Actress, fitness guru and stark political activist Jane Fonda was born on December 21, 1937 in New York, New York. Jane was a child of privilege, enjoying the fruits of her father’s - actor Henry Fonda - labor. From her plush surroundings in the big city, Fonda decided to follow in her father’s footsteps at a relatively early age.

Jane attended Vassar College after graduating high school, and soon after that, she began to study acting and working as a model. Eventually, with her own proven talents and her father’s name to prop her up, Jane landed a role in the 1960 film Tall Story. Although the film met only mediocre success, Fonda was a standout and her career began to take off.

The 1960s were a crazy time in Hollywood for actors. With the assassination of John F. Kennedy and a war in Vietnam that most in the elite culture shunned, more and more actors began to fervently speak out against America’s involvement overseas and even its lack of social justice here at home.

Jane Fonda became one of the biggest anti-war voices in 1967. She was an admitted communist and had even visited North Vietnam to stay with the Vietnamese during some of the war. This earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane, and she went on an American-wide tour, espousing the virtues of socialism and communism as her country fought to thwart its spread.

Fonda was walking a fine line, but managed to somehow separate her on-screen presence with her off-screen antics. Most patriotic Americans despised the way Fonda glorified the enemy while vilifying the very country that prompted her entire family to riches, but still she experienced success in movies during the time.

In the 1960s, Jane Fonda also released films like Barefoot in the Park, La Ronde, Cat Ballou and Barberella, the last of which permanently cemented Jane’s status as Hollywood’s sex kitten.

Jane also starred in the late sixties classic They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? This film showed that she could actually handle a role where her task was more difficult than simply sexing it up for the camera. This role would lead to other serious roles, and despite her unpatriotic flair, Fonda still managed to become one of the decade’s biggest stars.

During the 1970s, Fonda began taking even more diverse roles. She won her first Oscar award for her performance in 1970’s Klute, and won another award in 1978 for Coming Home. As the 1980s rolled around, Fonda began to act less and to branch out into other areas of entertainment.

Even though she starred in movies like On Golden Pond and Stanley and Iris during the 80s, this decade was mostly devoted to her series of popular exercise videos. Jane continues to act today, but her on-screen appearances are few and far between.

Fonda has been married three times, to Tom Hayden, Roger Vadim and Ted Turner, and her daughter Bridgette is a wonderful actress in her own right.