birthdays: Jane Fonda (info)

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Jane Fonda

Born in New York City to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw, Jane Seymour Fonda was destined early to an uncommon and influential life in the limelight. Although she initially showed little inclination to follow her father's trade, she was prompted by Joshua Logan to appear with her father in the 1954 Omaha Community Theatre production of "The Country Girl". Her interest in acting grew after meeting Lee Strasberg in 1958 and joining the Actors Studio. Her screen debut in "Tall Story" (1960) (directed by Logan) marked the beginning of a highly successful and respected acting career highlighted by two Academy Awards for her performances in Klute (1971) and "Coming Home" (1978), and five Oscar nominations for Best Actress in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969), Julia (1977), "The China Syndrome" (1979), "The Morning After" (1986) and "On Golden Pond" (1981), which was the only film she made with her father. Her professional success contrasted with her personal life, which was often laden with scandal and controversy. Her appearance in several risqué movies (including Barbarella (1968)) by then-husband Roger Vadim was followed by what was to become her most debated and controversial period: her espousal of anti-establishment causes and especially her anti-war activities during the Vietnam War. Her political involvement continued with fellow activist and husband Tom Hayden in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1980s she started the aerobic exercise craze with the publication of the "Jane Fonda's Workout Book". She and Hayden divorced, and she married broadcasting mogul Ted Turner in 1991. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Laurence Dang

Spouse

Ted Turner (21 December 1991 - 22 May 2001) (divorced)
Tom Hayden (19 January 1973 - 10 June 1990) (divorced) (2 children)
Roger Vadim (14 August 1965 - 16 January 1973) (divorced) (1 child)

Trade Mark

Frequently plays single women, often due to problematic relationships

Trivia

Chosen as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars (#21) in film history by Empire magazine (1995).

Attended Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York. Her roommate was Lara Parker. Parker later co-starred with Jane's brother Peter Fonda in the film Carrera con el diablo (1975).

Is the subject of an erroneous urban legend. When Vassar was a women's college, the story goes, Jane Fonda refused to wear the elegant white gloves and pearls that were the attire for the daily Tea in the Rose Parlor. When confronted, Fonda returned to the parlor wearing the gloves and the pearls, and nothing else.

Ranked #83 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Announced her retirement from acting in 1991 but returned to the screen 14 years later in La madre del novio (2005).

Married Ted Turner on her 54th birthday in 1991.

Daughter of Henry Fonda and Frances Ford Seymour (14 April 1908 - 14 April 1950). Her mother committed suicide when Jane was age 12.

Older sister of Peter Fonda.

Aunt of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda

Her birth was the cause of some interruptions during her father's filming of Jezabel(1938) with Bette Davis.

She was, and still is, an exercise maven.

Fonda was arrested in 1970 after allegedly kicking a cop when she was found carrying a large amount of what appeared to be pills. All charges were dropped after the pills were identified as vitamins.

Atttended Emma Willard School in Troy, New York.

Announced her separation from husband Ted Turner (January 2000).

Was offered the role of Chris MacNeil in El exorcista (1973).

Jane now openly admits that she suffered from bulimia from age 13 to age 37. While modeling, she said she lived on cigarettes, coffee, speed, and strawberry yogurt.

Ex-sister-in-law of Susan Brewer.

Born at 9:14 AM EST

Shortly after her divorce from Ted Turner, she announced she had become a born-again Christian. Speculations are that this may have played a part in their seperation, since Ted Turner has expressed highly critical opinions on religion in general.

The suicide of her socialite mother Frances Seymour Brokaw was kept from her as a teenager, and she was told that she'd died of heart failure. Household newspaper and magazine subscriptions were canceled, and the staff and student body of Fonda's high school were instructed not to discuss the incident. Fonda learned the truth months later while leafing through a movie magazine in art class.

Her out-of-retirement movie, La madre del novio (2005) came out the same time as her autobiography, "My Life So Far" and the same time her workouts are re-released to DVD format in stores.

Protested alongside fellow actresses Sally Field and Christine Lahti, and playwright Eve Ensler urging the Mexican government to re-investigate the slayings of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez, on the Mexico-Texas border (February 2004).

In addition to her half-sister Frances, she has an (adopted) half-sister, Amy, and a former stepsister, Pam.

She was voted the 51st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1960 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "There Was a Little Girl."

Premiere Magazine ranked her as #32 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005).

Born on the same day Blancanieves y los siete enanitos (1937) premiered.

In 1982, she accepted the Oscar for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" on behalf of her father Henry Fonda, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony

Of the Oscar-winning father-daughter couples, she and her father are one of two couples (the other is Hayley Mills/John Mills) where the daughter won an Academy award before the father did. Hayley Mills' Oscar was an honorary award for Polyanna (1960), "...[T]he most outstanding juvenile performance during 1960". Juveniles were not allowed to compete for Oscars until the late 1960s, when the juvenile award was abandoned.

She and her father were the first father-daughter couple to be Oscar-nominated the same year (1982).

She and El síndrome de China (1979) co-stars Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas have all won Oscars for Leading Roles. Fonda won for Klute (1971), Lemmon won for Salvad al tigre (1973), and Douglas won for Wall Street (1987).

Her ancestry includes Dutch, English, Scottish, as well as more distant French, Italian, and Norwegian.

Stepdaughter of Shirlee Fonda

Is fluent in French.

Passed on the title role in Norma Rae (1979), which won a Best Actress Oscar for its eventual star Sally Field.

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. She was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actress category for her performance in the film La madre del novio (2005). She failed to receive a nomination, however. (Had she gotten the nomination, it would have been her first Razzie nomination in 16 years. She was previously nominated for Worst Actress at the 1990 Razzie Awards for her performance in the film Gringo viejo (1989).)

In her modeling days after college, she was twice on the cover of Vogue magazine.

Her performance as Bree Daniels in Klute (1971) is ranked #91 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Jane was mentioned on Sir Mix a Lot's 1992 hit single, "Baby Got Back".

She and Tom Hayden gave their son Troy Garity his paternal grandmother's last name for the sake of anonymity

She and her father Henry Fonda are the only father-daughter couple to receive Oscars for leading roles.

A 1972 visit to Hanoi during the Vietnam war where Fonda campaigned in favor of the communist regime and the subsequent release of several photographs of her atop a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun used against American air crews earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane." As a result of her visit to Hanoi and the accompanying photographs, many Americans continue to regard Fonda with general resentment and hostility to this day.

Visited Sweden in September 2006 to support political party FI (Feministic Initiative) in the national election. FI focuses on issues that will benefit women and is led by the previous leader of Sweden's communist party. Coincidentally, "fi" is also the Swedish military abbreviation for "enemy".

Good friends with Catherine Schneider.

Was born double-jointed.

Turned down the role of Bonnie Parker, then played by Faye Dunaway, in Bonnie y Clyde(1967) Living in France at the time, she did not want to relocate to the United States for the part.

In 1984, her wealth, generated from acting, producing, and fitness videos was estimated at $50 million.

Her aerobics video "Jane Fonda's Workout" sold 17 million copies, making it the bestselling home video ever and her an icon of this form of exercises (1982).

Considers Danzad, danzad, malditos (1969) as a turning point in her career.

Danced ballet until she broke her foot in her 40s.

She was a close friend of Gregory Peck, and he frequently attended political rallies with her.

Was amongst those considered for the role of Lara Antipova in Doctor Zhivago (1965), but the part ultimately went to Julie Christie.

Nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance for a Leading Actress in a Play for "33 Variations".

Was offered the role of Nurse Ratched in Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), but she turned it down. Louise Fletcher, who went on to win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.

Recovering from left knee replacement surgery [June 17, 2009].

Claimed, after the Oscar ceremony on April 9th, 1979, that the film El cazador (1978) was a racist film and that it presented the official version of the war in Vietnam.

Passed on the title role in Norma Rae (1979), which earned Sally Field an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Had hip and knee replacements. It is a genetic condition. Both her father and brother also had replacements.

In 1994, Fonda founded G-CAPP, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. The foundation advocates for safe-sex education, provides teens with support personnel before, during, and after childbirth, and runs a network of "Second Chance Homes" that help teenage mothers become self-sufficient by striving to reduce repeat teen pregnancies and providing teen mothers with a safe living environment, support for long-term economic independence, and child development, parenting and life skills.

Grandchildren: Malcolm (born 1999) and Viva (born 2002).

Jane Fonda was the first pick for the role of Evelyn Mulwray in Chinatown (1974), which eventually was played by Faye Dunaway. Fonda was wanted by the film's producer Robert Evans, who was also at the time chief of production at Paramount Pictures, and by director Roman Polanski and Paramount owner Charlie Bluhdorn. After lengthy negotiations, Fonda passed on the role. Evans then contacted Faye Dunaway's agent Sue Mengers and got her for the rock bottom price of $50,000, telling Mengers -- a close friend -- that he wanted Dunaway whereas everyone else wanted Fonda. Saying that he had time to intercede before Fonda signed her contract, Mengers got Dunaway to agree to the insulting offer. (Evans had explained to Mengers that after three flops in a row, Faye was a cold property.) After signing Dunaway, he told Mengers that Fonda had actually passed on the role. Mengers slammed down the phone on him. Polanski had not wanted Dunaway as his female lead due to her reputation for being temperamental, which she lived up to on the "Chinatown shoot. She received an Oscar nomination for the role.

Claimed Michael Jackson visited the set of En el estanque dorado (1981) in New Hampshire and went skinny-dipping with her [interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) on December 7, 2011].

Ranked #9 in Men's Health 100 Hottest Women of All Time (2011).

Her daughter Vanessa Vadim was delivered via forceps. The traumatic birth then resulted in Fonda being diagnosed with post-partum depression.

In the late 1970s she took in a foster daughter, Mary Luana Williams, who had attended at a camp Fonda ran with then-husband Tom Hayden. Mary was the daughter of members of the Black Panther Party, and later reunited with her biological parents.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a daughter Vanessa Vadim on September 28, 1968. Child's father is her now ex-1st husband, Roger Vadim.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 35, a son Troy O'Donovan Hayden (aka Troy Garity) on July 7, 1973. Child's father is her now ex-2nd husband, Tom Hayden.

Was taught to play guitar by David Crosby.

Made a fortune launching the first exercise video.

Jane's appearance in En el estanque dorado (1981) with dad Henry Fonda and son Troy Garity marked the only time three generations of Fondas appeared in the same film.

Jane's appearance with brother Peter Fonda in Historias extraordinarias (1968) marked the only time the siblings worked together in a feature.

Was delivered via Caesarean section.

Returned to work 3 months after giving birth to her daughter Vanessa Vadim in order to begin filming Danzad, danzad, malditos (1969).

Returned to work 2 years after giving birth to her son Troy Garity in order to begin filming Julia (1977).

Published her autobiography, My Life So Far. [April 2005]

Currently starring in 'Moises Kaufman''s "33 Variations" on Broadway. [March 2009]

Has signed to do a film (main role) with Jennifer Lopez (aka J. Lo) in La madre del novio(2005) - filming starts May 2004. [August 2003]

She and Jodie Foster are the two actresses with the initials 'J.F.' who each won, two Academy Awards for Best Actress.

Louis Malle originally planned to direct La pequeña (1978), a film about photographer E.J. Bellocq, with Fonda and Jodie Foster to play the roles of "Hattie" and "Violet" respectively. In the end, both actresses were unavailable due to scheduling conflicts, and the roles of "Hattie" and "Violet" went instead to Susan Sarandon and Brooke Shields respectively.

While writing the movie that eventually became Contact (1997), both Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan originally envisioned Fonda in the role of Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway.

The movie Chicas en pie de guerra (1984) was originally written as a vehicle for Ms. Fonda. When her agent turned the movie down and Goldie Hawn replaced her, the project was rewritten as a partial comedy.

Was considered for the role of "Beth Jarrett" in Gente corriente (1980), but Mary Tyler Moore was cast instead.

Was the 71st actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Klute (1971) at The 44th Annual Academy Awards (1972) on April 10, 1972.

Is one of 22 Oscar-winning actresses to have been born in the state of New York. The others are Alice Brady, Teresa Wright, Anne Revere, Celeste Holm, Claire Trevor, Judy Holliday, Shirley Booth, Susan Hayward, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Barbra Streisand, Lee Grant, Beatrice Straight, Whoopi Goldberg, Mercedes Ruehl, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Connelly, Melissa Leo and Anne Hathaway.

Her role in El síndrome de China (1979) was originally written as a male role, to be played by Richard Dreyfuss. After Dreyfuss quit, the role was rewritten as female with Fonda in mind.

Was considered for the role of "Betsy" in Taxi Driver (1976), but Cybill Shepherd was cast.

Was originally set to star in Jonathan Kaplan's Acusados (1988) playing the part of the A.D.A. Kathryn Murphy, with Kelly McGillis playing the part of rape survivor Sarah Tobias. Filming was supposed to begin in 1985, but due to lack of funds, the project was moved two years behind schedule, and Fonda had to drop out. Eventually, the part of Kathryn was played by McGillis and the role of Sarah eventually went to Jodie Foster, the latter who won an Academy Award for her performance.

Came out in support of Marion Cotillard and Bradley Cooper to help the actors get Oscar nominations for their films Dos días, una noche (2014) and El francotirador (2014), respectively. Both ended up being nominated for the 87th Academy Awards. [2015].

Claims that when she is out of makeup she can easily go to public places without being recognized.

Personal Quotes

Working in Hollywood does give one a certain expertise in the field of prostitution.

I was terrified when I turned 30. I was pregnant and had the mumps and Faye Dunawaywas just coming out in Bonnie y Clyde (1967). I thought, 'Oh my God, I'll never work again. I'm old!'

"Acting with Laurence Harvey is like acting by yourself - only worse" - Jane Fonda on her 1962 film La gata negra (1962).

It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanised such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless. [expressing regret at her support for the Viet Cong]

I, a Socialist, think we should strive toward a Socialist society, all the way to Communism.

"If you understood what Communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that one day we would become Communist." (speaking to students at the University of Michigan in 1970)

People think actresses find public speaking easy, and it's not easy at all; we're used to hiding behind masks.

[Accepting her father's Oscar for En el estanque dorado (1981)]: "I'll bet when he heard it just now, he said 'Hey ain't I lucky?' As if luck had anything to do with it".

I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.

When I start down a path that I know is the right path, I go with all of me.

I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam, I can challenge my government, but I can't challenge the man I'm with if means I'm going to end up alone.

It's hard to imagine a happy ending to the US-led war in Iraq. What's it going to mean for stability as a nation, for terrorism, for the economy I can't imagine. I think the entire world is going to be united against us.

Ted Turner needs someone to be there 100 percent of the time. He thinks that's love. It's not love. It's babysitting.

I wanted to do a tour like I did during the Vietnam War, a tour of the country. But then Cindy Sheehan filled in the gap, and she is better at this than I am. I carry too much baggage.

When I left the West Coast I was a liberal. When I landed in New York I was a revolutionary.

Oh Henry Fonda's love of the Theater: I'm becoming obsessed with his presence in my head, because my dad adored theater. He didn't talk much, but he would talk about how he loved the immediacy of a live audience. I was never comfortable enough in my own skin 45 years ago to be able to understand it. I just wanted to escape. And now it's like, 'Oh Dad, I wish you were here and alive, so I could say to you: "I get it! I'm finally able to experience what you were talking about."

Why she quit acting while married to Tom Hayden: When I was really, really unhappy with myself and my life, which happened in the second half of my marriage to Tom, I just stopped. Acting became too painful. I just couldn't. All the joy leached out of it.

[La madre del novio (2005)] was the single smartest move I ever made

On returning to the stage in 2009: I am not the same person I was. I really am a different person. And I feel now that I could really be better than I have ever been in acting. It felt like something I had left prematurely. I didn't complete it, and I wanted to see if I could find joy in it again. It's been 45, 46 years since I was last on Broadway, and it feels like it too, in the sense of my personal trajectory. I feel that in terms of my personal development there has been at least half a century in there. Thank God.

It's always great to rehearse on a plane because people think you're mad.

Emotionality is really easy for me. My father always said that Fondas can cry at a good steak.

Dating's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. Nor do I miss it, frankly. I feel 71 years old. I do. I'm really aware of the miles that have been logged and of the life that has gone under the bridge and how it has made me grow. I'm someone who has always tried to think about what it has all meant. I'm a quester. So I feel my age. I feel grown up.

[on her book 'Prime Time'] I actually never lead. There's always something more first, and then I'm the cheerleader. There are many, many books about aging. Mine just covers everything that I wanted to know.

I viewed my mother as a snob. Well she was a snob. Had she lived long enough I probably wouldn't have cared for her very much, frankly. So the way I protected myself from that is, 'Okay, I don't need you'. But of course I blamed myself when she killed herself.

I try to live my third act in such a way that I won't have regrets. You never get there entirely, but you can spend your life working at it.

[on third husband Ted Turner] For his own reasons, Ted moves laterally through life, very fast. Across his millions of acres. I wanted to go vertically. I knew if I stayed with him I'd be safe, I wouldn't need to work, and it would be interesting. But I would never be a whole person, and I wanted to be a whole person.

I took Klute (1971) because, in it, I expose a great deal of the oppression of women in this country - the system which makes women sell themselves for possessions.

Aging is not what we used to think it was, where you peak at middle age. It's ascending a staircase into growth, wisdom, well-being and happiness.

I have used acupuncture many times in the past - to reduce fever, heal broken bones, relieve pain... it really works if the doctor is skilled. I have felt I needed to have my energy system balanced.

It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.

The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgiving them allows you to forgive yourself too.

All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.

I feel like my honesty gives people the freedom to talk about things they wouldn't otherwise.

If you're ever in a situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just cry.

The kind of parts that I think are the most exciting to play and are the most viable in terms of communication are characters that are complex; that is, characters that are full of contradictions that can be shown, that are in motion, that are trying to deal with problems that are real to people.