time of release, but now regarded as one of the best westerns of all time. He also played in lighter-hearted fare such as Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball, but also often played important military figures, such as a Colonel in Battle of the Bulge (1965), and Admiral Nimitz in Midway (1976). He finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 54th Academy Awards for his final film role in On Golden Pond (1981), which also starred Katharine Hepburn and his daughter Jane Fonda, but was too ill to attend the ceremony. He died from heart disease a few months later.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 16, 1905
Died
August 12, 1982 (aged 77)
From
Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
89 on MovieCove · 131 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Henry Fonda's films like?

Across their 86 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 85 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 31 · Serious 20 · Dark 34

Grounded 51 · Stylized 30 · Heightened 4

Gentle 23 · Charged 40 · Intense 22

Steady 49 · Shifting 32 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced 54 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 11

Slow burn 48 · Even-paced 37 · Relentless 0

A split, not a type: Casual 45 · Engaged 31 · Full focus 9

Easy watch 34 · Affecting 34 · Heavy 17

Resolved 69 · Open-ended 12 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

68 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 38 of 68 analyzed roles.

Hero
38 of 68
Ally
9 of 68
Mentor
9 of 68
Shadow
8 of 68
Trickster
1 of 68
Shapeshifter
1 of 68
Herald
1 of 68
Threshold guardian
1 of 68
Show the 68 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
47
Melancholic
37
Warm
24
Joyful
14
Contemplative
17
Other
73

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy20
  • Bittersweet46
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous12
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Henry Fonda's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 89 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (24).

Subscription and free streaming for Henry Fonda's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

131 credits, 89 with a MovieCove page; 70 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Sacco and Vanzetti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Prof. Tommy Turner (archive footage)

  • Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as (archive footage)

  • La classe américaine(1993)

    as Hugues (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home to(1990)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Going Hollywood: The '30s(1984)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Summer Solstice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Joshua

  • On Golden Pond(1981)

    as Norman Thayer Jr.

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • Gideon's Trumpet(1980)

    as Clarence Earl Gideon

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • The Oldest Living Graduate(1980)

    as Col. J.C. Kincaid

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • Meteor(1979)

    as The President

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
  • City on Fire(1979)

    as Fire Chief Risley

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
  • Wanda Nevada(1979)

    as Old Prospector

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • Roots: The Next Generations(1979)

    Show 3 episodes · as Colonel Frederick Warner

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
  • Fedora(1978)

    as President of the Academy

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • The Swarm(1978)

    as Dr. Krim

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
  • The Great Smokey Roadblock(1977)

    as Elegant John

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
  • Home to Stay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Grandpa George

  • The Biggest Battle(1978)

    as Generale Foster

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
  • Laugh-In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Guest Performer · as Guest Performer (uncredited)

  • Rollercoaster(1977)

    as Simon Davenport

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • Tentacles(1977)

    as Mr. Whitehead

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
  • Captains and the Kings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 8 episodes · as Sen. Enfield Bassett

  • Midway(1976)

    as Adm. Chester W. Nimitz

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as James Lawrence

  • Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Gen. Douglas MacArthur

  • Henry James' The Jolly Corner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Narrator

  • Clarence Darrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Clarence Darrow

  • The Last 4 Days(1974)

    as Kardinal Schuster

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Parker Adderson, Philosopher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Narrator (Voice)

  • The Music School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • My Name Is Nobody(1973)

    as Jack Beauregard

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • Ash Wednesday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Mark Sawyer

  • The Alpha Caper(1973)

    as Mark Forbes

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • The Serpent(1973)

    as Alan Davies

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • The Red Pony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Carl Tiflin

  • Sometimes a Great Notion(1971)

    as Henry Stamper

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • The Smith Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 39 episodes · as Chad Smith

  • There Was a Crooked Man...(1970)

    as Woodward W. Lopeman

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • The Cheyenne Social Club(1970)

    as Harley Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Too Late the Hero(1970)

    as Capt. John G Nolan

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • The Bill Cosby Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Joshua Richards

  • An Impression of John Steinbeck: Writer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as John Steinbeck (voice)

  • Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • Pat Paulsen for President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Boston Strangler(1968)

    as John S. Bottomly

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • The Doris Day Show(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Henry Fonda (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows
  • Yours, Mine and Ours(1968)

    as Frank Beardsley

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
  • Madigan(1968)

    as Commissioner Anthony X. Russell

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Firecreek(1968)

    as Bob Larkin

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • A Space to Grow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Narrator

  • The World About Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Narrator

  • Stranger on the Run(1967)

    as Ben Chamberlain

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • Welcome to Hard Times(1967)

    as Mayor Will Blue

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • To Save a Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Born to Buck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Narrator

  • Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Battle of the Bulge(1965)

    as Lt Col Kiley

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • The Secret Agents(1965)

    as Dimitri Koulov

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
  • In Harm's Way(1965)

    as CINCPAC II

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • The Rounders(1965)

    as Marion 'Howdy' Lewis

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
  • Sex and the Single Girl(1964)

    as Frank Broderick

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Fail Safe(1964)

    as The President

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • The Best Man(1964)

    as William Russell

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Spencer's Mountain(1963)

    as Clay Spencer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Hollywood: The Fabulous Era (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Narrator / Host

  • How the West Was Won(1962)

    as Jethro Stuart

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • The Longest Day(1962)

    as Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • Advise & Consent(1962)

    as Robert Leffingwell

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • The Fabulous Fifties(1960)

    as Narrator (segment "Fifties Dead Sequence") (voice)

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • The Man Who Understood Women(1959)

    as Willie Bauche

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
  • The Deputy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 76 episodes · Executive Producer · as Marshal Simon Fry

  • Warlock(1959)

    as Clay Blaisedell

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Stage Struck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Lewis Easton

  • The Tin Star(1957)

    as Morgan Hickman

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • 12 Angry Men(1957)

    Producer · as Juror 8

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • The Wrong Man(1956)

    as Manny Balestrero

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • War and Peace(1956)

    as Pierre Bezukhov

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
  • Mister Roberts(1955)

    as Lieutenant Roberts

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • The Petrified Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Alan Squier

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Emmett Kelly

  • The Real Miss America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Clarence Earl Gideon

  • Pictura (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Narrator (segment "Grant Wood") (voice)

  • Benjy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Jigsaw(1949)

    as Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
  • Fort Apache(1948)

    as Lt. Col. Owen Thursday

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • On Our Merry Way(1948)

    as Lank Solsky

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • Daisy Kenyon(1947)

    as Peter Lapham

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • The Fugitive(1947)

    as A Fugitive

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • The Long Night(1947)

    as Joe Adams

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • My Darling Clementine(1946)

    as Wyatt Earp

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Immortal Sergeant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Corporal Colin Spence

  • The Ox-Bow Incident(1943)

    as Gil Carter

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • The Battle of Midway(1942)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
  • It's Everybody's War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Narrator

  • The Big Street(1942)

    as Little Pinks

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • Tales of Manhattan(1942)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • The Magnificent Dope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Thadeus Winship 'Tad' Page

  • Rings on Her Fingers(1942)

    as John Wheeler

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • The Male Animal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Tommy Turner

  • You Belong to Me(1941)

    as Peter Kirk

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Wild Geese Calling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as John Murdock

  • The Lady Eve(1941)

    as Charles Pike

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Chad Hanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Chad Hanna

  • The Return of Frank James(1940)

    as Frank James

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • Lillian Russell(1940)

    as Alexander Moore

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • The Grapes of Wrath(1940)

    as Tom Joad

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Drums Along the Mohawk(1939)

    as Gilbert Martin

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Young Mr. Lincoln(1939)

    as Abraham Lincoln

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Let Us Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as "Brick" Tennant

  • Jesse James(1939)

    as Frank James

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • The Mad Miss Manton(1938)

    as Peter Ames

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • Spawn of the North(1938)

    as Jim Kimmerlee

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • Blockade(1938)

    as Marco

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
  • Jezebel(1938)

    as Preston Dillard

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • I Met My Love Again(1938)

    as Ives Towner

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
  • That Certain Woman(1937)

    as Jack V. Merrick, Jr.

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Slim(1937)

    as Slim Kincaid

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Wings of the Morning(1937)

    as Kerry Gilfallen

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • You Only Live Once(1937)

    as Eddie Taylor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Spendthrift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Townsend Middleton

  • The Moon's Our Home(1936)

    as Anthony Amberton / John Smith

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • The Trail of the Lonesome Pine(1936)

    as Dave Tolliver

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • I Dream Too Much (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Johnny Street

  • Way Down East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as David Bartlett

  • The Farmer Takes a Wife(1935)

    as Dan Harrow

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Loving Against Time: the Making of On Golden Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as (archive footage)

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 130 titles, 129 of them dated from 1935 to 2006; peak year 1963.

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19352006

Peak 1963 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 43 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting130 of 130: 128 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdProducing2 of 130: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1930s20 · acting1940s23 · acting1950s15 · 15 acting · 2 crew1960s29 · acting1970s32 · acting1980s5 · acting1990s4 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 31% of 59 roles
36415161667176

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Henry Fonda's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 87; across their 85 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Approval · how many liked their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Midcredits score across 89 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up38
  • 50th to 74th32
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

49 of their 89 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved18
  • Universally Panned2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser49
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed11

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 77 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Henry Fonda's work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles8–54 · median 30 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity21 titles4–42 · median 16 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity14 titles7–52 · median 25 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles17–42 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense13 titles15–57 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Henry Fonda work with?

People who share at least 2 of Henry Fonda's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Ford shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles