How Jane Fonda Became the Boldest Woman in Hollywood

Jane Fonda shot to fame in the 1960s in films like Cat Ballou and Barbarella. But she's equally famous for her political activism in support of the civil rights movement and against the Vietnam War. Today, we delve into her traumatic childhood at her father, Henry Fonda's hands, her film career, her many husbands and affairs, her decades of arrests, and all the ingredients that make her Hollywood's bravest actress.

Jane Is Born

Jane Seymour Fonda was born in New York City on December 21st, 1937. Her parents were Canadian-American socialite Frances Ford Seymour and American silver screen legend Henry Fonda, famous for The Grapes of Wrath and 12 Angry Men. Henry and Frances met while he was filming Wings of the Morning and married in 1936, but their relationship was doomed...

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Recently widowed Frances was still grieving her wealthy industrialist husband, George Tuttle Brokaw. Emotionally distant Henry was getting over his first toxic marriage to actress Margaret Sullavan.

Lady Jane

Henry and Frances gave their daughter the middle name Seymour after a distant maternal ancestor, King Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour. As a result, Jane was nicknamed Lady until she was in fourth grade. Henry and Frances had another child, Peter Fonda, who went on to become an actor in classic films like Easy Rider.

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Jane and Peter grew up with a half-sister from their mother's previous marriage, Frances de Villers Brokaw. Her daughter, Pilar Corrias, now owns an art gallery in London.

Henry Joins the Army

When World War II broke out, Henry Fonda followed the example of his best friend, actor Jimmy Stewart, by joining the army. Following in his wingman's footsteps, Henry left his wife and children behind to go to war, famously saying, "I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio."

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Henry served for three years as Quartermaster 3rd Class on the USS Satterlee, was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Pacific, and even won the Bronze Star Medal.

A Broken Man

However, when battle-scarred Henry returned from the horrors of war, he was a broken man. He took a break from acting, partied in Hollywood, and had many affairs, including with Jane Crawford and society girl Susan Blanchard.

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But at home, he was cold, withdrawn, and distant, and his family felt the brunt of his awful behavior. When he thought his wife or children were being needy, he often showed a furious temper and "outbursts of anger" that terrified his family.