Jonathan Kaplan

Directing

Jonathan Kaplan

Born 1947-11-25 · 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.

Acting credits

The Firm poster
6.7

Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan...

The Firm

1993

The Howling poster
6.6

After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.

The Howling

1981

Corman's World poster
7.0

A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film industry, a pioneer of independent filmmaking and discoverer of new talent.

Corman's World

2011

Cannonball poster
5.6

Coy "Cannonball" Buckman and his blazing red Pontiac enter the Trans-America Grand Prix, an underground road race spanning the continent in which there are no rules, no speed limits and no heed for the law. En route, Buckman jockeys with an international ensemble of racers for a $100,000 purse. But there are none more important than Cade Redman, his direct competition for a guaranteed spot on the elite Modern Motors racing team.

Cannonball

1976

Machete Maidens Unleashed! poster
6.6

In the final decades of the 20th century, the Philippines was a country where low-budget exploitation-film producers were free to make nearly any kind of movie they wanted, any way they pleased. It was a country with extremely lax labor regulations and a very permissive attitude towards cultural expression. As a result, it became a hotbed for the production of cheapie movies. Their history and the genre itself are detailed in this breezy, nostalgic documentary.

Machete Maidens Unleashed!

2010

Hollywood Boulevard poster
5.6

A Midwestern ingenue arrives in Hollywood to try her luck as an actress. An incompetent agent hooks her up with a production company which specializes in low budget B-movie fare, which starts being plagued by strange, deadly accidents.

Hollywood Boulevard

1976

Truck Turner poster
6.5

Truck Turner and his partner Jerry, who make their living as bounty hunters in Los Angeles, are hired to hunt down Gator, a pimp who has skipped bail.

Truck Turner

1974

American Grindhouse poster
6.7

This documentary explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film. The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment.

American Grindhouse

2011

The Slams poster
6.5

Rival prison factions surround a Los Angeles convict who has $1.5 million stashed on the outside.

The Slams

1973

That Guy Dick Miller poster
7.0

Documentary about veteran character actor Dick Miller, whose career in and outside of Hollywood has spanned almost 200 films across six decades, featuring a diverse range of interviews with directors, co-stars, and contemporaries.

That Guy Dick Miller

2014

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel poster
7.7

Documentary examining the life and career of producer/director Roger Corman. Clips from his films and interviews with actors and crew members who have worked with him are featured.

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel

1978

Behind the camera

The Accused poster
7.1

Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case; however, she allows the rapists to receive a mild sentence. A distraught Sarah decides to seek punishment for the men who witnessed and encouraged the rape. To get justice, Sarah must take the stand and revisit the night of her attack.

The Accused

1988

Bad Girls poster
5.3

Four former harlots try to leave the wild west (Colorado, to be exact) and head north to make a better life for themselves. Unfortunately someone from Cody's past won't let it happen that easily.

Bad Girls

1994

Brokedown Palace poster
6.5

Best friends Alice and Darlene take a trip to Thailand after graduating high school. In Thailand, they meet a captivating Australian man, who calls himself Nick Parks. Darlene is particularly smitten with Nick and convinces Alice to take Nick up on his offer to treat the two of them to what amounts to a day trip to Hong Kong. In the airport, the girls are seized by the police and shocked to discover that one of their bags contains heroin.

Brokedown Palace

1999

Unlawful Entry poster
6.3

When Michael and Karen Carr’s home is robbed, the couple strike up a friendship with duty officer Pete Davis. But the disturbed cop develops an intense fixation on Karen, and his idea of friendship soon turns into a dangerous obsession, making him the Carrs’ worst nightmare.

Unlawful Entry

1992

Over the Edge poster
7.1

A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada.

Over the Edge

1979

Project X poster
6.3

A young inductee into the military is given the task of looking after some chimpanzees used in the mysterious 'Project X'. Getting to know the chimps fairly well, he begins to suspect there is more to the secret project than he is being told.

Project X

1987

Love Field poster
6.1

Dallas housewife Lurene Hallett's life revolves around the doings of Jacqueline Kennedy. She is devastated when President Kennedy is shot a few hours after she sees him arrive in Dallas. Despite her husband Ray's prohibition, she decides to attend the funeral in Washington, D.C. Forced to travel by bus, she befriends Jonell, the young black daughter of Paul Couter. Sensing something wrong, her good intentioned interference leads the mixed race threesome on an increasingly difficult journey to Washington with both the police and Ray looking for them.

Love Field

1992

Mr. Billion poster
5.5

An Italian mechanic finds that he has inherited a billion-dollar company from his dead uncle, but he needs to be in San Francisco in 20 days to sign over the will. In the meantime, he is chased by kidnappers and the affected corporation's president.

Mr. Billion

1977

Mr. Billion poster
5.5

An Italian mechanic finds that he has inherited a billion-dollar company from his dead uncle, but he needs to be in San Francisco in 20 days to sign over the will. In the meantime, he is chased by kidnappers and the affected corporation's president.

Mr. Billion

1977

Girls of the White Orchid poster
5.0

In Los Angeles, naive and lonely waitress and aspirant singer Carol finds an advertisement for a job opportunity in Tokyo. Traveling to Japan to work at the White Orchid nightclub, she discovers the scheme of prostitution in the club that belongs to Yakuza. Alone, without money and her passport, she is protected by Shiro, but pressed by the managers Madame Mori and her husband Hatanaka to be receptive to client's proposals.

Girls of the White Orchid

1983

Night Call Nurses poster
4.4

The sweet and perky Barbara, the sunny Janis, and the responsible Sandra are a trio of young and attractive nurses who work in the psych ward at a hospital. The threesome really have their hands full dealing with nutty patients, creepy stalkers, and black revolutionaries

Night Call Nurses

1972

Truck Turner poster
6.5

Truck Turner and his partner Jerry, who make their living as bounty hunters in Los Angeles, are hired to hunt down Gator, a pimp who has skipped bail.

Truck Turner

1974

White Line Fever poster
6.0

An independent trucker with a pregnant wife fights cargo crooks and the big shot they work for.

White Line Fever

1975

White Line Fever poster
6.0

An independent trucker with a pregnant wife fights cargo crooks and the big shot they work for.

White Line Fever

1975

Reform School Girl poster
4.8

After being a passenger in a hit-and-run, Donna Patterson is sent to reform school, taking the rap for the driver, bad boy Vince. Inside, she makes friends and self-discoveries while trying to save her little sister from their abusive uncle.

Reform School Girl

1994

Immediate Family poster
5.9

Linda and Michael, married for ten years, desperately want a baby and turn to an adoption agency which introduces them to Lucy, a teenage girl expecting her first baby. The three agree that Linda and Michael will adopt Lucy's baby and that Lucy will sign away custody. Things don't go quite to plan however..

Immediate Family

1989

Heart Like a Wheel poster
5.9

Shirley Muldowney is determined to be a top-fuel drag racer, although no woman has ever raced them before. Despite the high risks of this kind of racing and the burden it places on her family life, she perseveres in her dream.

Heart Like a Wheel

1983

Picture Windows: Language of the Heart poster
10.0

Part of the anthology series "Picture Windows," "Language of the Heart" brings Degas’ painting The Rehearsal to life in a 1920s ballet hall, where a young ballerina resists her Maestro’s advances as she falls for a violinist, setting the stage for a tale of love and ambition.

Picture Windows: Language of the Heart

1995

The Slams poster
6.5

Rival prison factions surround a Los Angeles convict who has $1.5 million stashed on the outside.

The Slams

1973

The Gentleman Bandit poster
5.7

Based on the real-life ordeal of Baltimore priest Bernard Pagano, who was accused of several armed robberies in the late Seventies.

The Gentleman Bandit

1981

The Hustler of Muscle Beach poster
5.8

A slick promoter in the bodybuilding subculture of Venice Beach, California, finds what he considers a diamond in the rough: a dedicated but somewhat mentally challenged young man who wants to win bodybuilding championships, but needs some help and direction--and the promoter thinks he's just the one to do it.

The Hustler of Muscle Beach

1980

The Student Teachers poster
5.8

Sexy student teachers at Valley High School give private lessons while being terrorized by a mad rapist

The Student Teachers

1973

Roller Blade Warriors: Taken by Force poster
3.3

In the future, a warrior nun on roller skates must rescue a seer, who is to be sacrificed by a band of mutants.

Roller Blade Warriors: Taken by Force

1989

11th Victim poster
4.0

A news anchorwoman from the Midwest comes to Hollywood to learn the truth about the death of her sister, the 11th victim of a killer preying on aspiring actresses, and finds herself possibly the next one on his list despite the help of an overworked cop.

11th Victim

1984