Jonathan Kaplan, the Oscar-nominated director of The Accused and a pivotal creative force behind the Chicago-set medical drama ER, has died at age 77. Kaplan passed away in Los Angeles following a brief illness, according to his family.
Though born in New York City on November 25, 1947, Kaplan would become deeply connected to the city of Chicago through his work on ER, the long-running NBC series set in a fictional County General Hospital. His direction and eventual role as co-executive producer helped shape the fast-paced, emotionally charged style of the show. Kaplan directed more than 30 episodes of ER, including several season premieres and finales, helping bring an authentic urgency to the show that captured the grit and grace of the Windy City’s emergency rooms.
His career began in the world of gritty exploitation films under the mentorship of Roger Corman. He gained critical notice with 1979’s Over the Edge, a raw teen drama that launched Matt Dillon’s career and has since become a cult classic. But it was his work in the 1980s that elevated him to Hollywood’s A-list.
His most enduring cinematic achievement is The Accused (1988), a groundbreaking courtroom drama that earned Jodie Foster her first Academy Award. The film was lauded for its fearless portrayal of sexual assault and victim-blaming, and Kaplan was praised for directing with empathy and unflinching clarity.
He also directed Heart Like a Wheel (1983), a biopic of drag racing pioneer Shirley Muldowney, as well as thrillers like Unlawful Entry (1992) and the chimpanzee-centered drama Project X (1987).
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Kaplan’s talents transitioned seamlessly to television, where he became a go-to director for intense, character-driven storytelling. In addition to ER, he worked on Law & Order: SVU, Without a Trace, and Chicago Hope, further deepening his ties to Chicago’s television landscape.
Kaplan came from a family steeped in the arts—his mother, Frances Heflin, was a respected stage actress, and his father, Sidney Kaplan, composed film scores. He studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and was known in Hollywood circles as a director who quietly pushed boundaries while mentoring younger talent.
His siblings, nieces, and nephews survive him, and a legacy rooted in both groundbreaking cinema and the streets of Chicago. Jonathan Kaplan’s work didn’t just entertain, it challenged, it provoked, and in shows like ER, it reflected the pulse of a city that became part of his creative identity.
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