Jane Fonda’s First Daughter Vanessa Vadim – Early Life, Marriage, Divorce, Children, and Career
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Vanessa Vadim is a short documentary filmmaker. In addition, Vadim is well known as the first-born child of the famous American actress Jane Fonda and her French husband Roger Vadim. Born to an actress mother and a director father, Vanessa was exposed to show business at an early age. This led her to pursue a career in show business.

Apart from showbiz, Vadima is also an environmental activist who has worked hard to spread awareness about environmental issues. Vanessa has written various articles for several environmental websites. But what about her personal life? Is she married? Does Vanessa Vadim have children?

Find all the answers about her personal and professional life here.

Vanessa Vadim’s Birthday, Early Life, and Parents

Vanessa was born to Vanessa Plemiannikova’s parents Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim. As for her birthday, Vadim was born on 28 September 1968 in Boulogne Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. Her parents named her after the famous English actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave.

Vadim is American by nationality and of mixed ethnicity. Her father Roger was born to a Russian father, Igor Nikolayevich Plemiannikov, and a French mother, Marie Antoinette. Vadim’s mother Jane was born to Canadian-born Francis Ford Seymour and American actor Henry Fonda.

As for her education, Vanessa graduated from Brown University, where she studied literature and society. Meanwhile, according to her Facebook profile, she studied at New York University for an MA in English and Creative Writing. She also studied film directing at NYU Tisch.

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Vanessa Vadim Belongs to the Family of Famous Personalities

Not only are Vanessa’s parent’s well-known actors, but other members of her family and relatives have made big names for themselves. She is the former stepdaughter of Tom Hayden, Ted Turner, and Katherine Schneider.

In addition, Vadim is a cousin of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda, and she is a cousin of Parky Devogeler, Helen Plemiannikova, and Peter Fonda. All of them have been in show business at some point.

She Has Many Siblings from Her Parents’ Other Relationships

Vanessa Vadim has no biological siblings. Her parents, Jane and Roger, were married for about eight years from 1965 to 1973. The former couple began dating in 1963, and after a two-year affair, they tied the knot at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas on 14 August 1965.

After the official divorce in 1973, both Jane and Roger moved on quickly. Vanessa’s mother, Jane Fonda, married politician Tom Hayden just days after her divorce from Roger. From her mother’s second marriage, Vanessa has a half-brother, Troy O’Donovan Garrity, born on 7 July 1973. Vanessa also has a half-sister, Mary Louana Williams, whom her mother and Tom informally adopted in 1982.

Vanessa’s mother Jane married her third husband Ted Turner in December 1991 and divorced him in May 2001. Jane and her third husband have no children.

As for Vanessa’s half-siblings on her father’s side, she has five. Her half-siblings are Vania Vadim, Ariane Toscana du Plantier, David Toscana du Plantier, Nathalie Vadim, and Christian Vadim.

Roger was married five times before his death in 2000. He was first married to Brigitte Bardot between 1952 and 1957. His second marriage was to Annette Stroyberg, and his third was to Jane Fonda. After his divorce from Jane, Roger married Catherine Schneider and Marie-Christine Barrault. At the time of his death, Roger was still married to his fifth wife, Marie.

Vanessa Vadim’s Father’s Death – What was the Cause of His Death?

Vadim’s father, Roger Vadim, died on 11 February 2000 in Paris after a long battle with cancer. Roger died at the age of 72. According to documents, the famous French actor died in a Paris hospital. He was buried in the cemetery of Saint-Tropez. His funeral was attended by his former wives Fonda, Bardot, Schneider, and Stromberg.

Vanessa’s Relationship with Her Mother

The relationship between Vanessa and her mother, Jane Fonda, was not always the same. Fonda reportedly suffered post-natal depression after Vanessa. In addition, due to her busy work schedule, she was unable to accept her role as a mother. She used to stay away, leaving her daughter in the arms of her husband Roger.

Speaking about her postnatal depression, Jane Fonda once said,

“I just felt that I had failed – that nothing was turning out the way it was supposed to, not the birth, not the nursing, not my feelings for my child or (it seemed to me) hers for me.”

In addition, Fonda regretted not having spent enough time with her daughter Vanessa.

More recently, in 2018, a documentary on Jane Fonda’s life, Jane Fonda in Five Acts, was made, but Vanessa Vadim did not appear in the documentary. Fonda later apologized for her daughter’s absence and announced that she and Vanessa had broken up due to “personal differences”.

Her Career in Showbiz

Growing up in an acting family, it was obvious that Vanessa was influenced by her parents’ profession. She was particularly influenced by her mother Jane Fonda’s sparkling acting career to pursue a career in show business.

Vadim introduced her to the entertainment industry as a member of a film crew, which gave her the opportunity to learn about filmmaking. In addition, she learned cinematography while working on several films.

Alongside this, she has also starred on screen a few times. Vanessa was part of the 1993 historical documentary The Last Party, in which she starred alongside actors such as Robert Downey Jr, Anna Palmer, Bill Clinton, and others. Four years later, she was part of the film crew of Blue is Beautiful, directed by James Schneider.

In 2002, Vanessa Vadim made her first documentary short, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. In addition to directing, Vadim was also a cameraman, editor, and producer. Vanessa has not been active in show business since then.

Vanessa Vadim as an Environmentalist

Since leaving show business in the early 2000s, Vadima has been active as an environmental activist. She has played a key role in raising awareness of several important environmental issues.

She has worked as an environmental activist and more recently Vanessa has also written columns for several websites including The Daily Beast, Mother Nature Network, and others.

In addition, Vadim is one of the founders and producers of MayDay Madia, is the owner of V2 Synergy, and works as an organic farmer for Earthseed.

Her Net Worth – How Much Is Vanessa Vadim’s Net Worth

As mentioned above, Vanessa has been part of filmmaking teams, filmed documentaries, and worked as a film director. In addition, she has recently been active as an ecological columnist for some popular web magazines. Thanks to her involvement in various sectors, we can safely say that Vanessa has earned a good living. Unfortunately, the exact amount of her net wealth is not available at the moment, but it is certainly in the millions of dollars.

Vanessa currently lives in Atlanta, where she has lived for a long time. On her Facebook profile, she mentions that she moved to Atlanta in 1999. According to some internet sources, the house she owns in Atlanta, Georgia, is worth more than $500k.

Meanwhile, her mother, Jane Fonda, is a multi-millionaire whose fortune is estimated at 200 million dollars in 2021.

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Vanessa Vadim Married Life and Relationships – What Is Her Current Marital Status?

Well, Vadim hasn’t spoken about her relationship status recently, but according to her 2017 statement, she is a single mother living in Atlanta. The Daily Beast, where she worked for a long time as an eco-columnist, mentioned Vadima as a single mother in one of its articles in 2017. However, she was previously married and has had several other relationships.

Vanessa married her long-term partner Paul van Winkle in 2010. The couple married on 12 June 2010 in St Tropez, France. Jane Fonda blogged about the glamorous wedding on 13 June, the day after her daughter officially became Paul Van Winkle’s wife. The couple was still married for a few years but eventually ended their marriage. Unfortunately, there is no information on when and why they broke up. Vanessa and her ex-husband Paul have no children.

Prior to Paul, Vadim had a relationship with Matt Arnett in the early 21st century. Vadim and Matt had one child, a daughter, Viva Arnett, on 23 November 2002. Vanessa has not revealed much in the media about her relationship with Matt. Meanwhile, Vanessa Vadim also has a son, Malcolm McDuffie, but no further details about Malcolm’s father have been revealed.

Legal Issues

Vanessa has not been in legal trouble more often than her mother, Jane Fonda. However, according to IMDb, Vadim was arrested as early as October 1989 on charges of vagrancy with intent to purchase drugs, obstructing government administration, and disorderly conduct. According to a police statement, the man she was with had two glass envelopes containing heroin.

Quick Facts About Vanessa Vadim

Full Name:Vanessa Vadim
Born Date:28 Sep, 1969
Age:53 years
Horoscope:Libra
Lucky Number:8
Lucky Stone:Peridot
Lucky Color:Blue
Best Match for Marriage:Gemini
Gender:Female
Profession:Filmmaker
Country:France
Height:5 feet 10 inches (1.78m)
Marital Status:married
HusbandPaul Waggoner
DivorceMatt Arnett
Net Worth$6 million
Salary$600,000
Eye ColorDark brown
Hair ColorBlack
Body Size34-29-37 inches
Birth PlaceParis
NationalityFrench
EthnicityCaucasian
ReligionChristian
EducationBrown University
FatherRoger Vadim
MotherJane Fonda
SiblingsNathalie Vadi, Christian, Vania Plemiannkov, Troy Garity
Kids(Two) Viva Arnett and Malcolm McDuffy
TwitterVanessa Vadim Twitter
InstagramVanessa Vadim Instagram
IMDBVanessa Vadim IMDB