How many grandchildren does Jane Fonda have? All about the family as Actress recalls rescuing grandson from bear

Actress Jane Fonda was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st SAG Awards in recognition of her remarkable contributions to film and cinema. The legendary actress is a proud grandmother to Malcolm Vadim and Viva Vadim, the children of her daughter, Vanessa Vadim.

The "Barbarella" actress recently appeared on the popular Netflix podcast Skip Intro, alongside her son, Troy Garity. During the episode, Garity recounted a terrifying incident from the past where his mother bravely rescued her then infant grandson from a bear that had wandered into her New Mexico home.

According to the story, the two-time Oscar Winner was alerted by a strange noise, and went to investigate. Upon returning, she was shocked to find a bear in the bedroom Malcolm was sleeping in at the time.

Troy recounted:

"She heard something so she left the bedroom in the middle of the night to go see what the sound was."

He continued:

"And when she came back in, the screen door was dismantled and there was a bear in the bedroom, sniffing over the crib."

Jane Fonda, who had recently learnt how to handle such situations, reacted instinctively. She roared, and pretended to appear larger to intimidate the bear and drive it away.

When prompted by host, Krista Smith, who asked "What did you do?" Fonda demonstrated her technique, showing how she scared away the wild animal. The group burst into laughter at her effective yet comical demonstration of the moment.

The actress said:

"I had just learned what to do if you’re close to a bear. And that was it. And get very big; I opened my bathrobe.”

The "Grace and Frankie" actress not only managed to successfully intimidate the bear into backing away from the crib, where her grandson was fast asleep, but also chased it out of the house entirely. However, before leaving, the bear made sure to "leave its mark" on the house carpet.

More details about Jane Fonda's family explored

Vanessa Vadim, Jane Fonda's first child, was born on 28 September 1968, to Fonda and her first husband, French screenwriter, Roger Vadim. The couple divorced in 1973 when Vanessa was still very young. Vanessa is now a director, married to Paul Waggoner since June 2010 and is the mother to Jane Fonda's two grandchildren.

Her second child, Golden Globe-nominated actor, Troy O'Donovan Garity, was born on 7 July, 1973 to her and her then-husband, politician and anti-war activist Tom Hayden. His surname was chosen as a tribute to his paternal grandmother. Jane Fonda and Hayden divorced in 1990, after 17 years of marriage.

In an interview with Grand Magazine, the actress candidly admitted that she had not been a good mother to her children. She said:

“I don’t think I was that good of a mother. But I did always tell them the truth, and I hope they can always learn from my mistakes. That’s what’s so great about being a grandmother: It gives you a second chance.”

She also added that the birth of her first grandchild gave her a profound new understanding of the power of love.

"When my first grandchild was born and I held him in my arms, I really understood intimacy. I felt a love I had never felt before. It broke me open, and I needed to be broken open.” Jane Fonda told Grand Magazine.

Her third child, Mary Luana Williams was born on 13 October 1967 to Black Panther activists, Randy and Mary Williams. The child was later adopted by the actress, and grew up alongside her other two children.

On deciding to adopt Mary, Fonda has said:

"She helped me to become whole. I think I learned as much or more from [Lulu] as she did from me. But on a psychological level, she helped complete me."

Jane Fonda now strives to maintain a close relationship with her children and grandchildren. The family often comes together for vacation at her home in New Mexico.