This actor, who appeared in 87 films and 21 plays in his 76 years of life, won his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 1981, one year before his death. Who was he, and for what film did he win the Oscar?

The 1981 Academy Award for Best Actor was a poignant and long-overdue honor for one of Hollywood's most legendary figures, Henry Fonda. After a career spanning five decades and iconic roles in films like "The Grapes of Wrath" and "12 Angry Men," it was his final performance as the curmudgeonly Norman Thayer in "On Golden Pond" that finally earned him his first and only competitive Oscar for acting. The win was a capstone to a celebrated career, coming just months before he passed away in 1982.

The film itself was a deeply personal project. His daughter, Jane Fonda, had purchased the rights to the original play specifically to create a vehicle for her and her ailing father to star in together. The on-screen story of a difficult father and his estranged daughter trying to reconnect mirrored their own complex relationship, adding a powerful layer of emotional truth to their performances. The film was a massive success, also earning Katharine Hepburn a record-breaking fourth Best Actress Oscar.

Fonda was too ill to attend the 1982 ceremony, so a tearful Jane accepted the award on his behalf in one of the most memorable moments in Oscar history. The Academy had actually given him an Honorary Award the year prior to recognize his lifetime of achievements, but this competitive win for his final role provided a triumphant and fitting final curtain call for a true giant of the silver screen.