For which film did Henry Fonda win his best actor Oscar?!
Question: On Golden Pond
Answers: On Golden Pond
In 1982 he won for On Golden Pond
It was for On Golden Pond, one of those "Uh-oh, he's gonna die soon and we've never given him an Oscar" kind of things.
His performance was great, but not as good as either Beatty or Newman that year, and probably only as good as Lancaster. He got it because he had never won, and he was on his deathbed.
That is nonsense about it being a pity Oscar! If that was so, Alfred Hitchcock and thousands of others would have received Oscars "because he or she is going to die soon"! So, that is an irritatingly incorrect notion!
Henry Fonda's performance in "On Golden Pond" (1981~Oscar in 1982) is brilliant~funny, sad, touching, and endearing. His Norman Thayer is one of those cranky old guys you meet who don't seem to have anything but sourness in them. But, the people closest to them know they're "knights in shining armor".
No one should take away from that honor! A fantastic performance deserves being rewarded!
If anyone needs to be reminded what a brilliant and admired actor Henry Fonda was, check this site for his record of nominations and wins:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000020/award...
On Golden Pond. Not his best effort, either.
On Golden Pond.
A few months after winning the Oscar, he died.
He got that Oscar when he was terribly ill, he couldn't even attend the ceremony.
As stated above, it was the 1981 film "On Golden Pond," also starring Katherine Hepburn and Jane Fonda