| Jane Porter | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Tarzan of the Apes |
| Last appearance | Tarzan's Quest |
| Created by | Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse(s) | Tarzan (Husband) |
| Children | Korak (Son) |
| Relatives | Meriem (Daughter in Law) |
| Nationality | American |
Jane Porter (later Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke) is a major character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film.
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Jane, an American from Baltimore, Maryland, is the love interest and later the wife of Tarzan, and subsequently the mother of their son Korak. She develops over the course of the series from a conventional damsel in distress who must be rescued from various perils to a competent and capable adventuress in her own right, fully capable of defending herself and surviving on her own in the jungles of Africa. She first appeared in the initial Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes (1912), reappearing in the second, The Return of Tarzan (1913), the third, The Beasts of Tarzan (1914), the fourth, The Son of Tarzan (1914), the fifth, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916), the seventh, Tarzan the Untamed (1920), the eighth, Tarzan the Terrible (1921), the ninth, Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1923), the tenth, Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924), and the nineteenth, Tarzan's Quest (1936). Jane also appeared in a minor role in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover (1925).
Jane has appeared in numerous adaptations of the Tarzan stories, notably a number of Tarzan movies based on Tarzan of the Apes, including the silent films Tarzan of the Apes (1918) and The Romance of Tarzan (1918).
The most famous screen Jane was played by Maureen O'Sullivan opposite Johnny Weissmuller in the sound film Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), and its sequels, which changed the character's name to Jane Parker, portrayed her as English rather than American, and made her and Tarzan the adoptive parents of an orphan they named "Boy." Remakes of the 1932 film (Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959) and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)) reprised this portrayal.
Jane also appears in two more recent movie adaptations, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), and Tarzan (1999), an animated film. This version of Jane also appears in Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series in the Deep Jungle world. The most recent live-action movie released was 1998's Tarzan and the Lost City, with Jane March as Jane Porter opposite Casper Van Dien as Tarzan.
Three Tarzan films presented female leads who became the partner of Tarzan, but who were not named Jane Porter, for one reason or another.
Essoe, Gabe, Tarzan of the Movies, 1968, Citadel Press