Jane Porter (later Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke) is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film. Jane, an American from Baltimore, Maryland, is the daughter of explorer and anthropologist Archimedes Q. Porter. She becomes the love interest, later the wife of Tarzan and subsequently the mother of their son, Korak.
Jane's character develops over the course of the series. Introduced as a well-educated but naive young woman, she is initially a damsel in distress, frequently placed in dangerous situations from which Tarzan must rescue her. Subsequent stories show her gradually learning combat and survival skills from her husband and enduring harsh regions like the Congo Basin, to the point where she becomes fully capable of surviving entirely on her own.
Contents
In the novels
Jane first appeared in the initial Tarzan novel Tarzan of the Apes (1912) then later reappeared in:
The Return of Tarzan (1913)
The Beasts of Tarzan (1914)
The Son of Tarzan (1914)
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916)
Tarzan the Untamed (1920)
Tarzan the Terrible (1921)
Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1923)
Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)
Tarzan's Quest (1936)
Tarzan the Magnificent (1939)
Jane also appeared in a minor role in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover (1925), the events of which take place chronologically between The Return of Tarzan and The Beasts of Tarzan.
Jane is described in Tarzan of the Apes as a beautiful, young woman, with long, blonde hair. She is between 18 and 20 years old in the novel.
In addition, Porter is the narrator-protagonist in Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell, a 2011 novel authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. to commemorate the centennial celebration of Tarzan. Maxwell's novel is a free adaptation of the original story, contradicting it on numerous points of the story.
In other media
Film
Early Tarzan films portrayed Jane Porter and (occasionally) her father faithfully to the portrayal in the novels. The 1932 sound film Tarzan the Ape Man and its sequels changed the character's name to Jane Parker, portraying her as English rather than American and making her and Tarzan the adoptive parents of an orphan they named "Boy". In addition, the name of Jane's father in the first film is James Parker. Remakes of the 1932 film, (Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959) and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) reprised this portrayal as well as that of her father. Maureen O'Sullivan, who portrayed Jane Parker with Johnny Weissmuller in the 1932 film and its first few sequels, was the most famous screen Jane.
In recent Tarzan films, starting with Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), the character is again Jane Porter, and her father Archimedes Q. Porter, and both once again Americans (with the exception of Disney's 1999 animated Tarzan, which again represents both as English).
Actresses who portrayed Jane on film include:
Enid Markey 1918 (Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan)
Karla Schramm 1920 (Gene Pollar as Tarzan; P. Dempsey Tabler as Tarzan)
Louise Lorraine 1921 (Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan)
Dorothy Dunbar 1927 (James H. Pierce as Tarzan)
Natalie Kingston 1929 (Frank Merrill as Tarzan)
Maureen O'Sullivan 1932–1942 (Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan)
Brenda Joyce 1945–1949 (Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan; Lex Barker as Tarzan)
Vanessa Brown 1950 (Lex Barker as Tarzan)
Virginia Huston 1951 (Lex Barker as Tarzan)
Television
The Jane character has appeared sporadically in the seven (to date) television series featuring Tarzan, occasionally in offbeat portrayals when she does appear.
She was entirely omitted in television series Tarzan (1966–68).
In the Filmation animated series Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976–80), she appeared once in the episode "Tarzan and Jane," in which she and her father were part of an archaeological expedition looking for the lost city of Cowloon; she was voiced by Linda Gary in this episode.
In the TV movie Tarzan in Manhattan (1989) the character was reimagined as a New York cab driver, played by Kim Crosby, and in the French-Canadian-Mexican series Tarzán (1991–94) as a French ecologist, played by Lydie Denier.
Jane was absent from Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996–1997), and Lydie Denier returned in the role of Olga de Coude; Jane was slated to appear in the unproduced second season, with Julie St. Claire cast in the role.
Olivia d'Abo took the role in the Disney animated series The Legend of Tarzan (2001–2003), a follow-up to Disney's animated Tarzan film and its direct-to-video sequel Tarzan & Jane (2002).
The 2003 series Tarzan, set like Tarzan in Manhattan in New York City, casts Sarah Wayne Callies as detective Jane Porter.
In the CGI 2017 series Tarzan and Jane, Jane Porter is a teenage, big-city girl who becomes friends with a teenage Tarzan.
Actresses who portrayed Jane on television include:
Linda Gary 1979 (voice, with Robert Ridgely as the voice of Tarzan)
Kim Crosby 1989 (Joe Lara as Tarzan)
Radio
Joan Burroughs Pierce 1932–1934
Stage
Ethel Dwyer 1921 (Broadway)
Jennifer Gambatese 2006 (Disney's Broadway Musical)
Audio cassette
1999 Minnie Driver (with Naia Kelly playing "narrator" Jane)
Video games
Naia Kelly 2001–2002 (voice – Tarzan Untamed and Kingdom Hearts) (Tony Goldwyn as the voice of Tarzan)
