Jonathan Kaplan facts for kids

Jonathan Kaplan, born on November 25, 1947, is a talented American film producer and director. He has made many movies and TV shows. One of his most famous films is The Accused (1988). This movie helped actress Jodie Foster win an Oscar for Best Actress. It was also nominated for a big award called the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Another film, Love Field (1992), earned actress Michelle Pfeiffer an Oscar nomination. Jonathan Kaplan also received five Emmy nominations. These were for his work directing and producing the popular TV series ER.

Life and Career

Jonathan Kaplan was born in Paris, France. His father, Sol Kaplan, was a film composer. His mother, Frances Heflin, was an actress. He is also related to actor Van Heflin. His sisters, Nora and Mady Kaplan, are also actresses.

Kaplan lived in Hollywood until 1954. Then, his family moved to New York.

Early Acting and Film Studies

Kaplan started his career as a child actor. He appeared in a Broadway play called The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. This play was directed by Elia Kazan. In 1964, he was in an off-Broadway show called Rumplestillskin.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago. After that, he studied film at New York University. There, he was taught by famous director Martin Scorsese. Kaplan made a short film called Stanley (1965), which won an award.

Starting as a Director

Kaplan was working in New York, doing some film editing. Then, Roger Corman offered him a chance to direct a movie. This movie was Night Call Nurses (1972). Martin Scorsese had recommended Kaplan for the job.

Kaplan made the movie and it became a success. Corman then offered him another film, The Student Teachers (1973). Kaplan also helped write and edit this movie.

He then directed The Slams (1973) and Truck Turner (1974). Truck Turner was a big hit. This led to Kaplan getting an offer from a major Hollywood studio, Columbia. He directed White Line Fever (1975) for them. This movie was even more successful.

However, Kaplan then made a film he called "the biggest failure of my career." This was Mr. Billion (1977). He tried to make actor Terence Hill famous around the world with this movie. After that, he made Over the Edge (1979). This film was praised by critics but did not attract many viewers.

Moving to TV and Music Videos

Kaplan said that at this time, he was mostly offered movies about trucks. So, he decided to direct TV movies instead. He wanted to keep directing films.

In the early 1980s, Kaplan directed several TV movies. He also directed many music videos. Some of these were for John Cougar Mellencamp. He also directed Rod Stewart's "Infatuation" video in 1984. He directed the drag racing movie Heart Like a Wheel (1983). He also made the science fiction thriller Project X (1987).

Return to Feature Films and TV Success

His career in feature films became very strong again in 1988. This was when The Accused (1988) came out. This movie helped Jodie Foster win her first Oscar for Best Actress.

After this success, he directed other important feature films. These included Immediate Family (1989) and Unlawful Entry (1992). His direction of Michelle Pfeiffer in Love Field (1992) earned her an Oscar nomination in 1993. His last movie for theaters was Brokedown Palace (1999). Since the 1990s, Kaplan has mainly worked as a television director.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Kaplan para niños