Peter Fonda has had a mixed acting career, having become an iconic figure to the young in the 1960s. His father, actor Henry Fonda, cast a big shadow. Peter’s mother, Frances Ford Seymour committed suicide when Peter was a young boy. His sister Jane Fonda grew up to be a leading actress and the dynasty continues with Peter’s actress daughter Bridget Fonda.

Born in New York, New York in 1940, Peter Fonda went to Omaha, Nebraska and signed up with the Community Playhouse there. The Playhouse launched the acting careers of many notable people, including Henry Fonda and Marlon Brando. After doing some stage work on Broadway Peter moved to Hollywood and got into the movie business.

His first movie was an old fashioned hospital romance called Tammy and the Doctor. Released in1963, it was directed by Harry Keller and Peter Fonda played opposite Sandra Dee. His next role was more challenging, as a mental patient in an institution in Lilith. Robert Rossen directed and the stars were Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg. In The Young Lovers, Peter Fonda took the male leading role in a gritty story concerning unwanted pregnancy. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. directed and Sharon Hugueny also starred.

In the middle of the 1960s, as the counter culture spread its influence, Peter Fonda underwent a change. He grew his hair and experimented with drugs. This alienated him from the conservative Hollywood studios and the parts began to dry up. He even inspired a Beatles song after John Lennon had an LSD fuelled encounter with him and wrote She Said, She Said, which appeared on the 1966 album, Revolver. The cult director Roger Corman came to Peter’s rescue and cast him in his first non-mainstream film. In The Wild Angels, he played the leading role of the head of a Hell’s Angel chapter, starring alongside Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, and Diane Ladd. Corman used him again in The Trip. This was a very controversial film and was banned in many places. It depicts Peter’s character on an LSD trip. Susan Strasberg and Dennis Hopper also featured.

Peter Fonda was on his way to cult status but his next film was to catapult him even further. Easy Rider was made on a low budget and grossed a fortune. Telling the story of two bikers riding across America, it fit perfectly into the mood of the time. Peter produced the film and shared the writing credits with Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Dennis Hopper directed and played one of the bikers, and Peter played the other one. It was also an important film for Jack Nicholson, who made a big impact with his performance. The film soundtrack included tracks from Roger McGuinn and Jimi Hendrix.

Unfortunately, it was a success that Peter Fonda was never able to repeat. Easy Rider was such a cultural phenomenon, perhaps it was impossible to follow. However, the next two decades brought steady work, and Peter’s direction and acting in The Hired Hand opposite Warren Oates and Verna Bloom was well received.

The latest project for Peter Fonda has a release date for 2007. Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes star in Ghost Rider.  Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, it’s based on the Marvel comic strip.