As part of the Fonda acting family, Bridget Fonda hit the scene early on with a small part in Easy Rider alongside her father, Peter Fonda. But, she didn’t go on to become a child star. It was as an adult that her career really took off, and she was one of the top actors of the ’80s and ’90s thanks to movies including Scandal, Single White Female, Jackie Brown, and Lake Placid. She was nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards during her career, but since 2002, it’s been almost complete radio silence from Fonda.
In the early 2000s, Fonda retired from acting entirely and has rarely been seen publicly. She didn’t officially announce her retirement at the time, but a couple of things happened in her life that may have inspired the decision. Though she’s been absent from the spotlight, Fonda did recently reveal whether or not she’s considering a return to performing. Read on to find out more.
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Fonda was very busy in the time leading up to her retirement. In 2001, she was in four movies: Delivering Milo, Monkeybone, Kiss of the Dragon, and The Whole Shebang, which was her final film. Then, in 2002, she appeared in The Chris Isaak Show and the TV movie Snow Queen, with Snow Queen being her final onscreen appearance.
Fonda got into a serious car accident in 2003. Her car was totaled after it went over an embankment while she was driving on the highway in heavy rain. As reported by the BBC at the time, she had “a slight fracture of two thoracic vertebrae” but was expected to fully recover.
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That year was also a significant one for Fonda for a much more positive reason: She got married. Fonda has been married to composer Danny Elfman since 2003, and they have a son together: Oliver Elfman, who is now 19.
Because of the timing, it’s been speculated that Fonda stepped away from Hollywood to raise her child, and that the car accident could have played a role, too. Either way, Fonda has never publicly explained why she retired.
While Fonda still attended events in the first few years following her retirement, she hasn’t been spotted out much lately. She made her last red carpet appearance in 2009 when she and Elfman attended the premiere of Inglourious Basterds. As reported by Page Six, that same year, Fonda’s aunt, Jane Fonda, posted photos on her website that were taken at Fonda and Elfman’s Christmas party and included pictures of her niece.
In 2022, Fonda was photographed by paparazzi a couple of times while running errands and walking her dog. These were the first publicly released photos of her in over 12 years.
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Over the past few years, Fonda has just been photographed and videoed by paparazzi, but in April 2023, she gave one a brief (very brief!) interview. As reported by the Daily Mail, the former actor was approached by a photographer at LAX and responded, “No,” when asked if she had any designs on ever acting again. As the photographer continued to ask, Fonda replied, “I don’t think so, it’s too nice being a civilian.”
So while fans may be sorry to hear that the It Could Happen to You star won’t be taking on any more roles, it sounds like Fonda has no regrets about her decision to walk away.