Jane is described in Tarzan of the Apes as a beautiful, young woman, with long, blonde hair.

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 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.