Peter Fonda has died at age 79. Fonda, well-known as a son and brother of film mega-stars, had a prolific career (116 screen credits) dotted with some spectacular successes.
Fonda’s most eternal legacy will be Easy Rider, a film he wrote and starred in, which was the seminal film of the Counter-culture. Most importantly, Easy Rider propelled the staggering movie studios into empowering a new generation of auteur filmmakers.
Before Easy Rider, Fonda had moved from traditional Hollywood male ingenue roles into a couple of Roger Corman exploitation films, The Trip and Wild Angels. In a rich third act, Fonda was deservedly Oscar-nominated for his starring role in the 1997 indie Ulee’s Gold. He also delivered fine supporting performances in The Limey (1999) and 3:10 to Yuma (2007).
Fonda also directed three films, including his grievously underrated Western The Hired Hand (1971). Verna Bloom, who also died this year, plays a woman abandoned on her hardscrabble ranch by her roaming husband (Fonda). When he returns with his trail buddy (Warren Oates), she will only allow him back as a hired hand. It’s a moody and captivating film, beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. The Hired Hand is available on DVD from Netflix; the DVD is also available for purchase.