Emmy-Nominee Jonathan Kaplan, Iconic ‘ER’ Director and ‘The Accused’ Filmmaker, Dead at 77

Jonathan Kaplan, renowned for his work as a director and producer on the hit series ER, and his roles in films such as The Accused, Bad Girls, and Unlawful Entry, has passed away at the age of 77, according to reports from several news outlets.

His daughter, Molly Kaplan, announced that he died of advanced liver cancer at his Los Angeles residence this past Friday.

Born in Paris on November 25, 1947, Kaplan was the son of Sol Kaplan, a film and TV composer, and Frances Heflin, an actress well-known for her role on the ABC soap All My Children. He was also the nephew of Academy Award-winning actor Van Heflin.

Kaplan’s early career began as a child actor on Broadway in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, directed by Elia Kazan. He later pursued higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and studying film at New York University under the mentorship of Martin Scorsese.

It was Martin Scorsese who recommended Kaplan to Roger Corman. Corman then offered Kaplan his first directorial project, the 1972 sexploitation film Night Call Nurses, followed by 1973’s The Student Teachers. In the same year, he directed The Slams for Gene Corman and moved on to direct the blaxploitation film Truck Turner.

His first major studio film was White Line Fever in 1975 for Columbia Pictures, featuring Jan-Michael Vincent. Kaplan’s later works include Mr. Billion, Over the Edge, and various TV movies such as The Gentleman Bandit. Alongside films, he directed music videos for Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, and John Mellencamp.

Kaplan directed Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988) and Michelle Pfeiffer in Love Field (1992), both of whom received Academy Award nominations, with Foster winning the award. His other notable directorial efforts include working with actors such as Matthew Broderick, Helen Hunt, Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe, Andie MacDowell, Drew Barrymore, Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, and Bill Pullman. His final feature film was 1999’s Brokedown Palace.

In television, Kaplan earned multiple Emmy nominations for his production work on ER, alongside John Wells and Michael Crichton, particularly in 1999, 2000, and 2001. He also received directing nominations in 2000 and 2001. Kaplan directed numerous episodes of the respected NBC procedural and other TV series like Fallen Angels, Law & Order: SVU, Crossing Jordan, Without a Trace, Brothers and Sisters, and Witches of East End.

He is survived by his daughter, sister, actress Nora Heflin, and nieces Hannah and Eliza. His sister Mady Kaplan, who appeared in Project X, has passed away. Kaplan was married to casting director Julie Selzer, whom he worked with on The Accused and most of his projects during the 1980s. They were married from 1987 until their divorce in 2001.