Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda 1937-, American actress, b. New York City; daughter of Henry Fonda and sister of Peter Fonda . First cast in pert and sexy roles, she later distinguished herself in dramatic parts, often as a tough and disillusioned woman. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she is also a committed feminist and has occasionally left acting to pursue a radical, later liberal, political agenda. In 1971 she made a controversial trip to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War . In the 1980s and 90s she promoted physical fitness through a series of popular books and videotapes. She won Academy Awards for her roles in Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978). Her other films include Cat Ballou (1965), Barefoot in the Park (1967), Barbarella (1968), They Shoot Horses Don't They? (1969), Julia (1977), The China Syndrome (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), Agnes of God (1985), and Stanley and Iris (1990). Over the years she married and divorced French director Roger Vadim, American radical and politician Tom Hayden, and American mogul Ted Turner . Fonda retired in 1991 but returned to the screen in 2005 in the comedy Monster-in-Law.

Bibliography: See her autobiography, My Life So Far (2005); biography by T. Kiernan (1973).

Fonda, Jane (1937– ) US film actress, daughter of Henry Fonda. Following a lauded performance in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Fonda won a Best Actress Academy Award for Klute (1971). A second award followed for Coming Home (1978). She starred opposite her father in On Golden Pond (1981). Her personal fitness programme, Jane Fonda's Workout Book (1981), was a worldwide bestseller.

Hanoi Jane nickname given to the American actress Jane Fonda (1937– ), who campaigned against American involvement in the Vietnam War, and who in 1972 visited Hanoi to denounce the US bombing campaigns against North Vietnam.