Cynthia Ann Howell (July 16, 1980 – c. January 24, 2024), known professionally as Jesse Jane, was an American pornographic film actress. 

She entered the industry in the early 2000s and quickly rose to prominence, earning numerous awards and distinctions for her performances, including numerous AVN Awards. Jane also distinguished herself as one of the few adult film stars to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood and gained recognition beyond the adult entertainment industry.

Jane was an exclusive contract performer for Digital Playground between 2002 and 2014. Best known for her role in the Pirates series of erotic film, she retired from the adult film industry in 2017 after a successful career spanning nearly two decades. Jane was a member of the NightMoves Hall of Fame, XRCO Hall of Fame, and AVN Hall of Fame.

Early life

Jesse Jane was born as Cynthia Ann Howell on July 16, 1980, in Fort Worth, Texas.Her family relocated to the Oklahoma City area when her parents took up employment at Tinker Air Force Base, as disclosed by Jane in a 2006 interview with The Oklahoma Gazette. In 1998, she graduated with honors from Moore High School.

Career

Before securing a position in a commercial for restaurant chain Hooters, Jane had previously modeled for retailers such as 5-7-9 and David’s Bridal. She subsequently ascended the ranks within the Hooters organization, ultimately attaining the role of regional training coordinator. She later made the decision to transition into a full-time career as a Hawaiian Tropic bikini model.

Jane signed an exclusive contract with the adult film production company Digital Playground in 2002. Within months of winning the contract, she appeared on Showtime Network's Family Business, where she was filmed at the Adult Video News awards show and convention. The films in which Digital Playground cast Jane, such as No Limits, Beat the Devil, and Loaded, proved popular enough to warrant her own line of sex toys, as well as secure nominations for several awards. Jane was best known for starring in the Pirates series of erotic films, wherein she portrayed the first officer on a makeshift vessel of sailors embarking on a quest against a group of evil pirates.

In 2006, Jane and Kirsten Price became the hosts of Playboy TV's most popular live show, Night Calls. Jane has also hosted Playboy TV's Naughty Amateur Home Videos and has been the sex columnist for Chéri beginning in January 2007. With fellow Digital Playground contract performers Devon and Teagan Presley, Jane has co-hosted the live, Internet-based adult industry talk show DP Tonight.

Jane hosted several adult industry award ceremonies throughout her career including the AVN Awards in 2006 and 2013, the F.A.M.E. Awards in 2008, and the XBIZ Awards in 2008 and 2011. In 2007, Jesse also became a sex columnist for the Australian men's magazine Ralph, replying to letters from readers about sex and dating.

Jane distanced herself from the "shock value" trend prevalent in mid-2000s pornography. In 2007, The New York Times reported that Jane intended to have her breast enhancement surgery re-done for high-definition movies. She launched a line of signature sex toys circa 2010. In 2017, Jane announced that she would retire from the adult industry and that that year's AVN Awards would be her last. In 2019, XBIZ announced that Jane had come out of retirement and shot her first interracial scene for Blacked.com.

Jane was the Australian Penthouse Pet of the Month in November 2010. In 2011, she was named by freelance journalist Chris Morris as one of the 12 most popular stars in porn. Morris stated that she is "for many, the face of modern porn", noting her roles in the popular porn Pirates films, and her Performer of the Year nominations by both AVN and the XBIZ Awards. And again in 2014, Jane was on Morris's list of "The Dirty Dozen: Porn's Most Popular Stars".

Mainstream appearances Jane's professional endeavors extended beyond the adult film industry. She distinguished herself as one of the few adult film stars to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood. 

In 2004, Jane made a cameo appearance in the film Starsky & Hutch and appeared on the cover of Drowning Pool's album Desensitized. In 2005, she was featured as UnRated Magazine's Vixen, to launch the music review magazine's new edition of Vixens. She was a guest star on the HBO dramedy series Entourage, in the ninth episode of the second season, "I Love You Too", which features the main characters making a trip to Comic-Con. In 2009, she appeared in the reality series The Bad Girls Club.

In a 2009 CNBC documentary titled Porn: Business of Pleasure, Jesse is the focus of the final six-minute segment, which details her career and her life outside the porn industry.

Personal life

In 2000, Jane gave birth to her son. She married her husband Rich Taylor in 2005. On March 1, 2012, Jane announced on Twitter that she was getting divorced.

Death

On January 24, 2024, Jane and her boyfriend, Brett Hasenmuller, were found dead from an apparent drug overdose at their home in Moore, Oklahoma.