Introducing
Jane Alexander
"What a marvelous way to put public attention on both people and elephants. We're in it together, and coexistence is the key. Indigenous peoples and local communities are leaders in conservation and coexistence, so I couldn't think of anything more important than lifting up their voices and their artwork. This is powerful."
Jane Alexander is an actress, advocate, and author. As a conservation advocate, she is an internationally celebrated wildlife champion who believes that humanity’s highest calling is to create a world in which every person and all creatures can thrive. She has served on the boards of International Conservation Fund of Canada, Audubon, Wildlife Conservation Society, American Bird Conservancy, and American Birding Association, and on the advisory boards of BirdLife International, Panthera, and Centre ValBio, among others. She has also served as a New York State Parks commissioner. In 2012, The Indianapolis Prize recognized her dedication to global wildlife conservation by presenting her with the inaugural Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award, which is now presented biennially to a prominent conservation advocate.
As an actress, Ms. Alexander has performed in more than 100 plays, among them The Great White Hope, The Visit, The Sisters Rosensweig, and Grand Horizons. She has appeared on Broadway, London’s West End, and in regional theaters from Atlanta to Los Angeles, garnering eight Tony Award nominations and one Tony Award, an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Theatre World Award. She has also been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. She has appeared in more than 70 films and television productions, including Academy Award-nominated performances in The Great White Hope, All the President’s Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Testament. Her television credits include Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, Calamity Jane, Malice in Wonderland, Law and Order, The Blacklist, Modern Love, and Emmy Award-winning performances in Warm Springs and Playing for Time.
From 1993 to 1997, Ms. Alexander served as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States, during which time she staunchly defended the agency’s mission, its budget, and the artistic freedom of its grantees. She is the author of Wild Things, Wild Places, about the changing face of wildlife on planet Earth; Command Performance, about her time at the helm of the NEA; and The Bluefish Cookbook, born of her summers on Nantucket.
