Who were Jonathan Kaplan's parents? Family details explored as the Emmy-nominated director dies at 77

Jonathan Kaplan, the director who received five Emmy nominations for his roles directing and producing the medical television series ER, died on Friday, August 1, 2025. The news was shared by his daughter, Molly, according to Deadline and other publications.

Kaplan was born in Paris, France, to film and television composer Sol Kaplan and soap opera actress Frances Heflin. She was best known for her long-running role on the soap opera All My Children. Jonathan Kaplan was best known for his work in the legal drama film The Accused, which earned the actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster the Oscar for Best Actress.

Jonathan Kaplan was battling liver cancer and was 77 at the time of his death.

More about Jonathan Kaplan's family

The Love Field director was married to the casting director of The Accused and many of his other films during the 1980s, Julie Selzer. They married in 1987 and remained together until their divorce in 2001. They shared one child, who is also Kaplan's only child.

Kaplan emerged from a family of creatives within the entertainment industry; he was the nephew of actor Van Heflin, a well‑known actor who starred in films such as Shane. Kaplan was also a brother to two sisters, Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan, both of whom are actresses.

Coming from a family established in the entertainment industry, Jonathan Kaplan began his career as a child actor. He worked in the 1957 Broadway production of The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, directed by Elia Kazan. Later, he worked in another play titled Rumplestiltskin by Elaine May.

His first debut feature film was offered to him by the film director, actor, and producer, Roger Corman. He then directed the 1972 comedy film Night Call Nurses. He then went on to direct numerous films and television series.

Jonathan Kaplan's most popular films include the 1979 coming-of-age film Over the Edge, the 1983 drag racing biopic Heart Like a Wheel, and the 1987 science fiction-thriller Project X.

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Some of the television series that Kaplan directed include the police drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Brothers and Sisters, Picture Windows, and In Cold Blood.

Kaplan is survived by his daughter and other family members. As of now, there is no publicly confirmed news of his funeral.

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