Jane Fonda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Fonda
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Jane Fonda in 2015
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Jane Seymour Fonda
December 21, 1937 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
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| Other names | Jane S. Plemiannikov |
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| Years active | 1959–present |
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| Political party | Democratic |
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| Partner(s) | Richard Perry (2009–2017) |
| Children | 3, including Troy Garity and Mary Williams (de facto adopted) |
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| Awards | Full list |
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. She is known as a film icon. Fonda's work covers many types of movies and TV shows over more than sixty years. She has won many awards, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She has also been nominated for a Grammy Award and two Tony Awards. Fonda received special lifetime achievement awards like the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2007 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2014.
Born to Frances Ford Seymour and actor Henry Fonda, she first appeared on screen in the romantic comedy Tall Story (1960). She became famous for comedies like Cat Ballou (1965), Barefoot in the Park (1967), and 9 to 5 (1980). Fonda also became a respected dramatic actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles in the thriller Klute (1971) and the drama Coming Home (1978). She was nominated for Oscars for other films too, such as On Golden Pond (1981). After a 15-year break, she returned to acting in 2005.
On stage, Fonda first appeared on Broadway in There Was a Little Girl (1960). She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. She returned to Broadway in 2009 for 33 Variations, earning another Tony nomination. For her TV work, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for The Dollmaker (1984). She was also nominated for Emmys for her roles in The Newsroom (2012–2014) and Grace and Frankie (2015–2022).
Fonda was a political activist during the 1960s. She protested the Vietnam War. She was photographed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun during a 1972 visit to Hanoi. This led to her nickname "Hanoi Jane." She also protested the Iraq War and violence against women. Fonda describes herself as a feminist and an environmental activist. She helped start the Hollywood Women's Political Committee in 1984 and the Women's Media Center in 2005. Fonda is also well-known for her exercise videos, starting with Jane Fonda's Workout (1982). This video became the best-selling videotape of its time.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jane Seymour Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, in New York City. Her parents were Frances Ford Seymour and American actor Henry Fonda. Her family name, Fonda, comes from an Italian ancestor who moved to the Netherlands in the 1500s. Jane also has English, French, and Scottish family roots. She was named after Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, to whom she is distantly related. Her brother, Peter Fonda, was also an actor.
In 1950, when Jane was 12, her mother passed away. Later that year, her father married Susan Blanchard. When she was 15, Jane taught dance.
Fonda went to several schools, including Vassar College. Before she became an actress, she worked as a model. She appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine twice.
Fonda became interested in acting in 1954. She performed with her father in a play. After leaving Vassar, she studied art in Paris for six months. When she returned to the U.S. in 1958, she met Lee Strasberg. This meeting changed her life. Fonda said that Strasberg told her she had "real talent." She felt this was a major turning point.
Career Highlights
1959–1969: First Roles and Becoming Famous
Fonda's stage work in the late 1950s helped her start her film career in the 1960s. She made about two movies a year during this time. Her first film was Tall Story in 1960. For her role in Walk on the Wild Side (1962), Fonda won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1963, she starred in Sunday in New York. A newspaper called her "the loveliest and most gifted of all our new young actresses."
Fonda's career really took off with Cat Ballou (1965). In this comedy Western, she played a schoolteacher who becomes an outlaw. The movie was a big hit and was nominated for five Oscars. Many people saw this film as the one that made Fonda a major star. The next year, she starred with Robert Redford in The Chase. She also made comedies like Barefoot in the Park (1967), again with Redford.
In 1968, she played the main character in the science fiction movie Barbarella. The sad film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) brought her great praise. This movie was a big moment in her career. For her performance, she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She also received her first Academy Awards nomination for Best Actress.
1970–1979: Major Success and Awards
In the 1970s, Fonda received the most praise for her acting. This happened even though her activism sometimes caused problems. Her performances showed a new kind of acting. She was willing to play characters that might not always be liked by the audience.
Fonda won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1971. She played Bree Daniels in the thriller Klute. This movie was very successful with both critics and audiences. Fonda's acting earned her wide recognition. She won many major awards for this role, including her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Between Klute in 1971 and Fun with Dick and Jane in 1977, Fonda did not have many big movie hits. She appeared in a few films, but her focus was more on her political activism. She later said that her career actually grew stronger after the war. She chose to act less because her activism became very important to her. Her return to acting was in movies that focused on important social issues.
In 1977, the comedy film Fun with Dick and Jane was seen as her "comeback" movie. Critics praised Fonda's funny performance. Also in 1977, she played the writer Lillian Hellman in Julia. For this role, Fonda won her first BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and her second Golden Globe. She also received her third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
During this time, Fonda decided she would only make movies about important topics. She kept her word. In 1978, Fonda was at the peak of her career. She won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Sally Hyde in Coming Home. This film was about a disabled Vietnam War veteran. The movie was a big success and received positive reviews. Her performance also earned her a third Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
She won her second BAFTA Award for Best Actress in 1979 for The China Syndrome. This movie was about a cover-up at a nuclear power plant. Fonda played a smart TV news reporter. This role also earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The same year, she starred in The Electric Horseman with Robert Redford. This film was a box office success. By the late 1970s, Fonda was considered Hollywood's most successful actress.
1980–1991: Established Star and Break from Acting
In 1980, Fonda starred in 9 to 5 with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. This movie was a huge success. Fonda had always wanted to work with her father, Henry Fonda. She hoped it would help their relationship. She bought the rights to the play On Golden Pond for them to star in together. The movie showed a father-daughter relationship that was much like their real one. They became the first father-daughter pair to be nominated for Oscars for the same film. On Golden Pond also starred Katharine Hepburn. Henry Fonda won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for this film. Jane accepted it for him because he was ill. He passed away five months later. Both 9 to 5 and On Golden Pond earned over $100 million.
Fonda continued to appear in movies in the 1980s. She won an Emmy Award for her role in The Dollmaker (1984). She also starred in Agnes of God (1985) and the thriller The Morning After (1986). For The Morning After, she was nominated for another Academy Award for Best Actress.
For many years, Fonda took ballet to stay fit. After breaking her foot, she started doing aerobics and strengthening exercises. This led to the Jane Fonda Workout. This started a second career for her. It was one of the things that began the fitness craze among baby boomers. In 1982, Fonda released her first exercise video, Jane Fonda's Workout. It was based on her best-selling book. The video became the highest-selling home video for several years. It sold over a million copies. This video made many people buy VCRs to watch and do the workout at home. She released 23 workout videos in total, selling 17 million copies. She also released five workout books and thirteen audio programs. After a fifteen-year break, she released two new fitness videos on DVD in 2010 for older audiences.
In 1990, she starred in the romantic drama Stanley & Iris with Robert De Niro. This was her last film for 15 years. The movie did not do well at the box office. In 1991, after three decades in film, Fonda announced she was retiring from the movie industry.
2005–2014: Return to Acting and Broadway
In 2005, she returned to movies with the successful film Monster-in-Law, starring with Jennifer Lopez. Two years later, Fonda starred in Georgia Rule (2007) with Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan. Critics did not like Georgia Rule much, but many felt Fonda's performance was strong. In 2009, Fonda returned to Broadway for the first time since 1963. She played Katherine Brandt in 33 Variations. This role earned her a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.
Fonda played a main role in the 2011 French drama All Together. This was her first French film since 1972. The same year, she starred in Peace, Love and Misunderstanding, playing a hippie grandmother. In 2012, Fonda began a recurring role as Leona Lansing in HBO's TV show The Newsroom. Her role continued for three seasons, and Fonda received two Emmy nominations for it.
In 2013, Fonda had a small role in the drama The Butler. She played First Lady Nancy Reagan. Fonda said that even though she had different political views from Nancy Reagan, she had no trouble playing the role. She said, "I am an actor, and I have no intention of allowing the political differences between us to color my portrayal of her." Critics praised her performance. She also appeared in comedies like This is Where I Leave You in 2014. She voiced a character on The Simpsons. In 2015, she played an acting star in Youth, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination.
2015–Present: Grace and Frankie and Other Roles
Fonda starred as a main character in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie. She and Lily Tomlin played older women whose husbands reveal they are in love with each other. The show started in 2015 and ended in 2022 after seven seasons.
In 2016, Fonda voiced Shuriki in Elena and the Secret of Avalor.
Fonda starred in her fourth movie with Robert Redford in 2017, the romantic drama Our Souls at Night. The film and Fonda's acting received great reviews. In 2018, she starred with Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen in the romantic comedy Book Club. The movie was a big success at the box office. Fonda is also the subject of an HBO documentary called Jane Fonda in Five Acts. It covers her life from childhood, through her acting and activism, to today.
Fonda finished filming the final season of Grace and Frankie in 2021. In November 2021, it was announced Fonda would be in the second part of Amazon Prime Video's Yearly Departed. She appeared with other comedians and actors.
Fonda joined the cast of the 2023 film 80 for Brady. She starred with veteran actresses Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field. She and Tomlin also starred in the black comedy Moving On. Her third project for 2023 was Book Club: The Next Chapter, filmed in Italy.
Political Activism
During the 1960s, Fonda became involved in political activism. She supported the Civil Rights Movement and opposed the Vietnam War. Her visits to France connected her with French thinkers who were against the war. She later called this experience "small-c communism." Along with other famous people, she supported the Alcatraz Island occupation by Indigenous Americans in 1969. This protest aimed to highlight government failures regarding treaty rights and the movement for greater Indigenous self-rule.
She supported the Black Panthers in the early 1970s. She called them "our revolutionary vanguard." She has been part of the feminist movement since the 1970s. She connects her activism to supporting civil rights.
Fonda and Barbra Streisand helped create the Hollywood Women's Political Committee (HWPC) in 1984. This group aimed to help political campaigns. The HWPC was called "the single most-powerful entertainment group" in politics.
Opposition to the Vietnam War
On May 4, 1970, Fonda spoke at the University of New Mexico. She talked about G.I. rights. She was shocked when a poet asked why she hadn't mentioned the Kent State shootings. These shootings had just happened. She joined a protest march that day.
In the same year, Fonda spoke against the war at a rally for Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). She offered to help raise money for them. That fall, Fonda toured colleges to raise funds for the group. She was a "major patron" of the VVAW.
In 1971, Fonda, with Fred Gardner and Donald Sutherland, started the FTA tour. This was an anti-war road show. It was a response to Bob Hope's USO tour. The FTA tour visited military towns. It aimed to talk with soldiers about their upcoming deployments to Vietnam. This was made into a movie called F.T.A. (1972). The movie showed strong criticism of the war from service members.
Visit to Hanoi
Between 1965 and 1972, many Americans traveled to North Vietnam. They wanted to see the war situation for themselves. They believed U.S. news often only showed one side. Fonda visited Vietnam in July 1972. She traveled to Hanoi to see damage from bombings. She said the U.S. had been intentionally bombing the dike system. Other journalists also reported attacks on the dikes. Some believed the damage was accidental and used for propaganda. However, a French geographer later said the dike system was intentionally targeted.
Fonda was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. This photo angered many Americans. It earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane." In her 2005 autobiography, she wrote that she was tricked into sitting on the gun. She was very upset by what the pictures suggested.
Fonda made radio broadcasts on Hanoi Radio during her two-week visit. She talked about bombed villages, hospitals, and schools. She spoke against U.S. military policy. She also visited American prisoners of war (POWs). She brought messages from them to their families.
In 1972, Fonda helped fund the Indochina Peace Campaign. This group continued to organize anti-war activists in the U.S. The group worked until 1975 when the U.S. left Vietnam. Because of her visit to North Vietnam during the war, some veterans still feel upset with her. In 2005, a U.S. Navy veteran was arrested for spitting on Fonda at a book signing. He said she had "spit in our faces for 37 years." Fonda chose not to press charges.
Subject of Government Monitoring
In 2013, it was revealed that Fonda was one of about 1,600 Americans whose communications were watched by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). This happened between 1967 and 1973. This program was called Project MINARET. Some NSA officials said it was "disreputable if not downright illegal." Fonda's communications, and those of her husband Tom Hayden, were also watched by Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
Women's Media Center
In 2005, Fonda helped start the Women's Media Center with Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem. This group works to make women's voices heard in the media. They do this through advocacy, training, and creating original content. Fonda is on the board of this organization.
LGBTQ+ Support
Fonda has publicly supported the LGBTQ+ community many times. In August 2021, Fonda and the cast of Grace and Frankie helped raise money for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. This helped LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fonda spoke out as an LGBTQ+ ally long before it was common. In 1979, she was interviewed during the White Night Riots in San Francisco. She was asked if the gay community was still facing discrimination. She said they were being discriminated against "culturally, psychologically, economically, politically." She hoped the gay community would use her as an advocate. She said they were a powerful movement and could be stronger by working together.
Native American Rights
Fonda went to Seattle in 1970 to support a group of Native Americans. The group, led by Bernie Whitebear, had taken over part of Fort Lawton. They wanted to create services for the local urban Indian population. They argued that "Indians had a right to part of the land that was originally all theirs." Their efforts succeeded. The Daybreak Star Cultural Center was built in the city's Discovery Park.
Fonda has also criticized oil pipelines. She believes they are built without permission on Native American tribal land. In 2017, Fonda said that President Donald Trump was allowing pipelines to be built "illegally." She said he had not gotten permission from the tribes whose lands the pipelines crossed. She pointed out that the U.S. had signed treaties requiring consent from affected Indigenous people.
Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
In December 2002, Fonda visited Israel and the West Bank. She was part of a tour focused on stopping violence against women. She protested with Women in Black against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She later visited doctors and patients in a Jerusalem hospital. She also visited Ramallah to see a rehabilitation center and a Palestinian refugee camp.
In September 2009, she signed a letter protesting the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival's focus on Tel Aviv. The letter said the focus was part of "the Israeli propaganda machine." It was supported by the Israeli government.
Fonda later said she regretted some of the words used in the letter. She said it was "perhaps too easily misunderstood." She clarified that she did not support destroying Israel. She supports a two-state solution. She has visited Israel many times and loves the country and its people.
Opposition to the Iraq War
Fonda believed the Iraq War would turn people worldwide against America. She thought it would lead to more terrorist attacks. In July 2005, Fonda announced plans for an anti-war bus tour. She planned to go with her daughter and families of military veterans. She later canceled the tour. She was worried it would take attention away from other activists.
On January 27, 2007, Fonda joined an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. She said that "silence is no longer an option."
Environmentalism
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In 2015, Fonda spoke against President Barack Obama allowing Arctic drilling. In July, she marched in a Toronto protest called the "March for Jobs, Justice, and Climate." This march aimed to show that climate change is connected to many other issues.
Fonda has also opposed oil developments because of their bad effects on the environment. In 2017, she criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She said he had promised to meet climate goals and respect treaties with Indigenous people. But she felt he had "betrayed every one of the things he committed to."
Since at least 2019, she has supported environmental groups like GreenFaith and 350.org. She spoke at the Fire Drill Fridays protest in Washington, D.C. There, protestors spoke against expanding the fossil fuel industry.
In October 2019, Fonda was arrested three times in a row. She was protesting climate change outside the United States Capitol. She was arrested with other activists and actors like Sam Waterston and Ted Danson. On December 5, 2019, Fonda explained her views in a New York Times article. In March 2022, Fonda started the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. This group aims to remove politicians who support the fossil fuel industry.
In September 2023, she joined New York City's March to End Fossil Fuels. In 2024, she was a guest at a 350.org event.
Artificial Intelligence
In September 2024, Fonda joined over 125 actors, directors, and musicians. They signed a letter urging Governor Gavin Newsom to sign SB 1047. This Californian AI safety bill would make companies training large AI models responsible if their models cause harm. The letter said that "Grave threats from AI used to be the stuff of science fiction, but not anymore." It asked AI companies to use "reasonable safeguards."
Other Activities
Writing
On April 5, 2005, Random House published Fonda's autobiography My Life So Far. The book describes her life in three parts, each thirty years long. She says her third "act" will be the most important. This is partly because of her commitment to Christianity. The book was well-received by critics. The Washington Post called it "as beguiling and as maddening as Jane Fonda herself."
In January 2009, Fonda started writing a blog about her return to Broadway. She also uses Twitter and has a Facebook page. In 2011, Fonda published a new book, Prime Time. It shares stories from her life and others. It gives her ideas on how to make the most of life, especially after age 60. On September 8, 2020, HarperCollins published Fonda's book, What Can I Do?: The Truth About Climate Change and How to Fix It.
Charitable Work
Fonda's charity work focuses on youth, education, health, the environment, and the arts. Fonda used the money from her exercise videos and books to fund the Campaign for Economic Democracy. This was a group she started with her second husband, Tom Hayden. Fonda also started the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP) in the mid-1990s. She founded the Jane Fonda Foundation in 2004 with her own money. She works about 10 hours a week for it. In 2017, she started selling merchandise with her 1970 arrest photo. The money from these sales goes to GCAPP.
Personal Life
Marriages and Relationships
Fonda married French film director Roger Vadim on August 14, 1965. They had a daughter, Vanessa Vadim, born in 1968. They divorced in 1973.
On January 19, 1973, Fonda married activist Tom Hayden. Their son, Troy O'Donovan Garity, was born in 1973. In 1982, Fonda and Hayden unofficially adopted an African-American teenager named Mary Luana Williams (Lulu). Fonda and Hayden separated in 1988 and divorced in 1990.
Fonda married her third husband, media owner Ted Turner, on December 21, 1991. They separated in 2000 and divorced in 2001. From 2009 to 2017, Fonda was in a relationship with record producer Richard Perry.
In a 2018 interview, Fonda said that until she was 62, she felt she needed men's approval to feel valuable. She said this was partly because her mother died early, leaving her without a female role model. She often chose strong male partners. She later realized that some men felt threatened by her strength. In 2018, she said, "I'm not dating anymore, but I did up until a couple of years ago. I'm 80; I've closed up shop down there."
Faith and Beliefs
Fonda grew up without a religion. But she became a Christian in the early 2000s. She describes her beliefs as being "outside of established religion." She sees God as something that "lives within each of us as Spirit (or soul)." Fonda practices zazen (a type of meditation) and yoga.
Health
As a child, Fonda struggled with how she saw herself. She lacked confidence in her looks. She said her father, Henry Fonda, taught her that how she looked was "all that mattered." She later realized, "we're not meant to be perfect, we're meant to be whole." As an adult, Fonda struggled with bulimia for many years. This also affected her mother. Fonda recovered from bulimia in her 40s. She said, "I had to make a choice: I live or I die."
In her later years, Fonda was diagnosed with breast cancer and osteoporosis. She had surgery for breast cancer in 2010 and recovered. In 2019, Fonda said she had a cancerous growth removed from her lip. She also had pre-melanoma growths removed from her skin. On September 2, 2022, Fonda announced she had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She began chemotherapy treatments. On December 15, 2022, Fonda said her cancer was gone and she would stop chemotherapy.
Awards and Recognition
In 1962, Fonda was given the honorary title of "Miss Army Recruiting." In 1981, she received the Women in Film Crystal Award. In 1994, the United Nations Population Fund made Fonda a Goodwill Ambassador. In 2007, Fonda received an Honorary Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival for her career.
In December 2008, Fonda was added to the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, she was chosen for the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2017, she received a Goldene Kamera lifetime achievement award. In 2021, she received a Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 2025, she is set to receive a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
She was one of fifteen women on the cover of British Vogue in September 2019. In 2019, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was on the BBC's 100 Women list. In September 2023, Fonda received the John Steinbeck “In the Souls of the People” Award.
Images for kids
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Jane, Henry, and Peter Fonda in July 1955
See also
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
- List of actors with two or more Academy Awards in acting categories
- List of peace activists
