Actor Peter Fonda discovered a dead man slumped in his car after an apparent suicide, officials said on Thursday.

Fonda, best known as the star of 1969's "Easy Rider" and the son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda, found the body on Wednesday afternoon in a section of west Los Angeles and called police.

"It appears to be an apparent suicide," said Los Angeles County Coroner investigator Brian Elias. He added that an autopsy was pending and the man appeared to be in his 50s.

Along with "Easy Rider," Fonda has starred in numerous movies over the year. He has been nominated twice for an Oscar, for his role in "Easy Rider" and for 1997's "Ulee's Gold," in which he portrayed a beekeeper dealing with a troubled family.

He also is the brother of actress Jane Fonda.