On August 1, 2025, renowned American producer and director Jonathan Kaplan died at the age of 77 in Los Angeles. The son of a film composer father and soap actress mother, Kaplan began his career as a child actor on Broadway before later branching into work behind the camera. Over the course of his four-decade directing career in television, music video, and film, his works spanned genres such as exploitation films, medical drama, action, legal drama, sports, science fiction, and psychological thriller. Kaplan is perhaps best-known for his films The Accused, Love Field, Project X, and Over the Edge, as well as his role directing and producing TV series such as ER and Without a Trace.

In remembrance of Kaplan’s remarkable career, we are resharing this 2011 interview with NPL staffer Bill Chamberlain, who interviewed Kaplan as part of our Legends of Film podcast. In this interview, Kaplan shares about his working relationships with stars like Martin Scorsese, Jodi Foster, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Denzel Washington, as well as behind-the-scenes insights from films like Truck Turner, The Heart Like a Wheel, and The Accused.

Several of Kaplan’s works are housed in NPL’s collection– find out more and place those items on hold here.