credit: Single White Female
Bridget Fonda had everything going for her. She was a star. The beautiful young actress had a thriving career as a Hollywood actress, a husband who adored her, and a family name that garnered much respect. Why, then, did she leave it all behind to disappear into thin air? Growing up the daughter of Peter Fonda and the niece of Jane Fonda might sound like a dream come true, but the grass is not always greener.
She was a celebrated actress at age five, and she never had an ounce of privacy in her life. With such a famous family, finding peace, quiet, and anonymity would never work for Bridget Fonda. To make matters worse, Bridget Fonda’s car accident left her broken, upset, and in great pain. Is Bridget Fonda’s car accident why she left Hollywood behind and went into hiding, or was it something else entirely?
A Charmed Life
By the time she was five, she was already acting. By the time she was 30, she’d already starred in dozens of movies and television shows. She could not go anywhere without being recognized. Her personal life was everyone’s business. Her acting was everyone’s business. Some loved her and couldn’t see anything wrong with her; some called her a nepotistic actress. Many people said she only made it as an actress because of her last name. She’s the granddaughter of actor Henry Fonda, the daughter of Peter Fonda, and the niece of Jane Fonda – many people tore her down and overlooked her talent.
Her life seemed charmed to those on the outside looking in. She’s beautiful, talented, and wealthy and can go anywhere and have anything she wants. Yet her life was not always charmed. She faced so much criticism and leaving the house meant putting on a show for the press. Fonda was under constant pressure to behave well, look good, and always stay fit and trim. Fonda was working, but her life was not always as easy as it seemed from the outside looking in.
Bridget Fonda’s Horrible Car Accident
It was a rainy morning in Los Angeles on February 28, 2003. Bridget Fonda was behind the wheel of her Jaguar driving on the PCH (the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway) when she lost control of her vehicle. Rainy conditions are the root cause of her accident. She was not drunk or using drugs, and she was not doing anything wrong behind the wheel. Sometimes, inclement weather results in tragic accidents. When she lost control of her Jag, she slid down an embankment – and it was a steep one. Thankfully, Bridget Fonda was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident, and it saved her life.
credit: Single White Female
She did suffer some injuries in the accident, including head and neck injuries, including a fractured vertebra. Her hospital stay was not long, but she wasn’t seen much after her accident. She recovered mostly at home, and she didn’t take a single role after that. Her last role was in 2002, and she’s rarely in public any longer. In fact, she went 12 years without being spotted in public from the time she was 46 until she was 58 and went out on her birthday.
Bridget Fonda Chose Her Family
Following her accident in February 2003, she got married. She wed Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman in November of that year, and they’ve been married ever since. They are going on 20 years of marriage in 2023, and they have one son together. When they got married, she became a stepmother. Her husband has two daughters from a prior marriage. When he married Fonda, she decided it was time to put her work behind her and focus on her personal life. She stayed home to help raise her stepdaughters and welcomed her only biological child in 2005. She and her husband welcomed a son whose name is Oliver.
credit: Single White Female
At the end of the day, she chose to focus on her family more than her career. Did Bridget Fonda wish she had more of the same when she was growing up? Her mother was an artist, and her entire family was in the entertainment industry. Is there a chance she wanted to do what she could to live a normal life and be present for her children when she had the chance? Normalcy is not something she’s had much of during her life, so it is entirely possible she chose to go that route.
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