2008 King Vidor Career Achievement Award Tribute - Peter Fonda

The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is proud to honor the 14th recipient of the King Vidor Career Achievement Award, actor/producer/writer/director, Peter Fonda. Join us on Saturday, March 15th for a very special tribute to a man who continues to entertain, inspire and elevate the art of filmmaking through decades of outstanding work.

Born in New York City, to his famous father, actor Henry Fonda and Frances Ford Seymour, Peter Fonda spent many of his formative years living with his aunt and uncle in Omaha, Nebraska, Henry Fonda's hometown. It was there that he first gravitated to the stage, acting in the same community playhouse that had once nurtured his father, before quickly moving to Broadway in 1961 and starring in "Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole." For the next few years he alternated between NYC and Hollywood, and it was his second picture with Roger Corman, The Trip (1967), which introduced him to Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper, leading to the creation of one of Hollywood's most memorable films.

For many, he will always be Captain America, the spaced-out cat in "Easy Rider" (1969), the low-budget motorbikes-and-drugs road movie that perfectly captured the Zeitgeist of its day and earned Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Hailed by critics, "Easy Rider" sent Hollywood studios scrambling to duplicate its uniqueness; the resulting shake-up opening the door to a new generation of filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

Since then, Fonda has enjoyed a long versatile career as an actor in a wide variety of film and television roles, as well as garnering a collection of impressive directing, writing and producing credits. He was nominated for another Academy Award in 1998, this time for Best Actor for his sensitive portrayal of a reclusive beekeeper in Ulee's Gold (1997). He was recently seen as a bad guy opposite Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), a film critics hailed as among the best of the season's slew of Westerns. Peter Fonda is the father of actress, Bridget Fonda and the brother of Jane. Watch for him as the co-star of Japan, due out later this year.

Longtime friend, musician David Crosby will present the award to Mr. Fonda. After the awards presentation and tribute ceremony, the 1969 classic, "Easy Rider" will be screened on the Big Screen at the Fremont.

Phone 805-546-FILM (3456) or send email

© 2007 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. View Privacy Policy
Web Hosting by Clever Concepts. Web Design by Stuart Mason Helmintoller.