MW Jane Fonda: A Hollywood legend with some fascinating property purchases- from Atlanta to L.A.

By Charlie Lankston

Fonda put down roots in Atlanta years ago

Actress Jane Fonda is nothing short of a Hollywood legend, having spent almost 70 years in the industry-a career that has now been honored on the world stage when she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 SAG Awards on Feb. 23.

But while Fonda, 87, has been a mainstay in Hollywood movies since her debut role in "Tall Story" in 1960, she admits she hasn't always felt embraced by the industry, confessing in a "Today" show interview: "You know I haven't always been so popular in this town."

Fonda's relationship with Los Angeles has been something of a roller-coaster ride-and she actually spent 19 years living thousands of miles away from the celebrity-centric city, laying down roots in Atlanta, where she resided in a stunning penthouse apartment.

When she returned to L.A. in 2010, Fonda, who was born in New York, confessed it was a difficult decision and one that felt incredibly bittersweet, explaining on her blog that she ultimately made the move for the sake of her career. She realized that living so far from the industry's capital had made "decision makers" forget her.

"Decision makers in the film industry didn't realize I still wanted to work in film," she wrote in a 2010 post on her blog, adding: "Out of sight is out of mind. That's when I realized I had to live there."

Certainly nobody can accuse Fonda of being out of sight or mind in recent years; in addition to her seven-season run in Netflix's $(NFLX)$ hit series "Grace and Frankie," the Oscar-winning actress has also had roles in multiple movies during the past decade, from "80 for Brady" to "Book Club."

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Her career resurgence has been nothing short of awe-inspiring-and proof that her decision to return to L.A. and fight for her rightful place in the industry may well have been the right one.

"It's not over till it's over," she told "Today" of her mantra. "You can keep being feisty, you can keep fighting and standing up and being brave, and we should, because what the hell do we older women have to lose?"

Although Fonda has called L.A. home for the past 15 years, her road to SAG Awards history actually began in New York City, when her passion for acting was first nurtured on the stage.

The "Monster-in-Law" star spent a decade living in Manhattan and performing on Broadway before relocating to France in the early 1960s, when she met her former partner, filmmaker Roger Vadim, with whom she welcomed her firstborn child, Vanessa.

Fonda lived in France for eight years before returning to the U.S. and moving to Los Angeles to continue her glittering career.

However, after she wed CNN founder Ted Turner in 1991, Fonda turned her back on the bright lights of Hollywood in favor of relocating to Atlanta, where she spent the next two decades-despite divorcing Turner after just 10 years of marriage.

But much like her impact on Hollywood, Fonda's impression on Atlanta has proved to be enduring. During her time living there, she founded two non-profit organizations in the area: the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory School of Medicine.

Now, as Fonda's historic Hollywood career is sent to be immortalized, Realtor.com reveals the fascinating road she took to get there.

New York City: Where it all began

Fonda was born in Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood in 1937 to Canadian parents, socialite Frances Ford Seymour and actor Henry Fonda.

It was in New York that her career began to blossom, first with multiple modeling jobs-including on the pages of fashion bible Vogue-then on Broadway.

However, in 1960, she made a move into movies with "Tall Story," which was quickly followed up with roles in "Joy House" and "Circle of Love," both of which were shot in France, where she was living at the time.

During the eight years that Fonda spent in France, she would regularly travel back and forth between the two countries for work, revealing on her blog in 2009: "I went to France to do a film and fell in love with the French/ Russian filmmaker, Roger Vadim, father of my daughter Vanessa.

"I lived there eight years, coming back from time to time to do films like 'Cat Ballou,' 'The Chase,' 'Barefoot in the Park,' and others. It was Vadim who directed 'Barbarella' among other films with me. That was 1967-68. I haven't lived in New York since."

Fonda would ultimately return to New York (temporarily) throughout her career in order to complete stints on Broadway, but it was Los Angeles where she focused her attention after returning from France-but only for a short time, before her marriage to Turner led her to the South.

Atlanta penthouse

Fonda initially moved to Atlanta because of her marriage to CNN legend Turner, who founded his company in the city and has owned several homes there over the years.

However, after the couple split in 2001, the actress moved into a stunning penthouse apartment in the city center, which she purchased for just over $1.3 million in November 2000, according to records.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom dwelling was spread across 4,800 square feet of living space and, per its most recent listing, offers "spectacular city views from soaring 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows."

Described as a "one of a kind" home, the apartment boasts multiple living spaces, including an expansive dining area, and an elegant open-plan kitchen.

When Fonda made the decision to move back to L.A. in 2010, she showcased some of her favorite spaces in the home on her blog, jokingly describing the pink-toned entryway to her home as a "narrow birth channel."

"This is my entry 'hall,'" she wrote alongside a photo of the space. "To me it is a womb with a narrow birth channel and then you enter the wide open sunny loft to be born again."

She added: "The loft has the most amazing view of Atlanta's skyline-and a beautiful sky line it is! When the sun rises the buildings turn pink. And sunsets can be spectacular."

However, despite Fonda's glowing review of the property, it struggled to find a buyer, having originally been listed for $4.5 million, only for that price to plummet to $2.5 million just one month after it was listed.

It ultimately took more than two years for the penthouse property to sell-with Fonda accepting an offer of just $1.1 million in October 2012, according to records.

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New Mexico ranch retreat

While she was living in Atlanta, Fonda also invested in a sprawling New Mexico ranch known as Forked Lightning, which she purchased in 2000 in order to serve as something of a sanctuary while she was going through her divorce from Turner.

The expansive 2,300-acre Santa Fe property featured a wide variety of natural amenities, including horseback riding trails, a 3.5-mile stretch of river, and-according to its listing-"a diverse ecosystem of placid beauty."

Fonda owned the ranch for 15 years, constructing a residence on the land known as River House, which she spent two years planning.

"The enchantment of Forked Lightning led Fonda to spend two years hiking, camping and horseback riding, meticulously analyzing every nuance of the river and the Ranch in order to find the ideal site for her personal dwelling," the property's listing revealed.

"From examining the seasonal sunsets and sunrises, how the spring-rain showers sweep across the high-desert landscape and assimilating the features of the Southwest-style architecture, Fonda's River House was sited and created providing an elegant refuge with state-of-the-art technologies."

Per the listing, River House was outfitted with all manner of energy-efficient amenities, with sustainable materials featuring heavily in its design.

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Spread across 9,585 square feet, the property was featured in Architectural Digest in 2014, when Fonda opened up about the extensive design process she went through to create the perfect home-and the emotional clarity she was able to find while living there.

"It's where I healed after my marriage-it's where I came to understand my life so far," she told the outlet. "I wrote my memoirs here. It has a deep calling."

However, in 2015, Fonda made the decision to sell the ranch, explaining that she was no longer able to spend as much time at the property as she once had.

"Forked Lightning Ranch has been a sanctuary and a place of great joy and recreation for me and my family," she said. "Many changes have occurred in my life since 2000 and I am no longer able to spend as much time on the Ranch as I once was.

"I feel the time has come to pass the Ranch on to a new custodian of this enchanted place."

Per Swan Land Company, which held the listing, the property was put on the market for $19.5 million-and found a buyer in October 2015, although the final sale price was never made public.

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Back to Beverly Hills

One year before returning to Los Angeles from Atlanta, Fonda had begun a relationship with record producer, Richard Perry, a romance that she revealed at the time of her move was responsible-at least in part-for her decision to relocate.

"I do have family there as well...my son, daughter-in-law and stepmother-and I'm in a loving relationship with Richard Perry. A lot was beckoning me just as a lot was pulling me to stay in Atlanta," she wrote in a blog post at the time.

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March 05, 2025 05:02 ET (10:02 GMT)

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