From sex symbol to political activist: Jane Fonda at 80

While this family portrait looks heartfelt, Jane Fonda and her brother Peter — the "Easy Rider" star — were rarely hugged by their father Henry, also an Oscar-winning actor. He traveled a lot for work, and during the few occasions when he was at home, he acted cold and aloof. Their mother, socialite Frances Ford Seymour, committed suicide in a sanatorium at the age of 42 when Jane was just 12.

If the Italian actress Virna Lisi had not turned down the role of Barbarella in the eponymous flick, the world might not ever have discovered Fonda's seductive charisma. She was recommended for the role by director Roger Vadim's then wife — Fonda went on to marry Vadim. In the film (above) she delivered a sex-fueled character who defined the beauty ideals of the late 1960s — and the 41st century!

When Fonda used her popularity to protest against the US intervention in the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, many of her fans were not happy. This infamous photo of her atop a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane" and much criticism. Then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover declared her an enemy of the state and had her kept under permanent surveillance.

Despite the political pushback after the Vietnam episode, she was still favored by the directors and the audience. For her main roles in "Klute" (1971), a neo-noir thriller where she played a prostitute, and in "Coming Home" (1978), where she portrayed a marine's devoted wife, Fonda received Academy Awards in the Best Actress category. She has also won several Golden Globes during her career.

Fonda's desire to work out at home turned out to be one that was also shared by millions of American women — and men. With her exercise videos, she became the star of a new movement in the 1980s and built a $600-million (€507-million) empire by selling socks, leg warmers and other workout accessories. And she does not seem to slack off: Her latest training videos are available on YouTube.

In 1990, the romantic drama "Stanley & Iris" with Robert De Niro was her final film before she announced her retirement. It came as a surprise after a series of successes in the 1980s, such as the thriller "The Morning After" or the TV drama "The Dollmaker," for which she received an Emmy. In May 2005, she returned to the screen with the romantic comedy "Monster-in-Law" co-starring Jennifer Lopez.

During her artistic hiatus, Fonda dedicated herself to activism. In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health and a year later demonstrated against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Fonda has published several books on feminism and international politics, but also wellness and cooking. In 2005 she published her memoir (above).

After her return to the silver screen and TV, she portrayed a hippy grandmother in "Peace, Love and Misunderstanding" and a media company CEO in the HBO's "The Newsroom." She continues to take a political stand, too, such as against the controversial Keystone Pipeline in 2017 (above). Its construction has been criticized by political, environmental and human rights activists.

Jane Fonda simply does not slow down. In the days before her 80th birthday, she made a significant donation to help unseat a Californian pro-Trump Congressman Darrell Issa and finished shooting the third season of the Netflix show "Grace and Frankie" with Lily Tomlin (above) about two women whose husbands fall in love with each other. And she attended her birthday party in a tuxedo!