Alexander, Jane 1939–

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ALEXANDER, Jane 1939–

PERSONAL

Original name, Jane Quigley; born October 28, 1939, in Boston, MA; daughter of Thomas (a doctor) and Ruth Elizabeth (maiden name, Pearson; a nurse) Quigley; married Robert Alexander (an actor and director), July 23, 1962 (divorced, 1974); married Edwin Sherin (a director and producer), March 29, 1975; children: (first marriage) Jason Edward (a director). Education: Attended Sarah Lawrence College, 1957–58, and University of Edinburgh, 1959–60.


Addresses: Agent—William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019; 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager—Barking Dog Entertainment, 9 Desbrosses St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013.


Career: Actress, producer, and writer. Charles Playhouse, Boston, MA, member of company, 1964–65; Arena Stage acting company, Washington, DC, member of company, 1965–68; associated with the American Shakespeare Festival; National Endowment for the Arts, chair, 1993–97. Oklahoma Arts Institute, guest artist–in–residence, 1982, teacher in adult theater workshop, 1984, 1991, teacher of master class, 1990; Francis Eppes professor, Florida State University, 2002. American Bird Conservancy, board of trustees member, 1995–98; The MacDowell Colony, board of trustees member, 1997; Arts International, member of board of trustees, 2000. Also worked as a secretary, salesperson, and waitress.

Member: Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actors Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society (board of trustees member, 1997—).


Awards, Honors: Antoinette Perry Award, best featured actress in a play, Drama Desk Award and Theatre World Award, best supporting actress, 1969, all for The Great White Hope; Academy Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, 1969, Golden Globe Award nomination, most promising newcomer—female, Golden Laurel Award nomination, star of tomorrow—female, 1971, all for The Great White Hope; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, 1973, for Six Rms Riv Vu; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, 1974, for Find Your Way Home; Academy Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1976, for All the President's Men; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a drama or comedy special, 1976, for Eleanor and Franklin; Television Critics Circle Award and Emmy Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a drama or comedy special, both 1977, for Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years; Academy Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1979, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best motion picture actress in a supporting role, 1980, both for Kramer vs. Kramer; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, 1979, for First Monday in October; St. Botolph Club Achievement in Dramatic Arts, 1979; Emmy Award, outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or a special, 1981, for Playing for Time; Israel Cultural Award, 1982; Academy Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, 1983, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—drama, 1984, both for Testament; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a limited series or special, 1984, for Calamity Jane; Helen Caldicott Leadership Award, 1984; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a limited series or a special, 1985, for Malice in Wonderland; Living Legacy Award, Women's International Center, San Diego, CA, 1988; CableACE Award nomination, supporting actress in a movie or miniseries, 1989, for A Friendship in Vienna; Environmental Leadership Award, Eco–Expo, 1991; Torch of Hope Award, 1992; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, 1992, for The Visit; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, Drama Desk Award, best actress in a play, and Obie Award, performance, 1993, all for The Sisters Rosensweig; Inductee, Theater Hall of Fame, 1993; Muse Award, New York Women in Film, 1993; The Julliard School, D.F.A., 1994; North Carolina School of the Arts, D.F.A., 1994; Lectureship Award, NIH, 1994; Houseman Award, The Acting Company, 1994; Medal, University of California at Los Angeles, 1994; Outer Critics Circle Award, distinguished voice in theater, 1994; Helen Hayes Award, American Express Tribute, 1994; Women of Achievement Award, Anti–Defamation League, 1994; Margo Jones Award, 1995; Massachusetts Society Award, 1995; North American Mont Blanc de la Culture Award, 1995; Commonwealth Award, 1995; University of Pennsylvania, D.F.A., 1995; New School of Social Research, D.F.A., 1996; Humanitarian Award, Women in Film Crystal Awards, 1996; Duke University, Ph.D., 1996; The College of Santa Fe, L.H.D., 1997; Sarah Lawrence College, Ph.D., 1998; Christopher Reeve Award, Creative Coalition, 1998; Outstanding Leadership for Achievement in Arts, People for American Way, 1998; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best actress in a play, 1998, for Honour; Lifetime Achievement Award, Americans for Arts and United States Conference of Mayors, 1999; Harry S. Truman Award for Public Service, Independence, MO, 1999; Smith College, D.F.A., 1999; Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding performance by a cast in a theatrical motion picture, 2000, for The Cider House Rules; Women of Achievement Award, San Antonio, TX, 2000; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding guest actress in a drama series, 2000, for Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Director's Guild of America Award, 2002; Pell Award, National Endowment for the Arts, 2004.


CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

(Broadway debut) Eleanor Bachman, The Great White Hope, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1968.

Katrina, Mother Courage and Her Children, Arena Stage, Washington, DC, 1970.

Mistress Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor, American Shakespeare Festival, 1970.

Lavinia, Mourning Becomes Electra, American Shakespeare Festival, 1970.

Title role, Major Barbara, American Shakespeare Festival, 1971.

Kitty Duval, The Time of Your Life, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, then Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, and Huntington Hartford Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, all 1972.

Anne Miller, Six Rms Riv Vu, Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City, 1972.

Jacqueline Harrison, Find Your Way Home, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City, 1974.

Liz Essendine, Present Laughter, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, 1974.

Gertrude, Hamlet, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1975.

Catherine Sloper, The Heiress, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1976.

Hilda, The Master Builder, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, 1977.

Judge Ruth Loomis, First Monday in October, Majestic Theatre, New York City, 1978.

Joanne, Losing Time, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, 1979.

Natalia, Goodbye Fidel, Ambassador Theatre, New York City, 1980.

Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA, 1981.

Title role, Hedda Gabler, Hartman Theatre, Stamford, CT, then Boston, MA, 1981.

Annie, Monday After the Miracle, Spoleto Festival, Charleston, SC, then Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, both 1982, later Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1983.

Anna, Old Times, Roundabout Stage One, New York City, 1983–84.

Maxine Faulk, Night of the Iguana, Circle in the Square, New York City, 1988.

Charlotte Blossom, Approaching Zanzibar, Second Stage Theatre, New York City, 1989.

Nurse, Mystery of the Rose Bouquet, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Music Center, Los Angeles, CA, 1989.

Joy Davidman, Shadowlands, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City, 1990.

Claire Zachanassian, The Visit, Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre, New York City, 1992.

Sara Good, The Sisters Rosensweig, Lincoln Center, then Ethel Barrymore Theatre, both New York City, 1993.

Honor, Honour, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1998.

Madame Ranesvky, The Cherry Orchard, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 2000.

Christine Mannon, Mourning Becomes Electra, ACT Theatre, Seattle, WA, then Long Wharf Theatre, CT, 2002.

Rose, Rose and Walsh, Geffen Playhouse, Westwood, CA, 2003.

Mrs. Alving, Ghosts, Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC, 2003.

Hart to Hart, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, 2004.

What Of the Night, Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 2005.


Made stage debut as a child in Treasure Island, Boston, MA.

Film Appearances:

(Film debut) Eleanor Bachman, The Great White Hope, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1970.

Nora Tenneray, A Gunfight (also known as Gunfight), Paramount, 1971.

Dorothy, The New Centurions (also known as Precinct 45: Los Angeles Police), Columbia, 1972.

Judy Hoback, All the President's Men, Warner Bros., 1976.

Alicia Hardeman, Harold Robbins' "The Betsy" (also known as The Betsy), Allied Artists, 1978.

Margaret Phelps, Kramer vs. Kramer, Columbia, 1979.

Lillian Gray, Brubaker, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1980.

Doris Strelzyk, Night Crossing, Buena Vista, 1982.

Carol Wetherly, Testament, Paramount, 1983.

Addy, City Heat, Warner Bros., 1984.

Juanelle, Square Dance (also known as Home Is Where the Heart Is), Island Pictures, 1987.

Anna, Sweet Country (also known as Glykeia patrida), Cinema Group, 1987.

(Uncredited) Mrs. Shaw, Glory, TriStar, 1989.

Narrator, Building Bombs (documentary), Tara Releasing, 1991.

Women Don't Want To (also known as Le donne non vogliono piu), 1993.

Princess, The Star Maker (also known as L'uomo selle stelle), 1995.

Susan, Buck and the Magic Bracelet, 1997.

Nurse Edna, The Cider House Rules, Miramax, 1999.

Delia Temple, Sunshine State, Sony Pictures Classics, 2002.

Dr. Grasnik, The Ring, DreamWorks, 2002.


Film Work:

Coproducer, Square Dance (also known as Home Is Where the Heart Is), Island Pictures, 1987.


Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor and Franklin, ABC, 1976.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, ABC, 1977.

Doris Ashley, Blood & Orchids, CBS, 1986.

Blanche Kettman, Stay the Night, ABC, 1992.


Television Appearances; Movies:

Anne Palmer, Welcome Home Johnny Bristol, CBS, 1971.

Karen Walker, Miracle on 34th Street, CBS, 1973.

Sarah Shaw, This Is the West That Was, NBC, 1974.

Frances Gunther, Death Be Not Proud, ABC, 1975.

Mary MacCracken, A Circle of Children, CBS, 1977.

Mary MacCracken, Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II, CBS, 1978.

Barbara Moreland, A Question of Love (also known as A Purely Legal Matter), 1978.

Alma Rose, Playing for Time, CBS, 1980.

Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Dear Liar, PBS, 1981.

Sandy Caldwell, In the Custody of Strangers, ABC, 1983.

Title role, Calamity Jane, CBS, 1984.

Nora Strangis, When She Says No, ABC, 1984.

Hedda Hopper, Malice in Wonderland (also known as The Rumor Mill), CBS, 1985.

Sybil Stockdale, In Love and War, NBC, 1987.

Ginny Carlson, Open Admissions, CBS, 1987.

Hannah Dournevald, A Friendship in Vienna (also known as The Devil in Vienna), Disney Channel, 1988.

Peggy Ryan, Daughter of the Streets (also known as My Daughter of the Streets), ABC, 1990.

Georgia O'Keeffe, "A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz," American Playhouse, PBS, 1991.

Marilyn Estess, Jenifer (also known as The Jenifer Estess Story), CBS, 2001.

Bitter Winter, 2001.

Mrs. Gortimer, Carry Me Home, Showtime, 2004.

Sarah Roosevelt, Warm Springs, HBO, 2005.


Television Appearances; Specials:

The 23rd Annual Tony Awards, NBC, 1969.

The 31st Annual Tony Awards, ABC, 1977.

The American Film Institute Salute to Henry Fonda, 1978.

Cohost, The 33rd Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1979.

The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1979.

Night of 100 Stars, ABC, 1982.

The 56th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1984.

Host, Generations, 1987.

The 41st Annual Tony Awards, 1987.

Drug Free Kids: A Parent's Guide, PBS, 1988.

Narrator, Sea Turtles' Last Dance, PBS, 1988.

Narrator, Sea Turtles: Ancient Nomads, PBS, 1989.

Narrator, They're Doing My Time, PBS, 1989.

Night of 100 Stars III, NBC, 1990.

The 47th Annual Tony Awards, 1993.

The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1993.

Presenter, The 48th Annual Tony Awards, 1994.

Honoree, accepting on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1994.

The 49th Annual Tony Awards, 1995.

James Earl Jones (documentary), Arts and Entertainment, 1995.

Host, The 24th International Emmy Awards, 1996.

Women in Crystal Awards, 1996.

Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood, AMC, 1998.

Narrator, Intimate Portrait: Eleanor Roosevelt, Lifetime, 1999.

Intimate Portrait: Jane Alexander, Lifetime, 1999.

Finding the Truth: The Making of "Kramer vs. Kramer" (documentary), 2001.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Elsie Robertson, New Year, 1993.


Television Appearances; Episodic:

Records clerk, "You Blew It," Adam–12, 1969.

Voice of Emily Dickinson, "Emily Dickinson," Voices & Visions, 1988.

Narrator, "Dr. Spock the Baby Doc," Nova, PBS, 1990.

Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1998.

Regina Mulroney, "Entitled: Part 1," Law & Order, NBC, 2000.

Regina Mulroney, "Entitled: Part 2," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC, 2000.


Television Work:

Coproducer, Calamity Jane, CBS, 1984.

Executive producer, "A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz," American Playhouse, PBS, 1991.

Segment producer, Dancing (series), PBS, 1992–93.


RECORDINGS

Taped Readings:

Heartbreak Hotel, 1994.

A Treasury of Christmas Stories and Poems, 1994.


Also read Wuthering Heights, Random House, and Rebecca, Warner.


WRITINGS

Television Writing:

Wrote The Time of Your Life and Find Your Way Home.


Plays:

Translator (with Sam Engelstad), Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder, 1978.

What of the Night, Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 2005.


Books:

(With Greta Jacobs) The Bluefish Cookbook, Pequot, five editions, 1979–95.

(With Tom Alexander) Mountain Fever, Bright Mountain, 1995.

Command Performance: An Actress in the Theater of Politics, 2000.


OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Newsmakers 1994, Issue 4, Gale Research, 1994.

Periodicals:

American Theatre, September, 1998, p. 59.

Back Stage, May 28, 1999, p. 7.

Policy Review, December, 2000, p. 86.

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