Henry Fonda's Real Name: Henry Jaynes Fonda

Quick answer: Henry Fonda's documented full name is Henry Jaynes Fonda. Britannica lists that form as "in full" and dates his birth to May 16, 1905, in Grand Island, Nebraska. A 1982 UPI report independently uses the professional name Henry Fonda and records his death that August (Britannica; UPI).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Henry Fonda. Britannica's fact box uses Henry Jaynes Fonda and a Grand Island, Nebraska, birth on May 16, 1905. UPI's contemporary obituary does not use the middle name. Britannica says he grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and the surrounding area, studied journalism at the University of Minnesota, and returned home during his sophomore year. He began acting at the Omaha Community Playhouse, it says, and in 1928 moved to the East Coast, joining the University Players Guild in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where he met, among others, James Stewart. Fonda made his Broadway debut in 1929 in The Game of Love and Death, and in 1934 played his first Broadway leading role in The Farmer Takes a Wife, which he reprised in his movie debut the next year.

Career highlights

Britannica says he appeared in more than 90 films over six decades. UPI independently lists core titles including The Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts, The Ox-Bow Incident, Young Mr. Lincoln, and Twelve Angry Men. Britannica independently records stardom around The Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts, and 12 Angry Men. UPI says he was nominated for an Oscar in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrath, shared a 1958 nomination as producer of Twelve Angry Men, received a special Oscar in 1981 for career achievements, and won a regular Academy Award in 1982 for On Golden Pond. Britannica independently lists an Academy Award for actor in a leading role in 1982, an honorary award in 1981, and a Tony Award in 1948.

Death

Fonda died on August 12, 1982, in Los Angeles, according to Britannica, at age 77. UPI, in a report dated August 12, 1982, says he died that Thursday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, also at age 77, which is compatible with the Los Angeles location.

Name notes for searchers

Henry Jaynes Fonda is the documented full name in Britannica; UPI uses Henry Fonda. The professional name is Henry Fonda. Searchers looking for the star of The Grapes of Wrath or On Golden Pond are usually aiming at the same person. Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda do not have live RealNameOf biographies and are not linked here.