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Jonathan Kaplan

Jonathan Kaplan

Director and producer, also writer · Died August 1, 2025, aged 77 · Paris, France

Jonathan Kaplan (November 25, 1947 - August 1, 2025) was an American film producer and director. Kaplan was born in Paris, France. He was the son of film composer Sol Kaplan and actress Frances Heflin; the nephew of actor Van Heflin. He was the brother of actresses Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan. His film The Accused (1988), earned actress Jodie Foster her first Oscar for Best Actress and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival. Kaplan received 5 Emmy nominations for his roles directing and producing ER. Kaplan directed Rod Stewart's music video for "Infatuation" in 1984.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 25, 1947
Died
August 1, 2025 (aged 77)
From
Paris, France
Works as
Director and producer, also writer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 4% in 30 days

What are Jonathan Kaplan's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
21%
Power
19%
Survival
18%
Bonds
18%
Self
15%
Society
8%
Justice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 8 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Warm
6
Melancholic
6
Dread
5
Thrilling
5
Other
15

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jonathan Kaplan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jonathan Kaplan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

41 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • That Guy Dick Miller(2014)

    Executive Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Witches of East End(2013)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Client List(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • A Gifted Man(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Brothers & Sisters(2006)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Crossing Jordan(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Brokedown Palace(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • In Cold Blood(1996)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Picture Windows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Picture Windows: Language of the Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Reform School Girl(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • ER(1994)

    Show 110 episodes · Director · Co-Executive Producer · Consulting Producer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Rebel Highway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Bad Girls(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Firm(1993)

    as Lawyer Recruiter

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Love Field(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Unlawful Entry(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Immediate Family(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Roller Blade Warriors: Taken by Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Producer

  • The Accused(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Project X(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • 11th Victim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Girls of the White Orchid(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Heart Like a Wheel(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Gentleman Bandit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • The Howling(1981)

    as Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Hustler of Muscle Beach(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Over the Edge(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Billion(1977)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Cannonball!(1976)

    as All-Night Gas Station Attendant

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Boulevard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Scotty

  • White Line Fever(1975)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Truck Turner(1974)

    Director · as Cook (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Slams(1973)

    Director · as Portable Toilet Delivery Man (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Student Teachers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Night Call Nurses(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Street Scenes 1970 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Production Office Coordinator

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1970 to 2014.

Biggest box office

Unlawful Entry (1992)

$57M worldwide

Highest rated

Over the Edge (1979)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Bad Girls (1994)

Film career

  • 1976Screen debut· Hollywood Boulevard

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 41: 4 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thDirecting34 of 41: 28 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndWriting2 of 41: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 41: 2 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 41: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

41 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s10 · 4 acting · 8 crew1980s10 · 1 acting · 9 crew1990s13 · 1 acting · 12 crew2000s4 · crew2010s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jonathan Kaplan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · director

The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980)

87th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Over the Edge (1979)

Midcredits 90th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jonathan Kaplan's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 84 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles21–73 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 67 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 67 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jonathan Kaplan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jonathan Kaplan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dick Miller shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles