Two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda herself claims that it's a miracle she is still alive. In the popular The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said some time ago: "I never thought I'd live this long." She'd actually thought she would die alone and alcohol would play a major role in her demise. However, the iconic actress enjoys good health and continues to deny all the laws of aging. When asked how does she still look so good, she replied with her typical humor that it was because she has no sex. Yet at the same time she admits that her it costs her a lot of effort to stay in shape. Come with us to take a look at her life full of successes and disappointments alike and find out about her deepest regrets...
Most fans of romantic comedies probably associate Jane Fonda with the film TMonster-in-Law, where she starred alongside actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. It was Lopez who later said on her Youtube channel that working with Jane Fonda was one of the highlights of her career.
"It's evertything you dream of when you start building your career as an actress and get to work with such a star,"
said Jennifer Lopez.
Family tragedy
This energetic and elegant lady was born in New York, USA on December 21, 1937, into the family of actor Henry Fonda and the beautiful Frances Ford Seymour. She had been accustomed to luxury since childhood, but life with her mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder, wasn't easy. Seymour acted distant with little Jane and was later admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Jane lived only with her father, who, apart from providing material background, didn't know how to reciprocate his daughter's love. One of the most tragic moments of her life was the year she turned 12, when Frances Ford Seymour commited suicide. Jane Fonda has borne the consequences for life.
From fashion magazines to Broadway
Fonda became financially independent very soon, having staarted her professional career as a model at the age of 21. She also studied acting at New York University. Her acting career began in 1960 at the Broadway Theater in the play There Was a Little Girl. Director Joshua Logan couldn't help but notice the charming Jane had great potential, and he cast her in his film Tall Story, despite her father's displeasure.
Jane couldn't decide what kind of roles she wanted to play. She saw acting mainly as a form of therapy, which was perhaps why she was especially drawn to controversial roles. She appeared in many comic movies in the 1960s, but her later roles were much more substantial.
Sex symbol of the sixties
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Jane Fonda Source: Profimedia.cz
Jane Fonda has been often compared to a sex symbol. She even appeared nude in a movie as well as on the cover of the men's magazine Playboy. The rumour says that her first fateful lover, who later became her husband, director Roger Vadim, played a key role in this. He wasn't trying to hide his weak spot for flawless, sexy blondes, and he's said to have had a relationship with Brigitte Bardot, too. During their eight-year-long marriage, Jane and Roger made several successful films together and had a daughter, Vanessa. Unfortunately, their marriage didn't last.
From an actress to an activist
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Jane Fonda na pochodu GreenpeaceSource: Profimedia.cz
Jane Fonda always liked to make her opinions known, whether they concerned her private life or politics. She has been politically active since the 1970s and openly criticized the Vietnam War. The actress even personally went to Hanoi to condemn the US bombing of Vietnam right where it had happened, which earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane". Later, she apologized to American veterans for her behavior in Hanoi, saying some of her actions had been thoughtless. Till this day, however, Jane Fonda doesn't think twice before speaking up when she considers it necessary. Among other things, she directs here energy towards the fight against climate change. During the pandemic, her activism shifted to social networks.
The best actress
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Jane Fonda na červeném koberciSource: Profimedia.cz
Her acting talent didn't escape the attention of film critics, she received an Oscar nomination several times and managed to win the statuette for Best Actress. She won her first Oscar in 1972 for her role as former actor and alcoholic Alex Sternbergen in Klute, and the second in 1979 for her role in the anti-war drama Homecoming. Fonda played in it the wife of Captain Bob Hyde, who is leaving for Vietnam. Jane Fonda's other movies incude, for example, Cat Ballou, Barbarella, The Chase, The China Syndrome, Youth and Georgia Rule.
What does he regret in life?
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Jane Fonda a Ted TurnerSource: Profimedia.cz
Left-wing political views brought her closer to the revolutionary Tom Hayden, who became her second husband. They raised a son together. When asked what here deepest regrests are, she answers:
"Who I do think about, and what is a great regret, is Marvin Gaye. He wanted to and I didn’t. I was married to Tom. I was meeting a lot of performers to try to do concerts for Tom and the woman who was helping me do that introduced me to Marvin Gaye,"
said Jane Fonda.
The most popular ex-husband
However, her second marriage to Tom Hayden wasn't the last either. It lasted 13 years, the couple got divorced in 1990. A year later, Fonda married for the third time, to the founder of CNN, billionaire Ted Turner. Do you think third time's a charm? Not in this case. Even this marriage fell apart, ending in a divorce 10 years later, without having produced a child. Nevertheless, Jane Fonda refers to Ted Turner as her favorite ex-husband now.
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Jane Fonda a Lily TomlinSource: Profimedia.cz
How does Fonda live today?
The forevel rebel Jane Fonda continues to live a very full life. She leads her own excercise program and continues shooting the popular comedy series Grace and Frankie. Here, she excells alongside Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen or Sam Waterston.
Our today's birthday girl proves that age really is just a number. She herself feels far more confident and empathetic as she gets older. Let's remember some of her famous quotes:
"When people come together united, they can win."
"Acting has to be painful, otherwise you're not actually acting."
"When you're a strong woman, it's not easy to find a man who wouldn't be scared by that."
