Inside Bridget Fonda's reclusive yet colorful life as she turns 62

Bridget was an A-list actress in the late '80s and '90s, best known for her roles in projects like The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Scandal, Jackie Brown, Point of No Return and A Simple Plan.

She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1997 for her performance in the TV film In the Gloaming, and was also nominated twice for a Golden Globe: once in 1990 for Scandal, and again in 2002 for No Ordinary Baby.

Bridget was born into a Hollywood dynasty that began with her grandfather, Henry Fonda, who was one of the industry's most respected and celebrated stars. During his decades-long career, he starred in 12 Angry Men, On Golden Pond, The Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, and Once Upon a Time in the West.

He won an Oscar for On Golden Pond in 1982, just a year after receiving an honorary Oscar for his contribution to the film industry. Bridget's aunt, Jane Fonda, is also a Hollywood legend, having won an Oscar for Klute in 1972 and another in 1979 for Coming Home. Jane is a fitness icon thanks to her workout tapes, which were released in the '80s and '90s, and she has also been an outspoken activist her entire life.

Bridget's father and Jane's brother, Peter Fonda, is an actor in his own right with credits in Easy Rider (which he also co-wrote and nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay), as well as Ulee's Gold.

Bridget shared in 2000 that she was close with her family, and that there was no bad blood or competitiveness amongst them. "The nice thing is that I respect them. I never felt that I had to deny their existence or be embarrassed by association," she told The Guardian.

"At one time, there was nothing the press would have liked better than to set up a me vs Jane thing," she continued. "They were desperate for us to be bitter rivals...although we're close, I don't see her that often."

The gray-haired beauty has been married to Hollywood composer Danny Elfman since 2003, when the pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles. They met five years prior on the set of A Simple Plan, and quickly fell in love.

Although they were not pictured together for 16 years due to her decision to step away from the spotlight, Danny made a rare comment about his wife during an interview with The Talks after performing at Coachella in 2022.

"You know, my wife once said to me, and she really summed it up properly, she said, 'You're on a high wire without a safety net every time you go out there. I think that's really true," he said.

Two years after Danny and Bridget married, they welcomed their only son together, Oliver. She quit acting for good after he was born, and Oliver appears to share her desire for privacy. 

He has made rare public appearances with his dad over the years, including at the premieres of Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013 and Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016, as well as the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiere in 2022.

"A photo of Oliver is very rare as he hates taking pictures and posts nothing, secretive fellow that he is…like catching a photo of a hard-to-find rare animal!" wrote Danny on Instagram after the premiere event.

The Emmy nominee was involved in a serious car crash in February 2003, which prompted her to take time away from acting. Bridget's Jaguar flipped over an embankment and rolled down a hill during the accident, leaving her with two fractured vertebrae. This influenced her desire to retire from acting altogether, and her last role was in the 2002 TV film Snow Queen. 

She previously spoke about the immense stress she felt when acting during an interview with the Evening Standard. "It's very easy to get excited about a job, but it's a big commitment because you do it and then you have to live with it when it's finished," Bridget explained.  

"It's forever in your section in the video store. It's you. It's almost like deciding who you have a child with." When asked by a photographer in 2023 if she would ever consider returning to Hollywood, the mother of one simply replied: "I don't think so, it's too nice being a civilian."

Bridget has reportedly lost 80 lbs on her weight loss journey and looked better than ever during her most recent outing in December. She has been open in the past about dealing with her insecurities and lack of self-esteem, despite being one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood.

"What is it with my low self-esteem?" she said in a 2000 interview, as per The Independent. "I'm trying to be happy with my career. I think I should give myself a break, but I've got this bug that rides me. 'You should be doing better.'"

"Every time I work, I'm frustrated with my physical inability to catch up to my mental picture," she continued, before later adding that leaving the industry allowed her to learn self-acceptance.