Betty Kaplan facts for kids

Betty Kaplan is a talented film and television director from Venezuela and the United States. She was born in New York City but grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. Betty Kaplan is known for directing movies like Doña Bárbara, Almost a Woman, and Of Love and Shadows. The movie Of Love and Shadows was based on a book by the famous writer Isabel Allende. Betty Kaplan has won many awards for her work, including the Peabody Award. She often writes, directs, and produces her own film projects. She also helps lead the Directors Guild of America Latino Committee.

Who is Betty Kaplan?

Betty Kaplan was born in New York City. Her mother was from Mexico, and her father was from Venezuela. She spent her childhood growing up in Venezuela. Today, she lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Directing Films and TV Shows

Betty Kaplan is well-known for directing many television shows and movies. She has directed episodes for popular TV series and made-for-TV movies.

Famous TV Work

Her TV work includes "One Hot Summer," which aired in 2009. She also directed an episode called "Legacy" for Law and Order: Criminal Intent in 2008. This episode was very popular and had high ratings. Another episode she directed was "The Journey" for the police drama The Division in 2002, which also had excellent viewership.

One of her earliest and most famous TV projects was "Bolívar" in 1983. This was a mini-series that Betty Kaplan wrote and directed. It told the exciting story of Simon Bolivar, a hero who helped free South America from Spain. This series became a popular yearly TV event in Venezuela. She also directed "Caminos Que Andan," a series of eleven documentary-dramas about Latin American writers for Televisora Nacional of Venezuela.

Big Screen Movies

In her film Of Love and Shadows, Betty Kaplan gave the Spanish actor Antonio Banderas his very first role in an English-language movie. This helped introduce him to Hollywood! Jennifer Connelly also starred in this film.

Betty Kaplan is currently working on a new film project called "El Numero Uno." This movie will tell the story of Renny Ottolina, a very popular TV personality and national hero in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans looked up to him. Renny Ottolina decided to run for president because people wanted a new leader. Sadly, he died in an airplane accident just a few months before the election. Betty Kaplan knew him personally because she used to be a dancer on his TV show.

Music Videos and More

Betty Kaplan has also produced music videos for Latino singers. One of her most famous music videos was "La Papa sin Catsup" for the Mexican American singer Jenni Rivera in 2003. She is also developing many new movie scripts for big production companies.

Besides films and TV, Betty Kaplan has directed commercials and theater plays in Los Angeles. As a leader in the Directors Guild of America Latino Committee, she helps organize important events. These events include screenings of films like Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Michael Jackson's This Is It, a documentary about singer Michael Jackson.

Filmography

Television Projects

See also

In Spanish: Betty Kaplan para niños