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Jane Fonda -

Jane Seymour Fonda was born on December 21, 1937 in New York City. Her parents were Canadian-born socialite Frances Ford Brokaw (née Seymour) and actor Henry Fonda. Pictured poolside is Jane with her dad in 1945.

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The Fonda family -

The Fonda family pictured during a picnic in 1949. Jane in striped t-shirt is seen with brother Peter, maternal half-sister Frances de Villers Brokaw (far right), and parents Henry and Frances.

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Early years -

In 1950 when Jane was 12, her mother took her own life. Later that year, Henry Fonda married socialite Susan Blanchard. Pictured is Jane with brother Peter and father Henry Fonda in 1957.

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Fashion model -

Jane's education was perfunctory at best. She dropped out of college in her late teens and went to Paris, France, for six months to study art. After returning to the United States, she took up modeling, eventually appearing on the cover of Vogue. She's pictured in 1959 during a fashion shoot for the magazine.

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Taking to the stage -

Fonda had became interested in acting as a teenager while appearing with her father in a performance of 'The Country Girl' at the Omaha Community. Playhouse. She decided to take up the profession after meeting legendary theater practitioner Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in the late 1950s. By early 1960, she was working regularly on stage. She's pictured with Ruth Matteson making her 1960 Broadway debut in 'There Was a Little Girl,' for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

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Film debut -

Her screen debut was also in 1960, appearing opposite Anthony Perkins in 'Tall Story.' Coincidentally, this movie also marked the first film appearance by Robert Redford, an actor Fonda would work with on several future occasions. For her effort, Fonda won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress.

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'Cat Ballou' (1965) -

As the 1960s progressed, Fonda rose to prominence as a lead actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical after appearing in this Western comedy, which saw Lee Marvin walk home with an Academy Award for Best Actor.

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Marriage to Roger Vadim -

In 1965, Fonda wed French screenwriter, film director, and producer Roger Vadim (1928–2000). Fonda had appeared in his 1964 film 'Circle of Love,' in which she acted in the French language—and became one of the first major American actresses to do a scene semi-clothed in a foreign film. She again spoke French in Vadim's 'The Game Is Over' (1966), and in his segment of the omnibus film 'Spirits of the Dead' (1968). The pair are pictured enjoying a vacation in Saint-Tropez. 

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'The Chase' (1966) -

'The Chase' marked Fonda's first screen collaboration with Robert Redford. To date, she has worked with the actor on four occasions, the last being 'Our Souls at Night' (2017). The pair have long enjoyed a special bond with each other. "I live for sex scenes with him," she admitted during a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair.

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'Barbarella' (1968) -

Fonda's best-known film with Roger Vadim is 'Barbarella,' a science fiction adventure that established her status as a bombshell. It was her last film with Vadim before their divorce in 1973.

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'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?' (1969) -

Fonda received her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her role as Gloria Beatty in the psychological drama 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?' (1969). But while her star was still in the ascent, Fonda was becoming increasingly involved with political activism. Already an enthusiastic supporter of the civil rights movement, Fonda also voiced her opposition to the war in Vietnam, and backed the indigenous peoples of the United States and their struggle for treaty rights and greater sovereignty.

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Arrested -

On November 3, 1970, Jane Fonda was arrested by authorities at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on suspicion of trafficking illegal substances. Lab tests later confirmed that the alleged contraband found in her luggage was harmless vitamin pills. Fonda has always maintained that the arrest was orchestrated by the Nixon White House in an attempt to discredit her. Fonda's mugshot from the arrest, in which she raises her fist in a sign of solidarity, has since become a widely published image of the actress.

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'Klute' (1971) -

The adverse publicity did nothing to harm her standing as one of Hollywood's hottest tickets. Her performance in the neo-noir crime thriller 'Klute' garnered Fonda her first Academy Award for Best Actress. She also picked up a Golden Globe Award, among many other accolades.

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'Tout Va Bien' (1972) -

Fonda again demonstrated her affinity with French cinema by appearing in this Jean-Luc Godard-directed political drama, in which she stars opposite Yves Montand.

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"Hanoi Jane" -

In 1972, Fonda traveled to North Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity with the American People to see firsthand the war situation with the Vietnamese. During a visit to Hanoi, she was photographed seated on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. The image was widely reproduced and outraged many Americans. Her actions earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane." During this time she was effectively blacklisted by Hollywood.

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Vietnam War protest -

The actress is seen here touring a Hanoi neighborhood bombed by US airplanes. Fonda's trip to North Vietnam was part of her protest campaign against the US involvement in the Vietnam War. She later expressed her regret at being photographed seated on a anti-aircraft gun battery. In a 1988 interview with Barbara Walters, Fonda apologized "to men who were in Vietnam, who I hurt, or whose pain I caused to deepen because of things that I said or did." Later in 2005 during a CBS News '60 Minutes' interview, she admitted that the photo was "... the largest lapse of judgment that I can even imagine."

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Marriage to Tom Hayden -

In 1973, Fonda married social and political activist Tom Hayden (1939–2016). She found a soul mate in Hayden, who is best known for his major role as an anti-war and civil rights activist in the 1960s. The couple are pictured "meeting the press" in 1979.

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Political and social activism -

Pictured: Fonda with Hayden on the steps of the US Capital as he speaks at a No Nukes rally (against nuclear power) in Washington, D.C. in 1979.

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'Julia' (1977) -

In the 1970s and despite her ongoing activism, Fonda enjoyed her most critically-acclaimed period as an actress. In 1977, she portrayed the playwright Lillian Hellman in 'Julia' opposite Vanessa Redgrave, who plays the titular character. For her performance, Fonda won her first BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and received her third Best Actress Oscar nomination.

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'Coming Home' (1978) -

Fonda won her second Best Actress Oscar for her role as Sally Hyde, a conflicted adulteress in 'Coming Home,' the story of a disabled Vietnam War veteran's difficulty in re-entering civilian life. Co-star Jon Voight collected the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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Second Oscar win -

Jane Fonda clutches her second Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in 'Coming Home' (1978). She won her first back in 1971 for 'Klute.'

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'On Golden Pond' (1981) -

Fonda had always had a strained relationship with her father; but she had long wanted to work with him, hoping it would help rekindle their bond. Father and daughter eventually appeared together with Katherine Hepburn in the drama 'On Golden Pond.' Fittingly, Henry Fonda won his only competitive Oscar for this film (Hepburn won Best Actress). Jane Fonda collected her father's award at the 54th Academy Awards ceremony in March 1982. Henry Fonda died five months later, on August 12.

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'Jane Fonda's Workout' -

Always fit and active, Jane Fonda launched a new phase of her career in 1982 when she released her first exercise video, titled 'Jane Fonda's Workout,' inspired by her best-selling book, 'Jane Fonda's Workout Book.'

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Working it out -

'Jane Fonda's Workout' became the highest-selling home video of the next few years, selling over a million copies. Fonda herself began touring the United States, taking to stages across the country to lead classes of sometimes more than 200 people through a strenuous workout.

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'Lean Routine' -

The actress would subsequently release 23 workout videos, with the series selling a total of 17 million copies combined—more than any other exercise series.

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Marriage to Ted Turner -

Having divorced Tom Hayden in 1990, Fonda's third husband was cable television tycoon and CNN founder Ted Turner, whom she married in 1991. While still politically and socially active, Fonda announced her retirement from the film industry. She wouldn't make another picture for 14 years.

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'Monster-in-Law' (2005) -

After a near 15-year hiatus, Jane Fonda returned to the big screen in 'Monster-in-Law' opposite Jennifer Lopez. The film was a box-office hit, and Fonda's performance was generally praised by critics. In 2009, she returned to Broadway for the first time since 1963, playing Katherine Brandt in Moisés Kaufman's '33 Variations.'

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Women's Media Center -

In later life, Fonda became more involved with feminist causes. In 2005, she co-founded the Women's Media Center with author Robin Morgan and feminist journalist Gloria Steinem. The nonprofit organization works to ensure women are powerfully and visibly represented in the media.

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Lifetime achievement -

Fonda's career in cinema was recognized in 2014 when she was presented with the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in Hollywood, California.

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'Book Club' (2018) -

In 2017, Fonda made her fourth film with Robert Redford, the aforementioned 'Our Souls at Night.' The following year, she made 'Book Club' starring opposite Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen (pictured). Both films were box-office successes. A sequel to 'Book Club' is set for release in 2023.

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'Grace and Frankie' (2015-2022) -

In 2015, the actress had begun appearing in the Netflix series 'Grace and Frankie' alongside Lily Tomlin. An instant hit with television audiences, the show lasted seven seasons.

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'Jane Fonda in Five Acts' (2018) -

Jane Fonda is the subject of an HBO original documentary entitled 'Jane Fonda in Five Acts.' Premiering in 2018 to rave reviews, it documents her life from childhood through her acting career and political activism and then to the present day.

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She received the Cecil B. DeMille Award -

True to her activist nature, she used her acceptance speech to call for more inclusion in the industry, referencing "all the groups who decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards." She was also the only person to namecheck Michaela Coel's show 'I May Destroy You,' which was at the center of the 2021 Golden Globes nominations controversy. The show's complete snub led to the LA Times' investigation, which revealed that the 87-member HFPA had zero Black members, something Fonda had previously called out.

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Still active -

A committed environmentalist, Fonda hit the headlines in 2019 for protesting climate change outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. She was arrested no less than five times during the protests, which also saw fellow celebrities Sam Waterston, Rosanna Arquette, and Ted Danson (pictured applauding Fonda), among many more, led away by the authorities.

Sources: (Vanity Fair) (CBS News) (Vogue) (Women's Media Center)

See also: Celebrities who champion environmentalism

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