USPS on 20 May 2005 issued the Legends of Hollywood Series, featuring Henry Fonda. The cancellation postmark originated in Los Angeles, California. This multicoloured, lithographed stamp was printed by Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd. It featured a Serpentine Die Cut 11 x 10.75 perforations. Total printing run was 65,000,000 stamps.
Henry Jaynes Fonda was born on 16 May 1905, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Fonda’s big break came in 1935 when he was offered a part in "The Farmer Takes a Wife", reprising his role from the Broadway play that had gained him significant attention.
Soon his friend James Stewart moved out to Hollywood to join him and they lived next door to Greta Garbo. That same year, Fonda appeared in "I Dream Too Much" with Lily Pons. The New York Times called him “the most likable of the new crop of romantic juveniles.” Fonda then appeared in "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine", the first Technicolor movie to be filmed outdoors.
Soon his friend James Stewart moved out to Hollywood to join him and they lived next door to Greta Garbo. That same year, Fonda appeared in "I Dream Too Much" with Lily Pons. The New York Times called him “the most likable of the new crop of romantic juveniles.” Fonda then appeared in "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine", the first Technicolor movie to be filmed outdoors.
In the coming years, Fonda worked with Hollywood’s elite, including Bette Davis and John Ford. He had several big hits, including "You Only Live Once", "Jezebel", "Young Mr. Lincoln", "Jesse James", and "Drums Along the Mohawk". Then in 1940 he appeared in "The Grapes of Wrath", for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Many consider this to be the best performance of his career.
Fonda took a break from acting during World War II, claiming, “I don’t want to be in a fake war in a studio.” He enlisted in the Navy and served for three years and earned a Bronze Star for his service. After retuning home, Fonda played Wyatt Earp in "My Darling Clementine", worked with Joan Crawford in "Daisy Kenyon", and Ford again in "The Fugitive". He also appeared in "Fort Apache" with John Wayne and Shirley Temple.
After that, Fonda returned to Broadway to play the title role in "Mister Roberts", wearing his own officer’s cap. He earned a Tony Award for the performance and spent the next several years in successful stage productions. After eight years away from Hollywood, he reprised his role in "Mister Roberts" for the screen. Fonda continued to work in movies, appearing in "War and Peace", "The Wrong Man", and "12 Angry Men", for which he won a BAFTA Best Actor award.
Most of Fonda’s roles throughout the 1960s were in war and western films such as "The Longest Day", "How the West Was Won", "Battle of Bulge", and "Once Upon a Time in the West". In the 70s Fonda continued to work on stage and the big and small screens. He starred in his own TV series, "The Smith Family", was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and received and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Fold Globes and Academy Awards. In 1981 he starred in "On Golden Pond" opposite Katharine Hepburn and his daughter Jane. The film was an unexpected blockbuster and Fonda earned his only Oscar, for Best Actor, as well as a Golden Globe.
Henry Fonda died the following year, on August 12, 1982. President Ronald Reagan, a former actor, called Fonda “a true professional dedicated to excellence in his craft. He graced the screen with a sincerity and accuracy which made him a legend.”
Source: Mystic Stamps
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