Early life

Alexander was born Jane Quigley in Boston, Massachusetts, daughter of Ruth Elizabeth (née Pearson), a nurse, and Thomas B. Quigley, an orthopedic surgeon. She graduated from Beaver Country Day School, an all-girls school in Chestnut Hill outside of Boston, where she discovered her love of acting.

Encouraged by her father to go to college before embarking on an acting career, Alexander attended Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, where she concentrated on theater but also studied mathematics with an eye toward computer programming, in the event that she failed as an actress. Also while at Sarah Lawrence, she shared an apartment with Hope Cooke who would become Queen Consort of Sikkim. Alexander spent her junior year studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where she participated in the Edinburgh University Dramatic Society. The experience solidified her determination to continue acting.

Career

Alexander's major break in acting came in 1967 when she played Eleanor Backman in the original production of Howard Sackler's The Great White Hope at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Like her co-star, James Earl Jones, she went on to play the part both on Broadway (1968), winning a Tony Award for her performance, and in the film version (1970), which earned her an Oscar nomination. Alexander's additional screen credits include All the President's Men (1976), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Testament (1983), all of which earned her Oscar nods, Brubaker (1980), The Cider House Rules (1999), and Fur (2006), in which she played Gertrude Nemerov, mother of Diane Arbus, played in the film by Nicole Kidman.

The play The Time of Your Life was revived in March 17, 1972 at the Huntington Hartford Theater in Los Angeles with Alexander, Henry Fonda, Gloria Grahame, Lewis J. Stadlen, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Thompson, Strother Martin, Richard X. Slattery and Pepper Martin among the cast with Edwin Sherin directing.

Alexander portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt in two television productions, Eleanor and Franklin (1976) and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977); and she played FDR's mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, in HBO's Warm Springs (2005) with Kenneth Branagh and Cynthia Nixon, a role which garnered her an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Alexander co-starred with Rachel Roberts in Steven Gether's teleplay and production of A Circle of Children (1977), based on Mary MacCracken's autobiographical book about emotionally disturbed children (with an emphasis on autism), which won Gether an Emmy. Alexander also starred in its sequel, Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II (1978).

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Alexander's name and picture.

Alexander's other television films include Arthur Miller's Playing for Time, co-starring Vanessa Redgrave, for which Alexander won another Emmy Award; Malice in Wonderland (as famed gossip-monger Hedda Hopper); Blood & Orchids; and In Love and War (1987) co-starring James Woods, which tells the story of James and Sybil Stockdale during Stockdale's eight years as a US Navy Commander and prisoner of war in Vietnam. Alexander also played the protagonist, Dr. May Foster, in the HBO drama series Tell Me You Love Me. Her character, a psychotherapist, serves as the connecting link between three couples coping with relational and sexual difficulties. The show's frank portrayal of "senior" sexuality and explicit sex scenes generated controversy, although it won a rare endorsement by the AARP. She also had a minor role as Dr. Graznik in The Ring.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Alexander chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, the organization that had provided partial funding for The Great White Hope at Arena Stage. Alexander moved to Washington, DC and served as chair of the NEA until 1997. Her book, Command Performance: an Actress in the Theater of Politics (2000), describes the challenges she faced heading the NEA at a time when the 104th U.S. Congress, headed by Newt Gingrich, unsuccessfully strove to shut it down. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1999.

In 2004, Alexander, together with her husband, Edwin Sherin, joined the theater faculty at Florida State University. She serves on various boards, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, the National Audubon Society, Project Greenhope, the National Stroke Association, and Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, and she has received the Israel Cultural Award and the Helen Caldicott Leadership Award. Alexander is also a fellow of the International Leadership Forum. In 2009 Alexander starred in Thom Thomas's play A Moon to Dance By at The Pittsburgh Playhouse and at The George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J. It was directed by her husband, Edwin Sherin.

Personal life

Alexander met her first husband, Robert Alexander, in the early 1960s in New York City, where both were pursuing acting careers. They had one son, Jace Alexander, in 1964, and the couple divorced a decade later. Alexander had been acting regularly in various regional theaters when she met producer/director Edwin Sherin in Washington, D.C., where he was Artistic Director at Arena Stage. Alexander starred in the original theatrical production of The Great White Hope under Sherin's direction at Arena Stage prior to the play's Broadway debut. The two became good friends and, once divorced from their respective spouses, became romantically involved, marrying in 1975. Between the two, they have four children, Alexander's son—Jace, a television director—and Sherin's three sons—Tony, Geoffrey, and Jon.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Great White Hope, TheThe Great White Hope	Eleanor Backman	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female Nominated—Golden Laurel Award Star of Tomorrow
1971	Gunfight, AA Gunfight	Nora Tenneray	USA title Gunfight
1972	New Centurions, TheThe New Centurions	Dorothy Fehler	aka Precinct 45: Los Angeles Police
1976	All the President's Men	Bookkeeper	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1978	Betsy, TheThe Betsy	Alicia Hardeman	aka Harold Robbins' The Betsy
1979	Kramer vs. Kramer	Margaret Phelps	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
1980	Brubaker	Lillian Gray
1982	Night Crossing	Doris Strelzyk
1983	Testament	Carol Wetherly	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
1984	City Heat	Addy
1987	Sweet Country	Anna	aka Glykeia patrida (Greece)
1987	Square Dance	Juanelle	aka Home Is Where the Heart Is (USA: TV title)
1989	Glory	Sarah Blake Sturgis Shaw	(uncredited)
1999	Cider House Rules, TheThe Cider House Rules	Nurse Edna	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002	Sunshine State	Delia Temple
2002	Ring, TheThe Ring	Dr. Grasnik
2006	Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus	Gertrude Nemerov
2007	Feast of Love	Esther Stevenson
2008	Gigantic	Mrs. Weathersby
2009	Unborn, TheThe Unborn	Sofi Kozma
2009	Terminator Salvation	Virginia
2011	Dream House	Dr. Greeley
2013	Mr. Morgan's Last Love	Joan Morgan

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	N.Y.P.D.		Episode "The Night Watch"
1969	Adam-12	Flo the Records Clerk	Episode "Log 112: You Blew It" (uncredited)
1972	Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol	Anne Palmer
1973	Miracle on 34th Street	Karen Walker
1974	This Is the West That Was	Sarah Shaw
1975	Death Be Not Proud	Frances Gunther
1976	Eleanor and Franklin	Eleanor Roosevelt, age 18-60	Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1977	A Circle of Children	Mary MacCracken	CBS two night mini-series adapted from Mary MacCracken's autobiographical book.
1977	Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years	Eleanor Roosevelt	Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1978	Question of Love, AA Question of Love	Barbara Moreland	aka A Purely Legal Matter
1978	Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II	Mary MacCracken	Two night mini-series adapted from Mary MacCracken's second autobiographical book.
1980	Playing for Time	Alma Rose	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1981	Dear Liar	Mrs. Patrick Campbell
1982	In the Custody of Strangers	Sandy Caldwell
1984	When She Says No	Nora Strangis
1984	Calamity Jane	Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Canary)	Bronze Wrangler Award for Fictional Television Drama Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1985	Malice in Wonderland	Hedda Hopper	aka The Rumor Mill Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
1986	Blood & Orchids	Doris Ashley
1987	In Love and War	Sybil Stockdale
1988	A Friendship in Vienna	Hannah Dournenvald	Nominated—CableACE Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
1988	Open Admissions	Ginny Carlsen
1990	Daughter of the Streets	Peggy Ryan
1991	Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, AA Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz	Georgia O'Keeffe
1992	Stay the Night	Blanche Kettman
1993	New Year	Elsie Robertson
2000	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Regina Mulroney	Episode "Entitled" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series (also for Law & Order episode "Entitled: Part 2")
2000	Law & Order	Regina Mulroney	Episode "Entitled: Part 2"
2001	Jenifer	Marilyn Estess
2001	Bitter Winter
2004	Freedom: A History of Us	Jane Addams	Episode "Yearning to Breathe Free"
2004	Carry Me Home	Mrs. Gortimer	Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special
2005	Warm Springs	Sara Delano Roosevelt	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2006	The Way (2006 film)	Helen Warden
2007	Tell Me You Love Me	Dr. May Foster	(10 episodes)
2008	Louisa May Alcott	Ednah Cheney
2011	Deck the Halls	Nora Regan Reilly
2011	The Good Wife	Judge Suzanne Morris	(3 episodes)
2011	William & Catherine: A Royal Romance	Queen Elizabeth II
2013	The Blacklist	Diane Fowler	(4 episodes)
2013	Forgive Me	Bookie	(4 episodes)
2014	Elementary	Dead Clade Walking
2015	The Book of Negroes	Maria Witherspoon	TV miniseries

Stage

Date	Production	Role	Notes
000000001968-10-03-00003 October 1968 - 31 January 1970	Great White Hope, TheThe Great White Hope	Eleanor Bachman	Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play Theatre World Award Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
000000001972-10-17-000017 October 1972 - 19 May 1973	6 Rms Riv Vu	Anne Miller	Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
000000001973-12-13-000013 December 1973 - 4 May 1974	Find Your Way Home	Jacqueline Harrison	Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
000000001975-12-17-000017 December 1975 - 25 January 1976	Hamlet	Gertrude
000000001976-04-20-000020 April 1976 - 9 May 1976	Heiress, TheThe Heiress	Catherine Sloper
000000001978-10-03-00003 October 1978 - 9 December 1978	First Monday in October	Judge Ruth Loomis	Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
000000001980-04-23-000023 April 1980 - 26 April 1980	Goodbye Fidel	Natalia
000000001982-12-14-000014 December 1982 - 18 December 1982	Monday After the Miracle	Annie
000000001988-06-26-000026 June 1988 - 4 September 1988	Night of the Iguana, TheThe Night of the Iguana	Maxine Faulk	(revival)
000000001990-11-11-000011 November 1990 - 7 April 1991	Shadowlands	Joy Davidman
000000001992-01-23-000023 January 1992 - 1 March 1992	Visit, TheThe Visit	Claire Zachanassian	Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
000000001993-03-18-000018 March 1993 - 16 July 1994	Sisters Rosensweig, TheThe Sisters Rosensweig	Sara Goode	Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
000000001998-04-26-000026 April 1998 - 14 June 1998	Honour	Honor	Nominated—Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

[ Source: Wikipedia ]