What was Jonathan Kaplan's debut feature? Career explored as 'ER' director dies at 77

Jonathan Kaplan, the film director and producer best known for the 1988 legal drama The Accused, died on Friday, August 1, 2025. His daughter shared the news of his passing with The Hollywood Reporter.

Kaplan was battling liver cancer and was 77 years old at the time of his death. Although Kaplan was popular for being a director, he began his career as a child actor in the Broadway production of The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. His debut feature film was Night Call Nurses, which was part of producer Roger Corman’s low-budget "nurse" exploitation film series.

Jonathan Kaplan's career explored

Sharing the news of Jonathan's passing, his daughter said:

''He was a loving, supportive father.''

Kaplan was born in Paris, France, and after his debut feature film, he was offered another film by Roger, which was the 1973 film The Student Teachers. In the following years, he directed several other films, including the action crime film White Line Fever, the 1983 biographical drama Heart Like a Wheel, Immediate Family, Love Fields, Bad Girls, and the 1999 Brokedown Palace.

He also directed several television movies, including The Gentleman Bandit (1981), Girls of the White Orchid (1983), and Rebel Highway: Reform School Girl (1994). Apart from films, Kaplan also directed TV series, some of which are Fallen Angels, Picture Windows, and the well-known medical drama ER, for which he received five Emmy nominations for his roles directing and producing the series.

Other TV series include the American police crime drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, another police drama titled Without a Trace, and the 2010 family drama series Brothers and Sisters.

Trending

Jonathan’s work was recognized with several award nominations, including two Golden Bear nominations at the Berlin International Film Festival, a CableACE Award, and a Leo Award, as per Variety.

He married a casting director named Julie Selzer in 1987, but they divorced in 2001. Jonathan is survived by his daughter, Molly Kaplan, his sister, and his nieces.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback