Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda was an American actor, writer, producer, and director.

Fonda was the son of actor Henry Fonda, brother of actress Jane Fonda, and father of actress Bridget Fonda.

His show business career started on Broadway with a role as an Army private in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole. He received the Daniel Blum and the New York Drama Critics Award as the most promising young actor of 1961.

His film debut came in Tammy and the Doctor, a 1963 film with Sandra Dee. He was also featured in two Roger Corman films: The Wild Angels, a 1966 film in which he played biker Heavenly Blue, and 1967’s The Trip, which was written by Jack Nicholson and also featured Dennis Hopper. Fonda’s association with Nicholson and Hopper on that film led to 1969’s iconic Easy Rider, the story of two bikers who head to Mardi Gras after making a lot of money in a big drug deal. Fonda co-wrote and produced the film, sharing an Oscar nomination with Hopper and Terry Southern for Best Original Screenplay.

Fonda was also an Oscar nominee for Best Actor in his role as a Vietnam veteran-turned-beekeeper in 1997’s Ulee’s Gold. He also won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy in 2000 for The Passion of Ayn Rand.

Fonda’s television resumé includes Naked City, Wagon Train, The Defenders, In the Heat of the Night, ER, Californication, CSI: NY, Hawaii Five-0, The Blacklist, and Documentary Now!

Fonda died August 16, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. He was 79.