Jane Alexander (born October 28, 1939,Boston,Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American actress who, in addition to achieving a successful performance career, became the first actor to chair theNational Endowment for the Arts (1993–97).

Alexander grew up in Brookline, asuburb of Boston. In 1957 she enrolled atSarah Lawrence College, and two years later she transferred to theUniversity of Edinburgh. Having acted in school productions throughout her early life, in 1961 she moved toNew York City to find work as a professional actress. Alexander met with scant success until 1963, when she acted as understudy in the popular playA Thousand Clowns. Her first major opportunity came in 1965 when she played the title role inSaint Joan in Washington, D.C. In 1967 she costarred in a production of Howard Sackler’sdramaThe Great White Hope, about the career of Jack Jefferson, a black boxing champion played byJames Earl Jones. Alexander played the part of Jefferson’s white wife, Eleanor Bachman. The production was revived less than a year later onBroadway, again with Jones and Alexander in the starring roles. Her critically acclaimed performance earned her a Tony Award for best supporting actress in 1969. She re-created her role in the 1970filmadaptation.

Over the next 20 years Alexander appeared in numerous stage, film, and television productions, notably in the filmsAll the President’s Men (1976),Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), andGlory (1989). Her television credits includeEleanor and Franklin (1976) and its sequel,Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), as well asPlaying for Time (1980), for which she received anEmmy Award.

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In 1993, while appearing on Broadway inWendy Wasserstein’sThe Sisters Rosensweig, Alexander was nominated to become chairman of theNational Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the federal agency that oversees public funding for the arts. The U.S. Senate confirmed her without challenge in September 1993. As the first actor to hold a position customarily given to administrators, Alexander brought bothcredibility and eloquence to the fight for arts funding. Outspoken yet diplomatic, she toured the country to promote arts education. She also organizedArt 21: Art Reaches into the 21st Century, a national conference on the arts and the role of artists in society, in April 1994. Alexander resigned as chairman of the NEA in 1997. In herCommand Performance: An Actress in the Theater of Politics (2000), Alexander described her experiences directing the NEA during a politically turbulent era.

After leaving the NEA, Alexander continued to appear in television and stage productions and films. Among her notable movies wereThe Cider House Rules (1999), based on the novel byJohn Irving;Sunshine State (2002);The Ring (2002); andFur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006). Her TV credits included recurring roles onThe Blacklist,The Good Wife, andElementary. In 2020, after more than a 20-year absence, she returned to Broadway, starring inGrand Horizons.

In addition to heracting, Alexander was involved inconservation efforts. She was a trustee of theWildlife Conservation Society, and in 2013 she joined the board of directors of theAudubon Society. In 2016 Alexander publishedWild Things, Wild Places: Adventurous Tales of Wildlife and Conservation on Planet Earth.