Jane's the Name: but which one am I? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This Jane was born in London, U.K. in 1934. As an anthropologist she became a world-renowned expert on one particular primate in Tanzania. What is her last name?

Answer: Goodall

Goodall is well-known for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania. She is acknowledged to be the world's expert on the habits and society of this popular and fascinating primate.

She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2004.

Apparently her love for these animals, which are so fascinating to humans, started when she was given a toy chimp as a child. Her parents thought it an inappropriate gift, but how wrong were they!

2. This Jane, an accomplished actor with many films to her credit, was born in New York City. Her father was a Hollywood movie actor, as well as her brother who first starred in "Easy Rider". What is her last name?

Answer: Fonda

Jane Fonda comes from a very talented family. Those of you who have seen some of Henry Fonda's great films, and many of those of her brother, Peter Fonda, will probably agree with this assessment.

Jane, however, is not only known for her acting diversity and Academy Award nominations in such roles as "Barbarella", "Klute", "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" and "On Golden Pond", but also for her political activism. She is well remembered for visiting Hanoi in North Vietnam during that conflict, causing many to accuse her of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, essentially an act of treason.

3. She was an Academy Award-winning film actor and TV star who died in 2007. In addition to having a long successful career, she was married to a man who later became President of the U.S.A. She was, however, never the First Lady. Which Jane is this?

Answer: Wyman

Jane Wyman was a talented actor, winning an Academy Award for her role in the 1948 movie "Johnny Belinda", playing a deaf-mute rape victim. She could also sing and dance. During the 80's Wyman went on re-invent her fame by playing Angela Channing in the popular TV soap-opera "Falcon Crest," which ran from 1981-90. Big hair and broad shoulders!

She was Ronald Reagan's first wife. They were married in 1940, and divorced in 1949.

4. This Jane - an English writer, now dead - is world-famous. Her novels have been translated into many languages and are universally acknowledged to be masterpieces of wit and manners. Her last name is Bronte.

Answer: False

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is the name of the writer of many widely-enjoyed novels, with the most popular being "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility", and "Emma". These three works have such great timeless appeal that they are frequently made into movies and television adaptations.

Some of Austen's characters are so appealing that they are often "spun-off" into more modern roles. For example, Colin Firth, who played Mr. Darcy in an A&E version of "Pride and Prejudice", later became Mark Darcy in the movie "Bridget Jones's Diary".

5. There have been two famous Janes with this same last name. One was an English queen who died shortly after giving birth to a longed-for son, and the other is a British movie and television actress. Which last name is shared by these two very different Janes?

Answer: Seymour

The first Jane Seymour, 1508-1537, was the third wife of England's King Henry VIII's six wives. She became Queen Jane in 1536, succeeding the doomed Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded for high treason. Probably the only 'treason' Queen Anne committed was in failing to give Henry a son.

Jane Seymour, however, succeeded in providing Henry with an heir, but died shortly after doing so, probably of child-bed fever. Her son, who became Edward VI at the age of nine, died when he was 16 years old.

The second Jane Seymour, centuries later, is best known for her role in the TV series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". Talk about polar opposites.

6. This American woman, who died in 1903, is better known for having "Jane" as her last name, which might sound disastrous. What is this Jane's famous "first" name?

Answer: Calamity

She was born Martha Jane Canary. Calamity ("disastrous", did you get that clue?) Jane was a famous frontiers-woman who is reputed to have been closely allied with Wild Bill Hickock and for fighting Indians, a common occurrence in America at the end of the 19th century. Calamity dressed in masculine clothing, which was unusual for those times. Doris Day played her in the 1953 movie "Calamity Jane".

7. This Jane was the First Lady of the U.S.A. from 1853-1857 when she was married to the 14th President. Hawkeye from M.A.S.H. had the same last name as this President. What was Jane's married name?

Answer: Pierce

I hope that my clue about Hawkeye from "M.A.S.H." was of help. Hawkeye's formal name was Benjamin Franklin Pierce. The name of the 14th U.S. President was Franklin Pierce, with his wife being Jane Pierce.

My research indicates that First Lady Jane Pierce was reclusive and prone to depression. The public nature of her job was burdensome to her because of that, and she made every excuse to avoid society. If you did not guess this question correctly, perhaps that is the reason for not knowing about her.

8. This Jane, 1879-1967, was a character actor. She won an Oscar as Best-Supporting Actress for her role as Ma Joad in the 1940 film "The Grapes of Wrath". She also played the role of Bird Woman in "Mary Poppins". Which Jane is this?

Answer: Darwell

Jane Darwell was born Jane Woodward, but changed her name so as not to embarrass her family with her theatrical leanings. We all know what was thought of women who had a career on the stage back then, don't we?

However, this Jane did a fine job of portraying a key role in "The Grapes of Wrath". When Darwell played the role of Bird Woman, she did so at Walt Disney's request, coming out of retirement to be the character he must have thought she was well-suited to be.

9. This Jane enchanted movie-goers with the song "Wonderful, Wonderful Day" in the 1954 movie "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". What is the last name of this star who was just the girl that Howard Keel's character was searching for to be his wife?

Answer: Powell

What movie buff can ever forget "Seven Brides for Seven Brother", specifically that precise moment when Howard Keel goes to town to find wives for his brothers and sets eyes on feisty Jane Powell for the first time. Obviously he gets to choose first, so as he watches her serving food as a waitress he sings "Bless your beautiful hide, whoever you may be. Don't know yet, but I'm willing to bet, you're the girl for me". And she not only was the girl for him, but she was the girl for us too.

10. This Jane had a relationship with Beatle Paul McCartney in the 1960's. While she is an actress, she has more recently become known for publishing many successful books on baking fancy party cakes. Which Jane is this one?

Answer: Asher

When researching Jane Asher, I had absolutely no idea that she had moved on from acting into "extreme" cake decorating! It will be interesting to see how many of you knew this. If you are older, as I am, you will remember the Paul McCartney link from the 60's. However, if you are younger, you may be more likely to know the baking "angle" of her career. These two facts could help unite generations in just one question.

She also owns a company, Jane Asher Party Cakes, which sells equipment and books for baking party cakes.

Source: Author smeone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The name "Jane" has been a common female name throughout history. Here are ten well-known Janes. You need to guess the last name for each Jane as described.

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