Troy Garity Biography

Date of Birth: July 7, 1973

The son of actors and political activists Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden and the grandson of screen legend Henry Fonda, Troy Garity received his name in a unique way. His parents decided not to saddle him with either of his famous parents' last names and instead, gave him the last name of his paternal grandmother. His first name, Troy, comes from a Vietnamese resistance leader. Chosen as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998, Garity spent his childhood summers performing comedia del arte at Santa Barbara's Laurel Springs Camp for the Arts. At the age of 20, he was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and moved to New York. While there, he became a member of the Academy Repertory Company, appearing in nearly a dozen stage productions. Upon graduation, Garity returned home to Los Angeles, where he immediately landed a small role as a bartender in the television movie The Cherokee Kid. His second role was playing an intern in Conspiracy Theory (1997), starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts.

In 2000 he got his first big break when he was chosen to portray his father in the Abbie Hoffman biopic, Steal This Movie. The film led to his being cast in a number of indie flicks. Garity's first sizeable role in a major Hollywood feature came with the movie Bandits (2001), as a dim-witted stuntman who drives the getaway car for the criminals played by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. His next big role came in the comedy Barbershop (2002), playing the only white barber at an otherwise all-black barbershop. In 2003, he traveled to Toronto to film the lead role in the television movie Soldier's Girl.

Garity has an older half-sister, Vanessa Vadim, and his cousin is actor Bridget Fonda (daughter of his uncle, Peter Fonda). His parents' political activism made an impression on Garity, who founded the Peace Process Network, a worldwide gang violence prevention coalition.

Filmography:

A Day in the Life (2006)
Eichmann (2007)
Lake City (2007)
Sunshine (2007)
After the Sunset (2004)
Barbershop 2 (2004)
Barbershop (2002)
Milwaukee, Minnesota (2001)
Bandits (2001)
Perfume (2001)
Bohemians (2000)
Solomon Bernstein's Bathroom (2000)
Steal This Movie (2000)
Conspiracy Theory (1997)