8 things you didn’t know about Jane Fonda

By MiNDFOOD

8 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Fonda
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
81-year-old Jane Fonda is one inspirational woman. Here are 8 things you may not know about the actress, political activist and fitness guru.

An Oscar-winning actress with an impressive 40 films under her belt, Jane Fonda is an icon of Hollywood. But the 80-year-old star’s influence goes much further than acting. From women’s rights to political campaigning, Jane is one fascinating – and inspiring – woman. Here are 8 things you may not know about her.

The number one trait she looks for is kindness

“Nobody teaches us when we are young women to look for kindness. We look for glamour, sexiness, the players”, she told MiNDFOOD in 2014. “But nobody says maybe the little quieter ones that aren’t so flashy are the better ones in the long haul.”

She has won two Academy Awards

Jane took out the Best Actress Oscar in 1971 and again in 1978, for Klute and Coming Home respectively. In recent years, Jane has left the big screen for the small screen, starring in the popular Netflix show Grace and Frankie.

She has been a political activist for decades

Jane began campaigning for racial equality as the Civil Rights Movement grew in the 1960s, before focusing much of her efforts on the Vietnam War. The star referenced the immorality of the war in her Oscar’s acceptance speech for Klute and eventually travelled to Hanoi to photograph the war. She publicly supported the Black Panthers during the 1970s and has also campaigned for Native American rights. Jane joined activists in protesting American involvement in Iraq in the early 2000s and has since supported environmental initiatives.

8 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Fonda
Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda protest the war in Iraq in 2007. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

She’s even more down-to-earth than you realise

Jane owns a beautiful ranch in New Mexico, where she horse rides, explores on her quad bike and goes fly fishing. The star enjoys being outdoors and engaging in physical work, telling MiNDFOOD in a previous interview that she maintains the property herself, chopping down trees, building stone walls, removing noxious weeds and more.

Her beauty philosophy is based on self-confidence

When we caught up with Jane in 2017, she revealed her simple beauty philosophy. “For me, ageing beautifully is a state of mind: having more self-confidence, forgiving yourself and others more easily and above all, staying interested in things and taking care of yourself. If I don’t look my age, it’s because I’ve stayed curious and I lead a healthy lifestyle.”

She used to be a fitness guru

In 1982 Jane released her first exercise video, Jane Fonda’s Workout. The video went on to become the highest-selling video of the time, and she produced another 21 videos over the years.

She swears she will never remarry

Jane has been married three times, first to director Roger Vadim, then to activist Tom Hayden and finally to CNN founder Ted Turner. Since her third divorce in 2001, Jane has dated but maintained she will not marry again. “I will never marry”, she told MiNDFOOD in 2014.

She is an honorary recipient of the Doctor of Humane Letters degree

In 2000, Jane was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Emerson College Vice President for Academic Affairs Dorothy Aram. Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters are awarded to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion.

8 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Fonda
Photo Credit: REUTERS

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