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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 20 augusT 2019

‘Easy Rider’ star, 1960s swashbuckler Peter Fonda dies at 79

By LINDSEY BAHR “She Said She Said.” couldn’t appreciate and “’Easy Rider’ depicted the tablishment gave its official
ANDREW DALTON Fonda went to private nurture Peter’s sensitivity, rise of hippie culture, con- blessing in 1998 when “Easy
Associated Press schools in Massachusetts couldn’t see him as he was. demned the establishment, Rider” was included in the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ac- United States National Film
tor Peter Fonda, the son of Registry for being “cultur-
a Hollywood legend who ally, historically, or aestheti-
became a movie star in his cally significant.”
own right after both writing In 1969, he told The Associ-
and starring in the counter- ated Press that, “As for my
culture classic “Easy Rider,” generation, it was time they
died Friday at his home of started doing their own
complications from lung speaking. There has been
cancer. He was 79. too much of the ‘silent ma-
“I am very sad,” Jane Fon- jority’ — at both ends of the
da said in a statement. generation gap.”
“He was my sweet-hearted He did reflect later in a
baby brother. The talker 2015 interview with The
of the family. I have had Hollywood Reporter that
beautiful alone time with it may have impacted his
him these last days. He career prospects: “It cer-
went out laughing.” tainly put a nail in the coffin
Born into Hollywood roy- of ‘the next Dean Jones at
alty as Henry Fonda’s only Disney.’ “
son, Peter Fonda carved Fonda’s output may have
his own path with his non- been prolific, but he was
conformist tendencies and not always well-regard-
earned an Oscar nomina- ed, which he was acutely
tion for co-writing the psy- aware of. But he said that
chedelic road trip movie “Ulee’s Gold,” which came
“Easy Rider.” He would In this Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 file photo, Peter Fonda, poses atop a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in out in 1997, was the “most
never win that golden Glendale, Calif. Associated Press fun” he’d ever had making
statuette, but he would a movie. He wore the same
later be nominated for his wire-rimmed glasses his fa-
leading performance as a and Connecticut as a Instead he tried to shame and celebrated freedom,” ther wore in “On Golden
Vietnam veteran and wid- child, moving on to the Uni- Peter into his own image of Douglas wrote. “Peter Fon- Pond,” although he said
owed beekeeper in “Ulee’s versity of Nebraska in his stoic independence.” da embodied those values beyond that he was not
Gold.” father’s home state, join- Although Peter never and instilled them in a gen- channeling Henry Fonda
Fonda was born in New York ing the same acting group achieved the status of his eration.” in the performance. He lost
in 1940 to parents whose — the Omaha Community father or even his older sis- Fonda had played bik- out on the Oscar to Nichol-
personas were the very op- Playhouse — where Henry ter, the impact of “Easy ers before “Easy Rider.” In son, who won for “As Good
posite of the rebellious im- Fonda got his start. Rider,” which just cele- the 1966 Roger Corman- as It Gets.”
ages their kids would culti- He then returned to New brated its 50th anniversary, directed “Wild Angels,” in Nicholson said in his ac-
vate. Father Henry Fonda York and joined the Ce- was enough to cement his which he plays Heavenly ceptance speech that it as
was already a Hollywood cilwood Theatre, getting place in popular culture. Blues, leader of a band of an honor to be nominated
giant, known for playing small roles on Broadway Fonda collaborated with Hells Angels, Fonda deliv- alongside “my old bike pal
straight-shooting cowboys and guest parts on televi- another struggling young ers a speech that could’ve Fonda.”
and soldiers. Mother Fran- sion shows including “Na- actor, Dennis Hopper, on served as both a personal He remained prolific for the
ces Ford Seymour was a ked City” and “Wagon the script about two weed- mantra and a manifesto for rest of his life with notable
Canadian-born U.S. social- Train.” smoking, drug-slinging bik- the youth of the ‘60s. performances as the heel in
ite. Fonda had an estranged ers on a trip through the “We wanna be free!” Fon- Steven Soderbergh’s “The
He was only 10 years old relationship with his father Southwest as they make da tells a preacher in the Limey,” from 1999, and in
when his mother died. She throughout most of his life, their way to New Orleans film. “We wanna be free to James Mangold’s 2007
had a nervous breakdown but he said that they grew for Mardi Gras. do what we wanna do. We update of “3:10 to Yuma.”
after learning of her hus- closer over the years be- On the way, Fonda and wanna be free to ride. We He’d even play himself in
band’s affair and was con- fore Henry Fonda died in Hopper befriend a drunken wanna be free to ride our an episode of the spoof
fined to a hospital. In 1950, 1982. young lawyer — Jack Nich- machines without being documentary series “Docu-
she killed herself. It would “Peter is all deep sweet- olson in a breakout role hassled by the man! And mentary Now!” about life
be about five years before ness, kind and sensitive to — but raise the dander of we wanna get loaded!” as “an Oscar Bridesmaid.”
Peter Fonda learned the his core. He would never Southern rednecks and are Fonda produced “Easy Rid- Fonda is survived by his
truth behind her death. intentionally harm any- murdered before they can er” and Hopper directed it third wife, Margaret De-
Fonda accidentally shot thing or anyone. In fact, return home. for a meager $380,000. It Vogelaere, his daughter,
himself and nearly died on he once argued with me Fonda’s character Wyatt went on to gross $40 million actress Bridget Fonda and
his 11th birthday. It was a that vegetables had souls wore a stars-and-stripes worldwide, a substantial son, Justin, both from his first
story he told often, includ- (it was the ‘60s),” his sister helmet and rode a mo- sum for its time. marriage to Susan Brewer.
ing during an acid trip with Jane Fonda said in her 2005 torcycle called “Captain The film was a hit at Cannes, “In one of the saddest mo-
members of The Beatles memoir. “He has a strange, America,” re-purposing netted a best screenplay ments of our lives, we are
and The Byrds during which complex mind that grasps traditional images for the Oscar nomination for Fon- not able to find the ap-
Fonda reportedly said, “I and hangs on to details counter-culture. da, Hopper and Terry South- propriate words to express
know what it’s like to be ranging from the minutiae Actress Illeana Douglas ern, and has since been the pain in our hearts,” the
dead.” of his childhood to cosmic tweeted her condolences listed on the American Film family said in a statement.
John Lennon would use matters, with a staggering Friday with the hashtag Institute’s ranking of the top “As we grieve, we ask that
the line in The Beatles song amount in between. Dad “RIPCaptainAmerica.” 100 American films. The es- you respect our privacy.”q