Jane Fonda’s Early Life and Famous Family Background:
Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937, in New York City, USA) is an actress and political activist who initially became famous for her comedic roles but later proved herself as a dedicated actress, who earned Academy Awards for her roles in Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978).
Jane Fonda had two additional marriages: one to French film director Roger Vadim (1965–73) and another to American broadcasting entrepreneur Ted Turner (1991–2001). Her literary works comprised the autobiography My Life So Far (2005), Prime Time (2011)—a guide on aging—and What Can I Do?: My journey from climate-related hopelessness to meaningful action, published in 2020. The 2018 documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts documented her life and career.
Jane Fonda, whose father was actor Henry Fonda, had a younger brother named Peter Fonda who also gained recognition as an actor. After two years at Vassar College, she left to live in New York City, where she worked as a model and studied acting under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in 1958. She started her acting career with roles in the Broadway production There Was a Little Girl (1960) and the film Tall Story (1960). She subsequently appeared in many comedic films during the 1960s, such as Cat Ballou (1965) and Barefoot in the Park (1967).
Jane Fonda’s later roles of greater significance were in socially aware films like They Shoot Horses, Don’t They This period included standout films such as They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), followed by Klute (1971), Coming Home (1978), and later The China Syndrome (1979). She won Academy Awards for best actress for her roles as a call girl in Klute and as the wife of a Vietnam War soldier in Coming Home.
Jane Fonda subsequently starred alongside Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 comedy Nine to Five, where three women band together to seek revenge on their cruel, misogynistic boss. In 1981, she appeared alongside her father and Katharine Hepburn in the film On Golden Pond. In the 1980s, Fonda also appeared in the films Agnes of God (1985) and The Morning After (1986).
Jane Fonda took a hiatus from acting after portraying a struggling widow in Stanley & Iris (1990) and did not return to the screen until 2005, when she appeared alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Monster-in-Law. Her subsequent films comprised Georgia Rule (2007), Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013), and This Is Where I Leave You (2014). In 2009, Fonda made her Broadway comeback after a 46-year hiatus, taking on the role of a dying musicologist in 33 Variations. She held a recurring part in the TV drama The Newsroom (2012–14).
Jane Fonda subsequently appeared alongside Lily Tomlin in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie (2015–22), which revolves around two women whose husbands leave them for one another. Fonda took on the role of a widow who strikes up a friendship with her longtime neighbor (played by Robert Redford) in the 2017 Netflix film Our Souls at Night.
Later, she appeared in the romantic comedy Book Club (2018), which features longtime friends (Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton) who add some excitement to their club—and their lives—by reading E.L. James’s erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey; a sequel titled Book Club: The Next Chapter was released in 2023.
Fonda appeared alongside Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno as fans of the New England Patriots in the sports comedy 80 for Brady. In 2021, the Cecil B. DeMille Award (a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement) was awarded to Fonda.
Since the 1970s, Fonda has been engaged in activities supporting leftist political causes. In 1972, she traveled to Hanoi to condemn the U.S. bombing campaigns there as a vocal critic of the Vietnam War. On that journey, she met with the personnel of a North Vietnamese air defense battery, and images of Fonda sitting in an antiaircraft gun were disseminated widely. As a result of her actions, Fonda was labeled “Hanoi Jane” (a reference to Tokyo Rose from World War II).
She expressed regret for her actions in Hanoi during a 1988 televised interview with Barbara Walters, saying they were “thoughtless and careless.” In the same interview, she apologized to American Vietnam War veterans.
In the 1980s, she created a widely embraced exercise program to finance the Campaign for Economic Democracy, an organization established by her husband from 1973 to 1990, American politician Tom Hayden. In addition to her activism, Fonda was involved in the women’s rights movement and co-founded the Women’s Media Center in 2005. She also aimed to create awareness of climate change.