34 Best Jane Fonda Photos Through the Years

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 24 February 21

For over six decades, actor and activist Jane Fonda has graced our screens and lent her voice to the Civil Rights Movement, environmental causes, gender equity, and anti-war efforts. Now, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will bestow Fonda with their highest honor–the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award–at the 78th Golden Globes Awards on February 28. To celebrate Fonda’s achievement, we’ve rounded up our favorite images of Fonda throughout the years, ahead.

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1959

After Fonda dropped out of Vassar to pursue art in Paris, she returned to the United States in 1958. Because of her connections in the film industry–her father is actor Henry Fonda–she soon rose to prominence.

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1960

Fonda at rehearsals for the play, "There Was a Little Girl." The Cort Theatre production was her acting debut. She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role.

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1960

Fonda and her father Henry on the set of his show, The Deputy. Fonda's father was a successful actor and helped her navigate the industry.

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1964

Fonda as Melinda in the movie Joy House. The actress played Melinda in this thriller from French director René Clément.

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1965

Fonda in a promotional portrait for the film, Cat Ballou. With the success of Fonda's 1965 film, she became a household name.

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1965

Fonda plays outlaw Cat in the film that AFI named the 10th greatest Western of all time.

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1967

Fonda and her former husband Roger Vadim, pictured here, share a child named Vanessa together.

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Late 1960s

A portrait of Jane Fonda looking chic as ever.

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1968

Fonda played the lead in the erotic science fiction fantasy film, Barbarella.

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1969

Fonda's role in the film They Shoot Horses, Don't They earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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1970

Following the success of her 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Fonda became one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood.

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1970

By the end of the 1960s, Fonda became more politically active and began supporting the Civil Rights Movement and the movement for American Indian sovereignty. She also traveled to France, where she met French anti-war leftists. Here, she's pictured at a speech at the Meeting for Peace in Vietnam in New York.

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1970

Fonda joined Angela Davis at a demonstration against the Vietnam War at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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1970

Fonda is no stranger to mug shots. Following her arrest during an anti-war demonstration in Cleveland, Fonda was booked for allegedly provoking officers. She would continue to be arrested in the future for her activism.

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1971

She earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of sex worker Bree Daniels in the film, Klute.

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1972

Fonda visits the Nai Ba Trung district in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. While Fonda stands by her anti-war sentiments, she does regret alienating soldiers after a picture of her atop a Vietnamese weapon angered them. Supporters of the war dubbed her "Hanoi Jane" to mock her activism.

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1975

Fonda's second marriage was to activist Tom Hayden. Together, they have two children: Troy and their adopted daughter, Mary Luana Williams.

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1979

Before the success of Fonda's workout videos in the 1980s, she opened a gym dedicated to her personal routines. While workout studios are now ubiquitous, Fonda was a pioneer in women-centered exercise classes.

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1979

Jon Voight, Jane Fonda, and director Michael Ciminopose pose with the Oscars they earned for their film Coming Home. Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sally, a military wife.

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1980

Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda appear at the after party for the premiere of their groundbreaking feminist film 9 to 5 in New York.

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1986

Risty McNichol, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jane Fonda are pictured at MGM Studios before they depart on a nine-city, 14-stop caravan to gather support for CA Proposition 65: a clean water initiative. Fonda continues to support environmental rights to this day.

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2002

Fonda marched in the West Bank through the streets of Qalandia refugee camp in support of the Palestinian people.

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2006

Fonda spoke at the 36th anniversary Gala of the Feminist Press, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting women's rights and feminist perspectives.

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2007

Fonda spoke with protestors during a demonstration against the war in Iraq to demand that Congress defund the effort. Throughout her life, Fonda has consistently been an anti-war activist.

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2012

Jane Fonda attended the Cannes Film Festival premiere of the movie, Moonrise Kingdom.

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2013

Fonda's brother, Peter Fonda, was honored at the hand and footprint ceremony for cinema legends at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

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2013

Together with Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem, Fonda founded the Women's Media Center in 2005 to "to raise the visibility, viability and decision-making power of women and girls in media and, thereby, ensuring that their stories get told and their voices are heard."

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2016

Fonda at the 73rd Annual Golden Globes.

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2017

Fonda is pictured here at the Women's March in Los Angeles. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump, thousands of protestors around the country gathered to reject the former president's message of hate and fear.

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2017

Robert Redford and Fonda were frequent co-stars in the 1960s and 1970s. Their film, Our Souls at Night, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017.

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2018

At the Sydney Opera House for a live career retrospective, Fonda shared stories about growing up in Hollywood, her dedication to activism, and the lessons she's learned along the way.

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2018

At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Fonda wore a shirt in support of the Time's Up Movement, which rejects sexual misconduct and supports gender equity in the film industry.

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2019

The actress and activist was arrested by Capitol Police during a climate protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

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2020

Fonda presented the Academy Award for Best Picture to the film Parasite during the 92nd Oscars.

Zoe Guy

Zoe Guy is the digital fellow at Marie Claire, where she covers pop culture, hot celebrity gossip, movies and TV. She’s obsessed with Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of The Age of Innocence, anything written by Jesmyn Ward and stan Twitter.