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Jane Alexander Role: Dr. May Foster

Birthday : October-28-1939

Birthplace : Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name : Jane Quigley

Recent Role : Dr. May Foster on Tell Me You Love Me

Gender : Female

Jane Alexander, an American actress, took birth in Boston, Massachusetts in the family of Ruth Elizabeth, a nurse and Thomas B. Quigley, an orthopedic surgeon. She joined Beaver Country Day School and graduated from the same. It was also the place where she discovered her interest for acting for the first time. Although she was interested to pursue a career in acting, but instead joined Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, after her father’s encouragement to first complete her studies. She there studied theatre, mathematics and computer programming also. During her junior year at the University of Edinburgh, she participated in the Edinburgh University Dramatic Society.

It was 1967 when she got her biggest acting break portraying the character of Eleanor Backman on ‘The Great White Hope’. She reprised the same role on Broadway and won a Tony Award for her awesome performance. Jane then portrayed Eleanor in the movie version of series and earned an Oscar nomination. Among her other addition screen credits are ‘All the President’s Men’, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’, ‘Testament’, ‘Brubaker’, ‘The Cider House Rules’ and ‘Fur’ etc. On the television productions ‘Eleanor and Franklin’ and ‘Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years’, Jane portrayed the character of Eleanor Roosevelt. On HBO’s ‘Warm Springs’, she appeared as Sara Delano Roosevelt, FDR’s mother and won an Emmy Award as the Best Support actress. In 1977, she appeared along with Rachel Roberts on ‘A Circle of Children’. Her next appearance was on ‘Playing for Time’, a TV movie for which she won an Emmy Award. Among her next acting credits are: ‘Malice in Wonderland’, ‘Blood & Orchids, ‘In Love and War’ etc. On the popular HBO drama ‘Tell Me You Love Me’, Jane portrayed the character of Dr. May Foster, a psychotherapist.

In 1993, she was appointed the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts by the President Bill Clinton. She served as the chairperson of the organization until 1997 and moved to Washington, DC. In 2004, she and her husband, Edwin Sherin, joined the Theatre faculty at the Florida State University. Among the boards she serves on are Wildlife Conservation Society, Project Greenhope, The National Stroke Association, and Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament. She’s a fellow member of the International Leadership Forum and has received the Israel Cultural Award and the Helen Caldicott Leadership Award.

She first married Robert Alexander. They both met in New York City in 1960s while working on their acting careers. They share a son, named Jace, born in 1964 and the couple got divorced later. She then married Edwin Sherin in 1975. As of now, the couple has four children Jace, Alexander’s son from previous marriage; Tony, Geoffrey and Jon. Among Jane Alexander’s other notable acting appearances are ‘6 Rms Riv Vu’, ‘Find Your Way Home’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘ Heiress’, ‘First Monday in October’, ‘Monday After the Miracle’, ‘The Night of the Iguana’, ‘Shadowlands’, ‘The Visit’, ‘The Sister Rosensweig’, ‘Honor’, ‘The Ring’, ‘Feast of Love’, ‘Gigantic’, ‘Terminator Salvation’ and The Unborn etc.

The awards and accolades she received during her acting career are: In 1971, Jane Alexander was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance on The Great White Hope. In 1977, she was again nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her appearance on ‘All the President’s Men’. In 1980, she received the same nomination for her performance on ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’. In 1984, she received nomination for Academy Award as a Best Actress in a Leading Role on ‘Testament’.

For her brilliant work on stage: Jane won 1969 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance on ‘The Great White Hope’. In the very same year, she won Theatre World Award for her role on ‘The Great White Hope’. The same year brought her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her appearance on ‘The Great White Hope’. In 1973, she received a nomination of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role on ‘6 Rms Riv Vu’. In next year, 1974, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her role on ‘Find Your Way Home’. In 1979, she was again nominated for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role on ‘First Monday in October’. In 1992, she received two nominations - Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, both for her role on ‘The Visit’. In the year 1993, Jane Alexander won Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a play for her appearance on ‘The Sisters Rosenswei’. In the same year, she received a nomination for Tony Award as the Best Actress in a Play for her performance on The Sisters Rosensweig.

In 1976, Jane Alexander received an Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special for her role on ‘Eleanor and Franklin’. In the following year, 1977, Jane was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special for ‘Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years’. In 1981, Jane won an Emmy award as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special for her role on ‘Playing for Time’. In 1984, she received an Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Special. In the following year, 1985, Jane was again nominated for an Emmy Award as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for her role on ‘Malice in Wonderland’. In 1999, Jane received an Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’. In 2000, she received the same nomination for her role on ‘Law & Order’. In 2005, Jane Alexander won an Emmy Award as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role on ‘Warm Springs’.

Role on ‘Tell Me You Love Me‘

On ‘Tell Me You Love Me’, Jane Alexander portrayed the character of Dr. May Foster. In the first season of series, her appearance received positive response from viewers and this role is among her best liked performances ever.