Jane Fonda: Looking Back At Her Most Oscar-Worthy Films

Born December 21, 1937 to her parents, actor Henry Fonda and socialite Francis Ford Seymour, Jane Fonda was destined for success. After making her Broadway debut in 1960 with the play There Was a Little Girl, Fonda would begin her rise to fame on-screen with roles in films like Tall Story (1960) and Barbarella (1968). Jane Fonda would receive her first Academy Award nomination with this next film...

1969's psychological drama, They Shoot Horses, Don't They, marked an important moment in Jane Fonda's budding career. Having risen to fame as a sex symbol, the drama would show off Fonda's talent as an actress, proving her capability for more complex roles. Critics had nothing but praise for Fonda and she would receive her first Academy Award nomination for her performance. 

Jane Fonda's first Oscar would follow closely behind her first nomination. In 1971, Fonda would win the Academy Award for Best Actress after playing a prostitute in the mystery thriller Klute. The performance would also win her a Golden Globe and a National Society of Film Critics Award. 

1977 would be a big year for Jane Fonda, starring in not one but two successful dramas. The first, comedy Fun with Dick and Jane, won her praise from critics, and the second, drama Julia, would win Fonda her first BAFTA, second Golden Globe, and her third Oscar nomination. 

Jane Fonda's second Oscar win would follow the next year after her outstanding performance in the romantic drama, Coming Home. Playing the part of a conflicted adultress in the Vietnam War drama, Fonda blew critics away and fans just couldn't get enough of the talented actress. 

Following her rise, Jane Fonda was proving herself unstoppable. With films like 1979's The China Syndrome Fonda just seemed to be getting better and better. The role would earn her yet another Academy Award nomination as well as another BAFTA. 

In 1981, Jane Fonda would receive yet another Oscar nomination as well as fulfill her dream of working on-screen with her father, Henry Fonda. Playing a father-daughter duo, their strained relationship on-screen closely resembled their off-screen relationship, and they became the first father and daughter to both be nominated for Academy Awards for the same film. The project would, unfortunately, be their first and last together, with Henry Fonda passing away only five months after winning the award for Best Actor. 

Jane Fonda's career continued to see success in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 1984 she would win herself an Emmy Award for the television film, The Dollmaker. 

The Morning After would be one of Jane Fonda's last big films before taking a 15-year break from acting. And a great last role it would be. Modeling her character off of the real-life actress, Gail Russell, Fonda played the part of a struggling alcoholic and murder suspect perfectly, earning herself yet another Oscar nomination. 

Jane Fonda kept busy in her time away from acting, most prominently releasing a number of exercise videos. Jane Fonda's exercise videos are some of the most successful selling workouts around, and she has sold more than 17 million copies! Fans were even more ecstatic, however, when Jane Fonda returned full-force in 2005 with the box-office hit, Monster-in-Law.