Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to filmmaker Jonathan Kaplan, calling him “a very special filmmaker and a wonderful human being,” in a remembrance published days after Kaplan’s death at 77. Kaplan died on August 1 in Los Angeles following an illness his daughter described as advanced liver cancer.
Scorsese’s salute also underscored a long-running connection: Kaplan studied film at NYU, and, early in his career, Scorsese steered him toward producer Roger Corman, where Kaplan began a run of brisk, politically tinged genre pictures before moving into studio features.
Kaplan’s 1988 courtroom drama “The Accused” became his most widely known film, with Jodie Foster winning the Oscar for best actress, followed by a 1990s stretch that included “Unlawful Entry,” “Love Field,” and “Bad Girls.” He later directed extensively for television, earning multiple Emmy nominations for “ER,” where his steadying hand on character-focused episodes helped define the show’s style.
Remembrances from collaborators and admirers circulated as news of his death spread, reflecting on a career that threaded New Hollywood grit with television craftsmanship. Scorsese’s note, published on Sunday, framed Kaplan’s legacy as both artistic and personal, recalling a director whose early training, journeyman versatility, and advocacy for actors shaped work that stretched from drive-in fare to prestige drama.
