What Was Henry Fonda’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
Henry Fonda was one of the acting greats during the Golden Age of Hollywood. His career spanned five decades in film and on Broadway. And he starred in a number of projects that today are considered classics. The father to Peter and Jane Fonda was not always personally liked, but was revered for his talent onscreen nonetheless.
Fonda broke into the movie industry in the 1930s. He enjoyed a storied career that earned him Oscars, a Grammy, a Tony, and multiple Emmy nominations. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 124 credits to his name, and earnings from his acting that even today is considered a fortune.
Henry Fonda was a revered actor in Hollywood and on Broadway
Fonda’s earliest career aspirations were to become a journalist, according to IMDb. But he ultimately made the switch to performing on stage. He started in smaller projects but got his break at the age of 35 starring in The Farmer Takes a Wife. He’d later become known for his roles in classics like The Grapes of Wrath, 12 Angry Men, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Young Mr. Lincoln.
Fonda was awarded an honorary Academy Award toward the end of his life for his accomplishments in the industry. He won a second one for his acting skills a year later. Fonda won for his performance as an octogenarian in On Golden Pond, in which he starred alongside Katharine Hepburn and his daughter, Jane. (He was too ill to accept that award in person, so Jane accepted it on his behalf.)
Henry Fonda was named to the American Film Institute‘s 50 greatest American screen legends. The star placed No. 6 among the top 25 men in Hollywood history.
Henry Fonda died at age 77 a notable net worth to his name
Fonda continued acting well into his later years, though illness curtailed the frequency of his projects. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 69, which caused cardiac arrhythmia. He continued to have heart issues for the intervening years until his death from heart disease in 1982 at the age of 77.
Fonda didn’t have as many movie credits following his health issues, though On Golden Pond was released in 1981, just a year before his death. He also continued in stage performances and Emmy nominated TV projects like Clarence Darrow and Gideon’s Trumpet.
The breadth of his acting credits allowed Fonda to amass quite a fortune. After adjusting for inflation, he had accumulated an estimated $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Daughter Jane Fonda said Henry would ‘literally run away’ from fans
Though Fonda was a Hollywood legend, the way he approached his fame was complicated. His vanity and ego strained his relationship with Jane and Peter at times, People reports, though Jane said recently that she and her father were able to reconcile shortly before his death.
Though Fonda sought the spotlight in terms of his career, he wanted to do it on his own terms. He didn’t appreciate running into fans in public, particularly if they were looking to interact with the Hollywood star. “I grew up with a father who, if someone started approaching him to ask for an autograph, would literally run away,” Jane Fonda told AARP in a recent interview. “He couldn’t stand being reminded of his fame.”
Though Jane Fonda certainly inherited some of her acting chops from her late father, she took a different approach when it came to interacting with her fanbase. “You know who taught me about the importance of fans? Dolly Parton. When we did 9 to 5, I watched how she interacted, how she listened, how she truly cared and how grateful she was, and I thought, Oh, my gosh, Dolly’s right. Our careers depend on our fans!” the 80 for Brady star said. “That changed me forever.”
