Page semi-protected

Peter Fonda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda 2009.jpg
Fonda in 2009
Born
Peter Henry Fonda

February 23, 1940
DiedAugust 16, 2019 (aged 79)
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha
OccupationActor
Years active1962–2019
Spouse(s)
  • Susan Jane Brewer
    (m. 1961; div. 1974)
  • Portia Rebecca Crockett
    (m. 1975; div. 2011)
  • Margaret DeVogelaere (m. 2011)
    [1]
Children2, including Bridget Fonda
Parent(s)Henry Fonda
Frances Ford Seymour
RelativesJane Fonda (sister)
Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda (by first wife, Susan Brewer, stepdaughter of Noah Dietrich). Fonda was a part of the counterculture of the 1960s.[2][3]

Early life

Fonda was born on February 23, 1940, in New York City, the only son of actor Henry Fonda (1905–1982) and his wife Frances Ford Seymour (1908–1950); his sister was actress Jane Fonda (born 1937).[4][5] He and Jane had a maternal half-sister, Frances de Villers Brokaw (1931–2008), from their mother's first marriage. Their mother committed suicide in a mental hospital when Peter, her youngest, was ten, although he did not discover the circumstances or location of her death until he was 15 years old.
On his eleventh birthday, he accidentally shot himself in the abdomen and nearly died. He went to Nainital and stayed for a few months for recovery.[6] Years later, he referred to this incident while with John Lennon and George Harrison while taking LSD.[7] He said, "I know what it's like to be dead." This inspired The Beatles' song "She Said She Said".[8]
Early on, Fonda studied acting in Omaha, Nebraska, his father's home town. While attending the University of Nebraska Omaha, Fonda joined the Omaha Community Playhouse, where many actors (including his father and Marlon Brando) began their careers.[citation needed] Before he attended the University of Nebraska Omaha, Peter attended the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts and was a member of the class of 1954. He then matriculated to Westminster School, a Connecticut boarding school in Simsbury where he graduated in 1958.[9]

Career

Early years and film work

Fonda guest starring with Patty McCormack in The New Breed TV series, 1962
Fonda performed at the Cecilwood Theatre in New York in 1960.[10]
Fonda found work on Broadway and gained notice in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole, written by James and William Goldman which ran for 84 performances in 1961.
Fonda began guest starring on TV shows like Naked CityThe New BreedWagon Train, and The Defenders.
Fonda's first film came when producer Ross Hunter was looking for a new male actor to romance Sandra Dee in Tammy and the Doctor (1963). Fonda was cast in the role, in what was a minor hit.[11]
He followed this with a support part in The Victors (1963), a bleak look at American soldiers in World War Two, directed by Carl Foreman.[12] Fonda's performance won him a Golden Globe Award for most promising newcomer.
Fonda continued to work in television, guest starring in ChanningArrest and TrialThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and 12 O'Clock High. He also tested for the role of John F. Kennedy in PT-109.[13]
Fonda impressed Robert Rossen, who directed the Oscar winner All the King's Men. He cast Fonda in what would be Rossen's last movie, Lilith (1964), alongside Warren BeattyJean Seberg and Gene Hackman. Fonda's performance was well reviewed. Rossen signed Fonda to a seven-film contract which was to start with an adaptation of Bang the Drum Slowly[14] but then Rossen passed away.
Fonda graduated to a starring role in The Young Lovers (1964), about out-of-wedlock pregnancy, the sole directorial effort of Samuel Goldwyn Jr..

Counterculture figure and Roger Corman

By the mid-1960s, Fonda was not a conventional "leading man" in Hollywood. As Playboy magazine reported, Fonda had established a "solid reputation as a dropout". He had become outwardly nonconformist and grew his hair long and took LSD regularly, alienating the "establishment" film industry. Desirable acting work became scarce.[15]
Through his friendships with members of the band The Byrds, Fonda visited The Beatles in their rented house in Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles in August 1965. While John LennonRingo StarrGeorge Harrison, and Fonda were under the influence of LSD, Lennon heard Fonda say, "I know what it's like to be dead." Lennon used this phrase as the tag line for his song, "She Said She Said", which was included on the Revolver (1966) album.[8]
In 1966, Fonda was arrested in the Sunset Strip riot, which the police ended forcefully. The band Buffalo Springfield protested the department's handling of the incident in their song "For What It's Worth". Fonda did some singing and in 1968, recorded a 45 for the Chisa label: "November Night" (written by Gram Parsons) b/w "Catch The Wind" (the Donovan song), produced by Hugh Masekela.[16]
Fonda's first counterculture-oriented film role was as a biker in Roger Corman's B-movieThe Wild Angels (1966). Fonda originally was to support George Chakiris but graduated to the lead when Chakiris revealed he could not ride a motorcycle, Fonda helped name his character "Heavenly Blues", with Bruce DernNancy Sinatra and Diane Ladd also appearing in the film.[citation needed] In the film, Fonda delivered a "eulogy" at a fallen Angel's funeral service. This was sampled by Psychic TV on their recording "Jack the TAB" LP (1988). It was later sampled in the Primal Screamrecording "Loaded" (1991), and in other rock songs. The movie was a massive hit at the box office, screened at the Venice Film Festival, launched the biker movie genre, and established Peter Fonda as a movie name.
Fonda made a TV pilot, High Noon: The Clock Strikes Noon Again , filmed in December 1965. It was based on the film starring Gary Cooper with Fonda in the role that Cooper played. However it did not become a series.[17]
Fonda next played the male lead in Corman's popular film The Trip (1967), a take on the experience and "consequences" of consuming LSD which was written by Jack Nicholson. His co stars included Susan StrasbergBruce Dern and Dennis Hopper. The movie was another big hit.[18]
Fonda then travelled to France to appear in the portmanteau horror movie Spirits of the Dead (1968). His segment co-starred Fonda's sister Jane and was directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim.
For American television he appeared in a movie, Certain Honorable Men (1968) alongside Van Heflin, written by Rod Serling.[19]

Easy Rider

Replica of the "Captain AmericaHarley-Davidson chopper which Fonda rode in Easy Rider (1969), on display in a German museum.[20]
In 1968, Fonda produced, co-wrote and starred in Easy Rider, directed by Dennis HopperEasy Rider is about two long-haired bikers traveling through the southwestern and southern United States where they encounter intolerance and violence. Fonda played "Captain America", a charismatic, laconic man whose motorcycle jacket bore a large American flag across the back. Dennis Hopper played the garrulous "Billy". Jack Nicholson played George Hanson, an alcoholic civil rights lawyer who rides along with them. Fonda co-wrote the screenplay with Terry Southern and Hopper.
Fonda tried to raise finance from Roger Corman and AIP, with whom he had made The Wild Angels and The Trip but they were reluctant to finance a film directed by Hopper. They succeeded getting money from Columbia Pictures. Hopper filmed the cross-country road trip depicted almost entirely on location. Fonda had secured funding of around $360,000 (largely based on the fact he knew that it was the budget Roger Corman needed to make The Wild Angels).[21]
The guitarist and composer Robbie Robertson, of The Band, was so moved by an advance screening that he approached Fonda and tried to convince him to let him write a complete score, even though the film was nearly due for wide release. Fonda declined the offer, instead using Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild", Bob Dylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" sung by the ByrdsRoger McGuinn, and Robertson's own composition "The Weight" performed by The Band, among many other tracks.
The film was released in 1969 to international success. Jack Nicholson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Fonda, Hopper and Southern were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film grossed over $40 million.[22]

Director

After the success of Easy Rider, both Hopper and Fonda were sought for film projects. Hopper made the drug-addled jungle epic The Last Movie (in which Fonda co-starred along with singer Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas).[23]
Fonda directed and starred in the Western film, The Hired Hand (1971). Fonda took the lead role in a cast that also featured Warren OatesVerna Bloom and Beat poet Michael McClure. The film received mixed reviews and failed commercially upon its initial release, but many years later in 2001 a fully restored version was shown at various film festivals gaining critical praise, and was re-released by the Sundance Channel on DVD that same year.
Fonda later directed the science fiction film Idaho Transfer (1973). Fonda did not appear in the film, and the film received mixed reviews upon its limited release. It has since become a cult classic with science fiction fans.
That same year he co-starred with Lindsay Wagner in Two People (1973) for director Robert Wise, in which he portrayed a Vietnam War deserter.

Action star

In 1974, Fonda starred alongside Susan George in the film Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), a film about two NASCAR hopefuls who execute a supermarket heist to finance their jump into big-time auto racing. The film was a notable box-office hit that year, and it would go on to become a cult classic.
It led to Fonda making a series of action movies: Open Season (1974), with William HoldenRace with the Devil (1975), fleeing devil worshippers with Warren Oates (another hit);[24] 92 in the Shade (1975), again with Oates, for writer-director Thomas McGuaneKiller Force (1976) for director Val GuestFutureworld (1976), a sequel to Westworld (1973), financed by AIP;[25] Fighting Mad (1976), a reuniting with Roger Corman, directed by Jonathan Demme.[26]
Outlaw Blues (1977) was a drama, with Fonda playing a musician opposite Susan St. James.
After some more action with High-Ballin' (1978), Fonda returned to directing, with the controversial drama Wanda Nevada (1979) where the 39 year old Fonda starred as the "love" interest of the then 13 year old Brooke Shields. His father Henry Fonda made a brief appearance as well, and it is the only film in which they performed together.[27]

1980s

Fonda was top billed in The Hostage Tower (1980), a TV movie based on a story by Alistair Maclean.
Fonda appeared in the hit film, The Cannonball Run (1981), as the "chief biker" that was a tongue-in-cheek nod to his earlier motorcycle films, and the film was a massive box office success that year with a large ensemble cast.
He also played a charismatic cult leader in Split Image (1982), a film which also starred James WoodsKaren Allen and Brian Dennehy. Despite the strong cast and positive reviews, the film failed to find an audience.
Fonda later appeared in a series of films in the 1980s of varying genres: Daijōbu, My Friend (1983), shot in Japan; Dance of the Dwarfs (1983); Peppermint-Frieden (1983), shot in Germany; Spasms (1983), a Canadian horror film with Oliver ReedA Reason to Live (1985), a TV movie; Certain Fury (1985), with Tatum O'NealMercenary Fighters (1988); Hawken's Breed (1988), a Western; Sound (1988); Gli indifferenti (1989) with Liv Ullman; and The Rose Garden (1989).[28]

1990s

In the early 1990s Fonda also contributed to the script of Enemy (1990), in which he starred.
He had the lead in Family Express (1991) and South Beach (1993), but then drifted into supporting roles in many "independent" films: Deadfall (1993), directed by Christopher CoppolaBodies, Rest & Motion (1993), starring his daughter Bridget; Molly and Gina (1994); Love and a .45 (1994) with Renée ZellwegerNadja (1994), produced by David Lynch. He had a good supporting role in Escape from L.A. (1996) from John Carpenter and was in Don't Look Back (1996). He also guest starred on In the Heat of the Night.[29]

Ulee's Gold

After years of films of varying success, Fonda received high-profile critical recognition and universal praise for his performance in Ulee's Gold (1997). He portrayed a stoic North Florida beekeeper who tries to save his son and granddaughter from a life of drug abuse. For his performance, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
He had the lead in Painted Hero (1997).
In 1998, Fonda starred in a TV movie version of The Tempest, based in part on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was directed by Jack Bender and starred Fonda, John GloverHarold Perrineau, and Katherine Heigl.[30] Although not available on DVD, it is available on VHS tape.
He was in The Passion of Ayn Rand (1998), then appeared in the crime film The Limey (1999) as Terry Valentine, an aging rock music producer who accidentally kills his younger girlfriend. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh.

2000s

Fonda's work in the 2000s included parts in South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000), Second Skin (2000), Wooly Boys (2001), The Laramie Project (2001), The Maldonado Miracle (2003), Capital City (2004), The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004), A Thief of Time (2004), Back When We Were Grownups (2004), Supernova (2005), and El cobrador: In God We Trust (2006).
In 2001 a fully restored version of The Hired Hand was exhibited at a number of festivals. Despite generating mixed reviews upon its initial release, in 2001 it gained a generally enthusiastic critical response. The Sundance Channel released a DVD of the film in two separate editions that same year, and the film has since found an audience as a cult Western classic.
In 2002, Fonda was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He did the voice-over of the aging hippie, The Truth, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004), which was very successful.
In a 2007 interview, Fonda said that riding motorcycles helped him to focus, stating,
I ride an MV Agusta. This is an Italian racing motorcycle. It forces focus. You have to be focused and in my life, in this business, focus is hard to find sometimes. So I need to force focus and that's great. The bike takes you on a free road. There's no fences on the roads I ride and I don't ride freeways. That's as much as I can tell you because there are more lands waiting for this little Christian boy. That's not true. I'm an atheist, but what the heck.[31]
In 2007, Fonda made a notable return to the big screen as the bounty hunter Byron McElroy in the remake of the 1957 Western3:10 to Yuma. He appeared together with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. The film received two Academy Award nominations, and positive reviews from critics. He also appeared in the last scenes of the biker comedy Wild Hogs as Damien Blade, founder of the biker gang Del Fuegos and father of Jack, played by Ray Liotta. Fonda also portrayed Mephistopheles, one of two main villains in the 2007 film Ghost Rider. Although he wanted to play the character in the sequel, he was replaced by Ciarán Hinds.
In 2009, he appeared as 'The Roman', the main villain, in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, the sequel to the cult hit The Boondock Saints. Fonda also appeared on the TV series Californication.

Later career

Fonda's later appearances include American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James (2010) for Fred Olen RayThe Trouble with Bliss (2011); episodes of CSI: NYSmitty (2012); Harodim (2012); As Cool as I Am (2013); Copperhead (2013); The Ultimate Life (2013); The Harvest (2013); HR (2014); House of Bodies (2014); Jesse James: Lawman (2015); The Runner (2015) with Nicolas CageThe Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017); The Most Hated Woman in America (2017); Borderland (2017); You Can't Say No (2018); and Boundaries (2018) with Christopher Plummer. He was an executive producer of the documentary The Big Fix (2012).

Other work

Fonda wrote an autobiography, Don't Tell Dad (1998).[32]

Honors

In 2000, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, CaliforniaWalk of Stars was dedicated to him.[33]

Personal life

Residence

Fonda had a permanent home in Paradise Valley, Montana since 1975.[34]

Politics

In 2011, Fonda and Tim Robbins produced The Big Fix, a documentary that examined the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its effects on the Gulf of Mexico. At a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Fonda stated that he had written to President Barack Obama about the spill and attacked him as a "fucking traitor" for allowing "foreign boots on our soil telling our military—in this case the Coast Guard—what they can and could not do, and telling us, the citizens of the United States, what we could or could not do.'"[35]

Twitter controversy

In June 2018, Fonda went on Twitter to criticize current President Donald Trump's administration's enforcement of U.S. immigration policy by Jeff Sessions, specifically regarding the separation of children from their parents at the Mexican border, writing that "We should rip Barron Trump from the arms of First Lady Melania Trump and put him in a cage with pedophiles."[36] He also suggested that Americans should seek out names of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in order to protest outside of their homes and the schools of their children.[37] The Secret Service opened an investigation based on a report from the Trump family.[38] Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose daughter, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was also the object of Fonda's tweets, believes that Fonda's statement about Barron Trump is a violation of federal criminal law.[39] Fonda had also suggested "Maybe we should take her (Sanders) children away..."[40]
It was also reported by Politico that Fonda "has been railing against the White House for days". In another now-deleted tweet, Fonda targeted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen by calling her an uncouth name and calling for Nielsen to be "put her in a cage and poked at by passersby..."[41]
Fonda stated that he deleted his tweet regarding Barron Trump, saying that he "immediately regretted it and sincerely apologize to the family for what I said and any hurt my words have caused."[42][43] Popular backlash to Fonda's tweets resulted in a call for a boycott of his newest film at the time, Boundaries and other Sony projects.[44][45] Sony Pictures released Boundaries as planned on June 22, 2018,[46] but completely condemned the comments made by Fonda.[47]

Death

Fonda died from respiratory failure caused by lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles on August 16, 2019.[48]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1963Tammy and the DoctorDr. Mark Cheswick
The VictorsWeaverNominated—Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor
1964LilithStephen Evshevsky
The Young LoversEddie Slocum
1966The Wild AngelsHeavenly Blues
1967The TripPaul Groves
1968Spirits of the DeadBaron Wilhelm(segment "Metzengerstein")
1969Easy RiderWyattAlso writer and producer
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen
(both shared with Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern)
1971The Hired HandHarry CollingsAlso director
The Last MovieYoung Sheriff
1973Idaho TransferDirector
Two PeopleEvan Bonner
1974Dirty Mary, Crazy LarryLarry Rayder
Open SeasonKen
1975Race with the DevilRoger March
92 in the ShadeSkelton
1976Killer ForceBradley
FutureworldChuck Browning
Fighting MadTom Hunter
1977Outlaw BluesBobby Ogden
1978High-Ballin'Rane
1979Wanda NevadaBeaudray DemerilleAlso director
1981The Cannonball RunChief BikerCameo appearance
1982Split ImageKirklander
1983Peppermint-FriedenMr. Freedom
Dance of the DwarfsHarry Bediker
Daijôbu, mai furendoGonzy Traumerai
SpasmsDr. Tom Brazilian
1985Certain FuryRodney
1987Hawken's BreedHawken
1988Mercenary FightersVirelli
1989The Rose GardenHerbert Schlüter
1990EnemyKen AndrewsAlso writer
1992South BeachJake
Family ExpressNick
1993DeadfallPete
Bodies, Rest & MotionMotorcycle Rider
1994Give Me Your LifeMarcantony Appfel
Love and a .45Vergil Cheatham
NadjaDracula / Dr. Van Helsing
1996Escape from L.A.Pipeline
Grace of My HeartGuru Dave
1997Ulee's GoldUlysses "Ulee" JacksonGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (2nd place)
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Painted HeroRay the Cook
1999The LimeyTerry Valentine
2000South of Heaven, West of HellShoshonee Bill
Thomas and the Magic RailroadGrandpa Burnett Stone
Second SkinMerv Gutman
2001Wooly BoysStoney
2004The Heart Is Deceitful Above All ThingsGrandfather
Ocean's TwelveBobby CaldwellDeleted scene[49]
2006In God We TrustMillionaire
2007Ghost RiderMephistopheles
Wild HogsDamien Blade
3:10 to YumaByron McElroyNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008JapanAlfred
2009The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' RollAugust West
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints DayThe Roman
2011The Trouble with BlissSeymour Bliss
2012SmittyJack
HarodimSolomon Fell
2013The Ultimate LifeJacob Early
The HarvestGrandfather
CopperheadAvery
As Cool as I AmGerald
House of BodiesHenry Lee Bishop
2015The RunnerRayne Pryce
Jesse James LawmanMayor
2017The Most Hated Woman in AmericaReverend Harrington
The Ballad of Lefty BrownEdward Johnson
2018BoundariesJoey
2019The Last Full MeasureJimmy BurrPosthumous release

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1962Naked CityJody SelkinEpisode: "The Night the Saints Lost Their Halos"
The New BreedRonnie BrysonEpisode: "Thousands and Thousands of Miles"
Wagon TrainOrly FrenchEpisode: "The Orly French Story"
1963The DefendersGary FosterEpisode: "The Brother Killers"
ChanningEpisode: "An Obelisk for Benny"
1964Arrest and TrialAlex BakalyanEpisode: "A Circle of Strangers"
The Alfred Hitchcock HourVerge LikensEpisode: "The Return of Verge Likens"
Twelve O'Clock HighLt. Andy LathropEpisode: "The Sound of Distant Thunder"
1966InsightEpisode: "Politics Can Become a Habit"
What's My Line?Himself/Mystery Guest
1968Certain Honorable MenRobbie ConroyTV film
1980The Hostage TowerMike GrahamTV film
1985A Reason to LiveGus StewartTV film
1988SoundRoberto LovariTV film
A Time of IndifferenceLeoTV miniseries
1994In the Heat of the NightMarcantony AppfelTwo episodes
1996Don't Look BackMouseTV film
1997Space Ghost Coast to CoastHimselfTwo episodes
1998The TempestGideon ProsperTV film
1999The Passion of Ayn RandFrank O'ConnorTV film
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2002The Laramie ProjectDr. CantwayTV film
2003The Maldanoda MiracleFather RussellTV film
2004Capital CityPresident BridgewaterTV film
A Thief of TimeHarrison HoukTV film
Back When We Were GrownupsDr. Will AllenbyTV film
2005SupernovaDr. Austin ShepardTV film
2007The GatheringThomas CarrierTV miniseries
ERPierce TannerEpisode: "300 Patients"
2008Journey to the Center of the EarthEdwardTV film
2009RevolutionLawrence FortisTV film
CalifornicationHimselfEpisode: "So Here's the Thing..."
2011CSI: NYWilliam Hunt2 episodes
Hawaii Five-0Jesse BillingsEpisode: "Mea Makamae"
2014HRJonathan QuaffTV film
The BlacklistGeoff PearlEpisode: "The Mombasa Cartel"
2016Documentary Now!Peter FondaEpisode: "Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid"
Ride with Norman ReedusHimselfEpisode: "The Keys with Peter Fonda"
2017–18Milo Murphy's LawDirector (voice)2 episodes

Video games

YearTitleRole
2004Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasThe Truth