Jane Fonda to Receive the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award

Actress and activist Jane Fonda will be honored as the 60th recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for both career and humanitarian accomplishments. The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stream live on Netflix Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession and recent honorees include Barbra Streisand, Sally Field, Helen Mirren, Carol Burnett, Morgan Freeman, Lily Tomlin, and more.

In a statement, Fonda said "I am deeply honored and humbled to be this year's recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. I have been working in this industry for almost the entirety of my life and there’s no honor like THE ONE bestowed on you by your peers. SAG-AFTRA works tirelessly to protect the working actor and to ensure that union members are being treated equitably in all areas, and I am proud to be a member as we continue to work to protect generations of performers to come."

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said "Jane Fonda is a trailblazer and an extraordinary talent; a dynamic force who has shaped the landscape of entertainment, advocacy and culture with unwavering passion. We honor Jane not only for her artistic brilliance but for the profound legacy of activism and empowerment she has created. Her fearless honesty has been an inspiration to me and many others in our industry.”

Jane Fonda’s acclaimed career, which spans six decades, has captivated audiences with her versatile performances across film, television and theater, while using her platform to champion critical social causes. Her previous honors have included two Oscars, two BAFTA Awards, an Emmy, seven Golden Globes, the 2015 AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, Elle’s Women in Hollywood Icon award and the Women in Film Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award named after Fonda for her lifelong activism and philanthropic commitments.  

Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the Life Achievement Award is bestowed for outstanding achievement in fostering the best ideals of the acting profession. The recipient of this award is a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

About Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda made her film debut in Tall Story, but it was her performance in Klute that solidified her status as a leading actress, earning her the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actress. She went on to star in iconic films such as Coming Home, for which she received her second Academy Award and 9 to 5, a beloved comedy about workplace sexism in which she co-starred with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton.  Fonda's filmography is as varied as it is impressive, with notable works like They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, The China Syndrome and On Golden Pond. 

After her role in Stanley & Iris, Fonda announced her retirement from film, stepping away from the industry for over a decade. In 2005, Fonda made a highly publicized return with the comedy Monster-in-Law, opposite Jennifer Lopez, followed by Georgia Rule in 2007. In the 2010s, Fonda appeared in Our Souls at Night, reuniting with Robert Redford and the ensemble comedy Book Club, which was a major box office success. 

Onstage, Fonda has appeared in several plays. She made her Broadway debut in 1960 in There Was a Little Girl, and went on to appear in Invitation to a March, The Fun Couple, and Strange Interlude. She was last seen on Broadway in 2009 in 33 Variations, for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award.

In 1984, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in The Dollmaker. In the 2010s, Fonda made a significant return to television with a recurring role as media CEO Leona Lansing in HBO's The Newsroom. Her performance earned her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

Jane Fonda has never shied away from using her platform to effect change and her introduction to activism can be traced back to her prominent voice as part of the antiwar movement in the early 1960s and beyond. In 1969, Fonda lent her support to the Indigenous American occupation of Alcatraz Island, a protest aimed at highlighting the U.S. government’s failure to honor treaty rights and advocating for greater Indigenous sovereignty.

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