Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 â August 12, 1982) was an American film and stage actor who had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. Fonda cultivated a strong, appealing screen image in several films now considered to be classics.
In 1942, Fonda enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War II, saying, “I don’t want to be in a fake war in a studio.” Previously, Stewart and he had helped raise funds for the defense of Britain. Fonda served for three years, initially as a Quartermaster 3rd Class on the destroyer USS Satterlee. He was later commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Central Pacific and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Navy Presidential Unit Citation. After being discharged from active duty due to an “overage in rank”, Fonda was transferred to the Naval Reserve, serving three years (1945-1948).
Fonda stared as Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. in the 1962 movie classic âThe Longest Dayâ.
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