Jonathan Kaplan, ‘The Accused’ director, dead at 77
Emmy-nominated director Jonathan Kaplan, who directed The Accused, has died aged 77.
Kaplan’s death has been confirmed by his daughter, Molly Kaplan, who revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away following a battle with liver cancer. She told the publication: “He was a loving, supportive father.”
The late director was born into the entertainment industry thanks to his parents, composer Sol Kaplan, and actor Frances Heflin. His uncle, through his mother, was actor Van Heflin.
For the large part of his childhood, Kaplan grew up in New York, and as a child, became involved with Broadway productions.
At New York University, he learned under the tutelage of a pre-fame Martin Scorsese, who took a liking to Kaplan, and arranged for him to serve an apprenticeship with director Roger Corman.
Kaplan’s first movie, Truck Turner, starring Isaac Hayes, arrived to acclaim in 1974, and the following year, he made his major studio debut with the neo-noir thriller White Line Fever. His career then suffered bumps in the road with failures such as Mr Billion in 1977, and during the early 1980s, he began to make music videos for stars like Rod Stewart and John Mellencamp.
In the late 1980s, Kaplan returned to Hollywood with Project X, starring a young Matthew Broderick, and The Accused, which led to Jodie Foster securing an Academy Award win in the ‘Best Actress’ category for her performance. In 1992, Kaplan’s Love Field also led to Michelle Pfiefer landing an Oscar nomination in the same category.
In his later years, Kaplan moved into television, directing episodes of hit series’ such as ER, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Without a Trace.
Kaplan is survived by his daughter, Molly.
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