Jonathan Kaplan, the American film and television director and producer, died on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 77, following a battle with advanced liver cancer. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Molly Kaplan.
Kaplan is best known for directing The Accused (1988), the film that earned Jodie Foster her first Academy Award for Best Actress, and for his extensive work on ER (1994–2009), having directed over 40 episodes and received five Emmy nominations as producer.
Born in Paris, Kaplan was the son of composer Sol Kaplan and actress Frances Heflin. He grew up between Los Angeles and New York, began acting as a child, and later studied filmmaking at New York University under Martin Scorsese. It was Scorsese who recommended him to producer Roger Corman, who gave Kaplan his directorial debut with the sex comedy Night Call Nurses (1972).
Throughout the 1970s, Kaplan directed films such as Truck Turner (1974), White Line Fever (1975), and Over the Edge (1979), which marked Matt Dillon’s screen debut and reportedly inspired Kurt Cobain when writing Smells Like Teen Spirit. In the 1980s, he directed music videos for artists like Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, and John Mellencamp.
His return to mainstream cinema was solidified with The Accused (1988), followed by Immediate Family (1989), Unlawful Entry (1992), and Love Field (1992), which garnered Michelle Pfeiffer an Oscar nomination. He also directed Bad Girls (1994), working on set with Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell and Drew Barrymore.
Beginning in the 2000s, Kaplan shifted his focus primarily to television, directing episodes for shows such as Law & Order: SVU (1999–), Without a Trace (2002–2009), and Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011). His last credited project was as executive producer of the 2014 documentary That Guy Dick Miller.