Jane Alexander

Featured In:
The Helpers by Cusi Cram

Jane Alexander is an actress, a writer and a conservationist. She chaired the National Endowment for the Arts under President Clinton from 1993-97. Her chronicle of those turbulent years, Command Performance, An Actress in the Theatre of Politics, was a New York Times Notable Book in 2000.

Jane, a Tony Award winner, has performed in over a hundred plays on Broadway, off-Broadway, London and in regional theatres nationwide. She was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1994. Her long film career includes four Academy Award nominations, for The Great White Hope, All The President’s Men, Kramer vs. Kramer and Testament.

In over 40 television movies she has been honored with two Emmys, for the roles of Alma Rose in Playing For Time and Sara Delano Roosevelt in Warm Springs. Other award winning roles were as Eleanor Roosevelt, Calamity Jane, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Hedda Hopper. Jane is a noted speaker who has received honorary degrees from many colleges and universities.

A dedicated conservationist and birder, Jane was a Trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Society, a board member of the American Bird Conservancy, the American Birding Association, and a Commissioner of New York State Parks. She currently sits on the board of the National Audubon Society, the Advisory Council of Birdlife International and the Conservation Council of Panthera.

In 2012 the Indianapolis Prize inaugurated the Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award, and Jane was its first recipient. Her book Wild Things, Wild Places about her travels with field biologists the past 35 years will be published by Knopf in September 2016.