The Only Main Actors Still Alive From 1968's Barbarella

Roger Vadim's 1968 sci-fi freak-out "Barbarella" is one of the zestiest, sexist, strangest, and most amusing pictures the genre has to offer. Set in the 41st century, "Barbarella" follows the merry caprices of the title heroine (Jane Fonda), a freelance adventurer of the cosmos. Barbarella, frequently undressed, is assigned by the President of Earth (Claude Dauphin) to track down a mysterious, missing scientist named Durand-Durand (Milo O'Shea) who has invented an all-powerful weapon called the positronic ray. 

During her quest, Barbarella is attacked by killer dolls, befriends a blind angel (John Philip Law), is forced into a deadly orgasm machine (although she can outlast its mechanical manipulations), and faces off against the Black Queen, the tyrant ruler of Sogo (Anita Pallenberg, voiced by Joan Greenwood). 

The film was based on the erotic comics by Jean-Claude Forest, and possesses all the same sexual energy as the aggressively naughty original, even if it's not quite as sexually explicit. "Barbarella" may be smutty in its tone, but it was presented as a tale of sexual liberation, featuring a central female character with her own erotic agency. Also, Fonda has a few nude scenes, but her body is always tactfully covered. Most amusingly, the film's animated opening credits wrap around her body as she writhes in zero gravity. Because the film was made in 1968, decades prior to the inception of the PG-13 rating, "Barbarella" is technically only rated PG. 

Seeing as the film is 56 years old, most of the cast has passed away. Below is a list of the "Barbarella" stars who are still with us.

At age 86, Jane Fonda is still working to this day, providing her inimitable talents and spirited energy to all of her film roles. Most recently, Fonda appeared in the Jennifer Lopez concept musical film "This is Me ... Now: A Love Story" alongside the likes of Ben Affleck, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Post Malone, and many others. She was also in the 2023 films "80 for Brady," "Book Club: The Next Chapter," and "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken." 

Prior to "Barbarella," Fonda was already a worldwide superstar, appearing in "La Ronde," "Sunday in New York," and "Walk on the Wild Side." She exploded in popularity with the release of the comedic Western musical "Cat Ballou" in 1965 and starred alongside Robert Redford in "Barefoot in the Park" in 1967. She was nominated for her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1969 for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?," and won her first in 1971 for her sexually frank role in "Klute." She won a second Oscar in 1978 for the Vietnam drama "Coming Home," and was also nominated for her roles in "Julia," "The China Syndrome," "On Golden Pond," and "The Morning After." 

Fonda famously opposed the Vietnam War and was one of the most visible celebrity protestors against it. Her political activism has long been a part of her public life, and a big reason why she is so deeply beloved. For a 15-year period, from 1990 to 2005, Fonda stayed away from acting, having announced her retirement. She eventually came back with a vengeance, having since appeared in many movies and TV shows, including all 96 episodes of "Grace and Frankie" opposite Lily Tomlin. 

The woman is a legend.

The only other notable actress who is still alive from "Barbarella" is Véronique Vendell, who played a character named Captain Moon during the film's Sogo sequences. She is in the photo above wearing the purple shorts and go-go boots, carrying Barbarella off to a grisly fate. Captain Moon was merely one of the minions of the evil Black Queen and didn't play a major role in the story. She is, however, the only actor in the picture above — apart from Fonda — who is still alive. 

Vendell is a French actress who did the bulk of her work in the late 1960s, having appeared in the stellar 1964 drama "Becket," as well as the Israeli comedy "Delia and the Sailors," an early directorial effort from Menahem Golan, the co-founder of the Cannon Group. She also appeared in Terence Young's "Mayerling," and the German actioner "The Young Tigers of Hong Kong." She was in enough movies that deep-cut fans of 1960s and 1970s Eurosleaze might recognize her on sight. 

Vendell's final films were 1977's "Cross of Iron" and its 1979 sequel "Breakthrough." After that, she seems to have retired and exited the public eye. She is 82 years old, and presumably living in quiet peace somewhere in France.