Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time
Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former
fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as
Barbarella and Cat Ballou and
has appeared in films ever since. She has won two Academy Awards and received several
other awards and nominations. She initially announced her retirement from acting in 1991, and said for many years that she would
never act again, but she returned to film in 2005 with Monster in Law, and later Georgia Rule released in
2007. She also produced and starred in several exercise videos released between 1982 and
1995.
Fonda has served as an activist for many political causes, one of the most notable and controversial of which was her opposition to the Vietnam War. She has
also protested the Iraq War and violence against women. She describes herself
as a liberal and a feminist. Since 2001, Fonda has
been a Christian. She published an autobiography in 2005 and currently resides in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Ancestry and family
Fonda was born in New York City to actor Henry
Fonda and socialite Frances Ford Seymour, and named Lady Jayne Seymour
Fonda. Henry Fonda had distant Dutch ancestry, and the surname Fonda originates
from Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands.[1] The "Lady" part of Jane Fonda's name was apparently inspired by Lady
Jane Seymour, to whom she is distantly related on her mother's side. The "Jayne" comes from
her father's mother maidenname Jaynes married to William Brace Fonda born 1879. Her brother, Peter
Fonda (born 1939), and her niece Bridget Fonda (born 1964), are also actors. She
has an older half-sister, Frances Brokaw, as well as an adopted sister, Amy, who was born in
1953.
When Fonda was twelve years old, her mother committed suicide after voluntarily seeking
treatment at a psychiatric hospital.[2] After Seymour's suicide, Henry Fonda married Susan
Blanchard. Although all of Henry's children seemed to like Blanchard, Blanchard and Henry Fonda divorced.
Acting career
Before starting her acting career, Fonda was a fashion model, gracing the cover of Vogue magazine twice. Fonda became interested in acting in 1954, while appearing with her father in
a charity performance of The Country Girl, at the Omaha Community Theatre. After attending Vassar College in New
York, she was introduced by her father to renowned drama teacher Lee Strasberg in 1958,
and subsequently joined his Actors Studio.
1960s
Fonda in 1968's
Barbarella, the role that made her into a universal sex
symbol
Her stage work in the late 1950s laid the foundation for her film career in the 1960s. She averaged almost two movies a year
throughout the decade, starting in 1960 with Tall Story, in which she recreated one of her
Broadway roles as a college cheerleader pursuing a basketball star, played by Anthony
Perkins. Period of Adjustment and Walk on the Wild Side followed in 1962. In A Walk on the Wild Side, Fonda
played a prostitute, and earned a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.
In 1963, she appeared in Sunday in New York. Newsday called her "the loveliest and most gifted of all our new young actresses". However, she also had her
detractors—in the same year, the Harvard Lampoon named her the "Year's Worst
Actress". Fonda's career breakthrough came with Cat Ballou (1965), in which she played
a schoolmarm turned outlaw. This comedy Western received five Oscar nominations and was one of the year's top ten films at the box office. It was considered by many to
have been the film that brought Fonda to stardom at the age of twenty-eight. After this came the comedies Any Wednesday ([1966) and Barefoot in the
Park (1967), the latter co-starring Robert Redford.
In 1968, she played the lead role in the science fiction spoof Barbarella, which established her status as a sex symbol. In
contrast, the tragedy They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
(1969) won her critical acclaim, and she earned her first Oscar nomination for the role. Fonda was very selective by the end of
the 1960s, turning down lead roles in Rosemary's Baby and Bonnie and Clyde.
1970s
Fonda won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1971, again
playing a prostitute, the gamine Bree Daniel, in the detective murder mystery Klute. Her second Award was in 1978 for Coming Home, the story of
a disabled Vietnam War veteran's difficulty in re-entering civilian life.[3]
Between Klute in 1971 and Fun With Dick and Jane in
1977, Fonda spent most of the first half of the decade without a major film success, even though she appeared in films such as
A Doll's House (1973), Steelyard
Blues and The Blue Bird (1976). From comments ascribed to her in
interviews, some have inferred that she personally blamed the situation on anger at her outspoken political views - "I can't say
I was blacklisted, but I was greylisted."[4] However, in
her 2005 autobiography, My Life So Far, it would appear that she categorically rejects such simplification. "The
suggestion is that because of my actions against the war my career had been destroyed ... But the truth is that my career, far
from being destroyed after the war, flourished with a vigor it had not previously enjoyed."[5] From her own point of view, her absence from the silver screen was related more
to the fact that her political activism provided a new focus in her life. By the same token her return to acting with a series of
'issue-driven' films was a reflection of this new focus. "When I hear admonitions ... warning outspoken actors to remember 'what
happened to Jane Fonda back in the seventies', this has me scratching my head: And that what would be...?"
In 1972, Fonda starred as a reporter alongside Yves Montand in Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin's film
Tout va bien. The film's directors then made Letter to Jane, in which the two spend nearly an hour discussing a news photograph of Fonda.
Through her production company, IPC Films, she produced films that helped return her to star status. The 1977 comedy film
Fun With Dick and Jane is generally considered her "comeback"
picture. She also received positive reviews and an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of playwright Lillian Hellman in the 1977 film, Julia.[3] During this period, Fonda announced that she would
make films only that focused on important issues, and she generally stuck to her word. She turned down An Unmarried Woman because she felt the part was not relevant. She followed with popular and
successful films such as The China Syndrome (1979), about a cover-up of an
accident in a nuclear power plant; and The
Electric Horseman (1979) with her previous co-star, Robert Redford.
1980s
In 1980, Fonda starred in the office-politics comedy Nine to Five with
Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. Her character was
re-entering the workforce after a divorce had devastated both her finances and self-confidence. The film was one of Fonda's
greatest financial successes, contributing significantly to her wealth. She had long wanted to work with her father, hoping it
would help their strained relationship.[3] She
achieved this goal when she was cast as a supporting actress alongside Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond (1981). The film
brought Henry Fonda his only Academy Award for Best Actor, which Jane
accepted on his behalf, as he was ill and home bound. He died five months later.[3]
Fonda continued appearing in feature films throughout the 1980s, most notably her role of Dr. Martha Livingston in
Agnes of God. She finished off the decade by appearing in Old Gringo, for which she received a worst actress Razzie nomination.
Exercise videos
For many years, Fonda was a ballet enthusiast, but after fracturing her foot while filming The China Syndrome, she was no longer able to participate. To
compensate, she began actively participating in aerobics and strengthening exercises under the
direction of Leni Cazden. The Leni Workout became the Jane Fonda Workout and thus a second career for her, which
continued for many years.[3]
In 1982, Fonda released her first exercise video, titled Jane Fonda's Workout, inspired by her best-selling book,
Jane Fonda's Workout Book. The Jane Fonda's Workout video eventually sold 17 million copies, the most of any home
video ever.[3] The video's release led many
people to buy the then-new VCR, in order to watch and perform the workout in the
privacy and convenience of their own homes. Fonda subsequently released 23 workout videos, five workout books, and thirteen audio
programs. Her most recent original workout video was released in 1995.
Exercise videos in chronological order:
- 1982: Jane Fonda's Workout (aka Workout Starring Jane Fonda)
- 1983: Jane Fonda's Pregnancy, Birth and Recovery Workout
- 1983: Jane Fonda's Workout Challenge
- 1984: Jane Fonda's Prime Time Workout (re-released as Jane Fonda's Easy Going Workout)
- 1985: Jane Fonda's New Workout
- 1986: Jane Fonda's Low Impact Aerobic Workout
- 1987: Jane Fonda's Start Up (aka Start Up with Jane Fonda)
- 1987: Jane Fonda's Sports Aid
- 1987: Jane Fonda's Workout with Weights (re-released as Jane Fonda's Toning and Shaping)
- 1988: Jane Fonda's Complete Workout
- 1989: Jane Fonda's Light Aerobics and Stress Reduction Program (re-released as Jane Fonda's Stress Reduction
Program)
- 1990: Jane Fonda's Lean Routine Workout
- 1990: Jane Fonda's Workout Presents Fun House Fitness: The Swamp Stomp
- 1990: Jane Fonda's Workout Presents Fun House Fitness: The Fun House Funk
- 1991: Jane Fonda's Lower Body Solution
- 1992: Jane Fonda's Step Aerobic and Abdominal Workout
- 1993: Jane Fonda's Favorite Fat Burners
- 1993: Jane Fonda's Yoga Exercise Workout
- 1994: Jane Fonda's Step and Stretch Workout
- 1995: Jane Fonda's Personal Trainer Series: Low Impact Aerobics & Stretch
- 1995: Jane Fonda's Personal Trainer Series: Total Body Sculpting
- 1995: Jane Fonda's Personal Trainer Series: Abs, Buns & Thighs
In 2005, some of Fonda's popular programs were re-released on DVD. One included her Complete Workout from 1988 and her
Stress Reduction Program from 1989, a second DVD included her 1991 Fun House Fitness series, and a third DVD
included her 1995 Personal Trainer Series.
Fonda has been credited with popularizing the phrase "go for the burn".
Retirement and return
In April 1991, after three decades in film, Fonda announced her retirement from the film industry. In May 2005, however, she
returned to the screen, after a fourteen-year absence, with the box-office success Monster-in-Law, a comedy in which she played the manipulative prospective mother-in-law of
Jennifer Lopez's character.[3]
In July 2005, the British tabloid The Sun
reported that when asked if she would appear in a sequel to her 1980 hit Nine to
Five, Fonda replied "I'd love to".[6]
Fonda's most recent project is the Garry Marshall-directed, Georgia Rule. She starred along with Felicity Huffman and
Lindsay Lohan. The movie opened in theaters May 11,
2007.
In the course of her career, Fonda has received seven Oscar nominations, winning
twice.
Political activism
During the 1960s, Fonda engaged in political activism in support of the Civil Rights Movement and in opposition to the Vietnam War.[3]
Along with other celebrities, she supported the Alcatraz Island occupation in 1969,
which was intended to call attention to Native American issues.
(In the 1990s, she was criticized by Native American activists for making the perceived racist, sports-fan celebration gesture,
"The Tomahawk Chop", at Atlanta Braves baseball games with her then-husband
Ted Turner.)
She likewise supported Huey Newton and the Black
Panthers in the early 1970s, stating "Revolution is an act of love; we are the children of revolution, born to be rebels.
It runs in our blood." She called the Black Panthers "our revolutionary vanguard", and said "we must support them with love,
money, propaganda and risk." In a 1979 appearance at the National Press Club in Washington,
DC, she was asked about her past praise for Huey Newton and won laughter and applause for her response: "I've said a lot of
off-the-wall things in my life. All I can say about that is I was naive and utterly wrong."
Fonda has also been involved in the feminist movement since the 1970s, which dovetails with
her activism in support of civil rights.
Opposition to the Vietnam War
-
In April 1970, Fred Gardner, Fonda and Donald Sutherland formed the FTA tour ("Free
The Army", a play on the troop expression "Fuck The Army"), an anti-war road show designed as an answer to Bob Hope's USO tour. The tour, referred to as "political
vaudeville" by Fonda, visited military towns along the West Coast, with the goal of establishing a dialogue with soldiers about
their upcoming deployments to Vietnam. The dialogue was made into a movie (F.T.A.) that contained strong, frank criticism
of the war by service men and women. It was released in 1972.[7]
In the same year, Fonda spoke out against the war at a rally organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She offered to help raise funds for VVAW, and, for her efforts,
was rewarded with the title of Honorary National Coordinator.[8] On November 3, 1970, Fonda started
a tour of college campuses on which she raised funds for the organization. As noted by the New York Times, Fonda was a
"major patron" of the VVAW.
In March 1971, Fonda traveled to Paris to meet with National Liberation Front (NLF) foreign minister Madam
Nguyen Thi Binh. According to a transcript that was translated into Vietnamese and back
to English, Fonda told Binh at one point: "Many of us have seen evidence proving the Nixon administration has escalated the war,
causing death and destruction, perhaps as serious as the bombing of Hiroshima." Afterwards, Fonda traveled to London, where she again came under fire for making a speech that discussed the use of
torture by US troops in Vietnam. Her financial support to VVAW at this time was apparently not
significant, as the organization ran out of money within a month, and one of its prominent leaders, John Kerry, was called upon to raise the necessary funds.
- See also: RITA Resistance Inside the
Armies#Jane Fonda and RITA
"Hanoi Jane"
Jane Fonda on the NVA anti-aircraft gun
Fonda visited Hanoi in July 1972. Among other statements, she repeated the North Vietnamese claim that the United States had been deliberately targeting the dike system along the Red River stating that “I believe in my
heart, profoundly, that the dikes are being bombed on purpose” Columnist Joseph Kraft who was also touring North Vietnam,
believed that the damage to the dikes was incidental and was being used as propaganda by Hanoi, and that if the U.S. Air Force
were "truly going after the dikes, it would do so in a methodical, not a harum-scarum way." [9]
In Vietnam, Fonda was photographed seated on an anti-aircraft battery used
against American aircrews.[10] She also participated in
several radio broadcasts on behalf of the Communist regime, asking US aircrews to consider the consequences of their actions. In
her 2005 autobiography, she states that she was manipulated into sitting on the battery, and claims to have been immediately
horrified at the implications of the pictures. Fonda says that it was not what was in her heart at all, and wasn't the reason why
she was even there. She was there to film evidence of the Nixon Administration's plan to blow up the dikes (a plan that Fonda
says "Johnson, to his credit decided not to do"), and the lie the administration had been giving to the public, that troop
returns were imminent. She expressed regret for her actions many times over the years, but some Americans remain hostile to her.
"I've learned that a picture does not capture what was actually in your heart."
During this visit she also visited American prisoners of war (POWs), and brought back
messages from them to their families. When cases of torture began to emerge among POWs returning to the United States, Fonda
called the returning POWs "hypocrites and liars."[11] She
added, "These were not men who had been tortured. These were not men who had been starved. These were not men who had been
brainwashed." On the subject of torture in general, Fonda told The New York
Times in 1973, "I'm quite sure that there were incidents of torture... but the pilots who were saying it was the
policy of the Vietnamese and that it was systematic, I believe that's a lie." Several American POWs and other eyewitnesses,
including former POW and current US Senator John McCain, disagree with this sentiment.
The POW camp visits also led to persistent stories—widely circulated on the Internet and via email—that the POWs she met had
reviled her or attempted to sneak notes to her, which she had reported to the North Vietnamese, leading to further abuse. These
claims are known to be false, circulated to discredit Fonda.
