Jane Fonda Net Worth: The ‘Barbarella’ Star Who Built an Empire Through Hollywood and Activism

Jane Fonda net worth is a topic many fans want to know about. She is one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses. She has starred in hit movies, won major awards, and built a long and successful career. Beyond acting, she has made money from fitness videos, books, and business deals. She is also known for her activism and work in many causes.

So, let’s take a closer look at how she made her money and what helped her build her wealth.

Jane Fonda in Brief
Full NameJane Seymour Fonda
Date of BirthDecember 21, 1937
Place of BirthNew York City, New York, USA
OccupationActress, Activist, Author
Height5 feet 8 inches (173 cm)
Weight135 lbs (61 kg)
PartnerRichard Perry (2017–present)
SpouseTed Turner (m. 1991–2001)
Tom Hayden (m. 1973–1990)
Roger Vadim (m. 1965–1973)
ChildrenVanessa Vadim, Troy Garity, Mary Luana Williams
Net Worth$200 million

What Jane Fonda Net Worth?

Jane Fonda is an American actress, author, and activist with an estimated net worth of $200 million. She made most of her fortune through her acting career, but she also built wealth from fitness videos, book deals, and business investments. Over the years, she has starred in some of the biggest films in Hollywood, bringing in millions in salary and royalties.

She became one of the highest-paid actresses of her time, earning $2 million per movie at the peak of her career. Aside from acting, her fitness empire played a huge role in increasing her wealth. Her workout videos from the 1980s became bestsellers, generating over $17 million in revenue.

Even in her later years, Jane continues to work, appearing in hit projects like Grace and Frankie, which brought her $500,000 per episode.

Early Life

Jane Seymour Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, in New York City. She was the daughter of Frances Ford Seymour, a Canadian-born socialite, and Henry Fonda, an American actor. Her father’s family came from Italy and settled in the Netherlands before moving to New York.

 Jane’s name comes from a distant relative, Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII. Her brother, Peter Fonda, was also an actor, and she has a half-sister, Frances de Villers Brokaw, who is the mother of Pilar Corrias, a gallery owner in London.

When Jane was 12, her mother died by suicide. Later, her father remarried Susan Blanchard, but they divorced soon after. At the age of 15, Jane taught dance on Fire Island in New York. She attended several schools, including Greenwich Academy and Vassar College, before dropping out to focus on her passion for the arts. Before acting, Jane modeled and appeared on the cover of Vogue twice.

In 1954, Jane Fonda became interested in acting while performing with her father in The Country Girl. After leaving Vassar, she moved to Paris to study art for six months. In 1958, she met Lee Strasberg, who changed her life. He told her she had real talent, and for the first time, she felt truly encouraged. This moment inspired her to pursue acting full-time, and she was hooked.

Career

Jane Fonda started her career on stage in the late 1950s. She quickly moved to films in the 1960s. Her first big role was in Tall Story 1960, where she played a cheerleader. After a few films, she gained attention for Walk on the Wild Side 1962 and won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Fonda faced mixed reviews at times, but she kept growing in popularity.

Her big break came in Cat Ballou 1965, where she played a schoolteacher turned outlaw. This role made her a major star. She also starred in The Chase 1966 with Robert Redford and Marlon Brando. In Barbarella 1968, she became a sex symbol. Then, in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? 1969, Fonda earned critical acclaim for her dramatic acting. This performance earned her her first Oscar nomination.

In the 1970s, Fonda’s career reached new heights. She won her first Academy Award for Klute in 1971, playing a call girl. Her role was praised for its depth and realism. Critics noted her ability to fully become her characters. After Klute, Fonda had some quieter years but returned with Fun with Dick and Jane in 1977. She also starred in Julia 1977 as playwright Lillian Hellman, which earned her more awards.

Jane Fonda’s career continued to rise in the late 1970s. She won another Oscar for her role in Coming Home 1978, a film about the Vietnam War. She also starred in The China Syndrome 1979, a film about a nuclear disaster, and The Electric Horseman 1979, which was a box office hit. By the end of the decade, Fonda was Hollywood’s top actress, known for both her talent and her activism.

In 1980, Jane Fonda starred in 9 to 5 with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. The film was a huge success, making it the second highest-grossing movie of the year. Fonda also worked with her father, Henry Fonda, in On Golden Pond. This movie mirrored their real-life relationship and earned them both Oscar nominations. Henry Fonda won the Best Actor Oscar, which Jane accepted for him as he was ill. Both movies grossed over $100 million.

Throughout the 1980s, Fonda acted in several films and won an Emmy Award for The Dollmaker 1984. She starred in Agnes of God 1985 and The Morning After 1986, earning another Academy Award nomination for her role. She also appeared in Old Gringo at the end of the decade.

In the early ’80s, Fonda became known for her workout videos. After a foot injury, she switched from ballet to aerobics. Her first exercise video, Jane Fonda’s Workout, sold over a million copies and sparked a fitness craze. She released 23 workout videos, selling 17 million copies. She also wrote books and audio programs on fitness.

In 1990, Fonda starred in Stanley & Iris with Robert De Niro, which didn’t do well at the box office. She retired from acting in 1991 after three decades in film. Fonda made her return in 2005 with Monster-in-Law, starring Jennifer Lopez. She also starred in Georgia Rule 2007 and returned to Broadway in 33 Variations 2009.

Jane Fonda continued to act in movies and TV. She starred in The Newsroom 2012 and played Nancy Reagan in The Butler 2013. She was nominated for two Emmy Awards for her role in The Newsroom. In 2015, Fonda co-starred in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie with Lily Tomlin. The show ran for seven seasons.

In 2017, Fonda starred in Our Souls at Night with Robert Redford. She also appeared in Book Club 2018, which grossed $93 million. Fonda was featured in the HBO documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts 2018. In 2023, she starred in 80 for Brady with Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field. Fonda also worked on Book Club: The Next Chapter, filmed in Italy.

Personal life

Jane Fonda talks about her personal life in her autobiography. She lost her virginity at 18 to actor James Franciscus. In the late 1950s and 1960s, she dated several people, including Giovanni Volpi, José Antonio Sainz de Vicuña, Sandy Whitelaw, Warren Beatty, Peter Mann, Christian Marquand, and William Wellman Jr. She also helped closeted men, including Timmy Everett, Andreas Voutsinas, and Earl Holliman.

Fonda married French director Roger Vadim in 1965. They had a daughter named Vanessa Vadim, born in 1968. The couple separated in 1972, but Fonda still called Vadim a friend. In the early 1970s, Fonda had relationships with Fred Gardner and Donald Sutherland.

In 1973, Fonda married activist Tom Hayden. They had a son, Troy O’Donovan Garity, born in 1973. Fonda also adopted a teenager named Mary Luana Williams, known as Lulu. Fonda and Hayden separated in 1988 and divorced in 1990. Fonda then had a relationship with soccer player Lorenzo Caccialanza and was linked to actor Rob Lowe.

Jane Fonda’s third marriage was to Ted Turner, the CNN founder, in 1991. They divorced in 2001. After seven years of being single, Fonda dated Lynden Gillis and later Richard Perry. She said in 2017 that she had learned nothing about love and felt she wasn’t cut out for it.

In a 2018 interview, Fonda revealed that until she was 62, she felt the need to seek validation from men because of her mother’s early death. She believes some men struggle with strong, successful women. Fonda also said she had stopped dating by 2018 at age 80.

Philanthropy

Jane Fonda has worked hard for many causes. She focuses on youth and education, adolescent health, the environment, human services, and the arts. She also started a line of exercise videos and books to raise money for the Campaign for Economic Democracy. This is a California organization she created with her second husband, Tom Hayden, in 1978.

In the 1990s, Jane Fonda started the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP). She also created the Fonda Family Foundation. Later, in 2004, she founded the Jane Fonda Foundation. She gave $1 million of her own money to start the foundation and works 10 hours each week for it.

In 2017, Jane Fonda began selling products with her 1970 arrest mugshot on them. The money she earns goes to support GCAPP.

Real Estate

Jane Fonda owns many beautiful homes around the world. One of her properties is Forked Lightening Ranch in New Mexico. It is a 2,000-acre ranch near Pecos. The main house is 4,700 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The house has tall ceilings, large windows, and concrete floors. There’s also a cozy fireplace and big bookshelves. The kitchen has fancy granite countertops and stainless steel cabinets. The master bedroom has a fireplace, a dressing room, and a skylight.

In 2018, Jane sold a home in Beverly Hills for $8.5 million. She had bought it for $7.3 million in 2012. In the same year, she also bought a $5.45 million townhome in LA’s Century City.

Jane Fonda is known for her acting career in movies like Klute and Grace and Frankie. She is a professional actress who has worked with many famous people in Hollywood. Her family includes her daughter, Vanessa Vadim, and her son, Troy Garity.

Leave a Comment