AFTRA Life Achievement Award
Two-time Oscar-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda was named Thursday the 60th recipient of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union's SAG Life Achievement Award, the organization's highest honor.
The award is bestowed on a performer who represents "the finest ideals of the acting profession," according to the union. Fonda will receive the award during the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 23.
"Jane Fonda is a trailblazer and an extraordinary talent; a dynamic force who has shaped the landscape of entertainment, advocacy and culture with unwavering passion," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement. "We honor Jane not only for her artistic brilliance but for the profound legacy of activism and empowerment she has created. Her fearless honesty has been an inspiration to me and many others in our industry."
The honor will the latest accolade collected by Fonda, who has already received two Oscars, two BAFTA Awards, an Emmy Award, seven Golden Globes, the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, among others.
Fonda won the first of her two best actress Oscars in 1972 for her role in "Klute," in which she portrayed a New York prostitute who assists a detective, played by Donald Sutherland, in the search for a missing Pennsylvania corporate executive (Robert Milli). Her second came in 1979 for the Vietnam War-era drama "Coming Home."
Fonda, 86, received four other best actress Oscar nominations, for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?," "Julia," "The China Syndrome" and "The Morning After," along with a best supporting actress nomination for "On Golden Pond."
She won seven Golden Globes in her career, beginning with a "most promising newcomer" award in 1962 for "Tall Story." Her other awards were for films including "Klute," "Julia" and "Coming Home."
Her other memorable films include "Cat Ballou," "Barefoot in the Park," "Barbarella," "The Electric Horseman" and "9 to 5."
Fonda is also well known for her political activism, most notably her protests of the Vietnam War, which still earns her derision from some veterans organizations.
She is also a vocal advocate on the issue of climate change and global warming.
"I am deeply honored and humbled to be this year's recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award," Fonda said in a statement. "I have been working in this industry for almost the entirety of my life and there's no honor like the one bestowed on you by your peers. SAG-AFTRA works tirelessly to protect the working actor and to ensure that union members are being treated equitably in all areas, and I am proud to be a member as we continue to work to protect generations of performers to come."
