Jane Fonda has cemented herself as a chameleon-like actress and social activist in Hollywood, and now the Golden Globes will honor their illustrious careers with their highest honor.
Fonda will receive the Cecil B DeMille Award during the 78th annual awards ceremony on February 28, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Tuesday. As a member of one of America’s most respected acting families, Fonda has fascinated and inspired fans and critics in films like Klute and Coming Home.
Fonda, the daughter of Oscar winner Henry Fonda and sister of Peter Fonda, made her mark off-screen by creating organizations that support women’s equality, prevent teenage pregnancies, and improve youth health. She released a training video in 1982 and became involved in liberal political causes.
In a statement, HFPA President Ali Sar praised the Golden Globe winner’s career and “relentless activism”.
“Her undeniable talent has earned her the highest level of recognition,” Sar said of Fonda. “While her professional life has taken many turns, her unwavering commitment to creating change has remained.”
The DeMille Award is presented annually to “a person who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment”. Past recipients include Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, and Lucille Ball.
The nominations for the upcoming Globes show are expected to be announced on February 3rd.
Fonda, 83, has been nominated for five Academy Awards and won two for the thriller Klute and the compassionate antiwar drama Coming Home. She had other prominent films like The China Syndrome, The Electric Horseman with Robert Redford, and 9 through 5 with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. She plays in the Netflix television series Grace & Frankie.
Fonda gained notoriety in the 1970s when she traveled to North Vietnam at the height of the protests against the Vietnam War and posed for photos next to an anti-aircraft gun. She came under heavy criticism for her decision – one for which she repeatedly apologized – to pose in the photo that gave her the nickname “Hanoi Jane”.
In 2014, Fonda received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. She founded IndieCollect’s Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, an organization designed to help restore films directed by women from around the world.
Fonda was arrested in the U.S. Capitol while peacefully protesting climate change in 2019, an action called Fire Drill Fridays.
On her 80th birthday, Fonda raised $ 1 million for each of her nonprofits, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential and the Women’s Media Center. She also serves on the board of directors and donated $ 1 million to Donor Direct Action, an organization that helps women’s frontline organizations promote equality for women.
Fonda’s book “What can I do? My path from desperation to action ”, published last year, describes her personal journey with Fire Drill Fridays.
