One of Fonda's most high-profile roles is the sexy space traveler Barbarella in the 1968 cult classic of the same name. Based on a French comic series, "Barbarella" sent Fonda into '60s bombshell territory. The science-fiction flick was directed by Vadim, and in her 2005 autobiography, "My Life So Far," Fonda revealed how tense things got for them on the set. Vadim began drinking heavily during filming, and "his decisions about how to shoot scenes often seemed ill-considered." At the time, Fonda was also struggling with bulimia, and as "a young woman who hated her body . . . playing a scantily clad, sometimes-naked sexual heroine," she was insecure about her appearance during production and photo shoots.
In September 1968, the couple welcomed a daughter, Vanessa, who was named after the legendary actor and activist Vanessa Redgrave. The couple divorced in 1973. Vadim died of cancer in 2000, and Fonda — along with fellow ex-wives Bardot, Catherine Schneider, and Stroyberg — was in attendance at his funeral.
