Jane Fonda once stopped a bear from devouring her infant grandson by flashing the beast and growling.

The actress was babysitting in her remote New Mexico cabin when she heard a noise outside and went to investigate.

When she returned to her bedroom, where her grandson was sleeping, she realised a bear had made its way into the house, intent on grabbing the baby.

She recalls, "It was walking from the screen door... headed for the crib, where my grandson was sleeping.

"(I thought), 'What do I do? I don't know where my gun is, I don't have time to look for it...' I opened my bathrobe and I went 'Roarrrrr...!' It wasn't the t**s, it was the growl that got the bear... The bear peed on the rug."

But the nightmare wasn't quite over - because the bear refused to leave.

The Monster-in-Law star adds, "It went part out the door and sat down and I pushed the bear out and then slammed the glass door."