Jane Seymour Fonda
(born Dec. 21, 1937, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. film actress, political activist, and fitness enthusiast. The daughter of actor
Henry Fonda, she made her film debut in
Tall Story (1960), which began a career that took dizzying turns. After playing comic roles in such films as
Cat Ballou (1965) and
Barefoot in the Park (1967), she appeared as a sex kitten in husband
Roger Vadim's (married 1965 – 73) futuristic
Barbarella (1968). She then plunged into leftist political activity, marrying the activist Tom Hayden (married 1973 – 89) and loudly condemning the Vietnam War, and made socially conscious films including
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969),
Klute (1971, Academy Award), and
Coming Home (1978, Academy Award). She later marketed a series of hugely popular exercise books and videotapes. After marrying
Ted Turner in 1991 (divorced 2001), she retired from the screen.
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