Jeannot Szwarc, Director of ‘Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Jaws 2,’ Dies at 85

January 16, 2025 @ 8:47 PM

Jeannot Szwarc, the French filmmaker best known as the director of the science fiction romantic drama “Somewhere in Time” (1980), “Jaws 2” (1978) and “Supergirl” (1984), died Thursday. He was 85.

His death was announced by actress Jane Seymour, who co-starred with Christopher Reeve in “Somewhere in Time.” On Instagram, Seymour wrote, “Today, we say goodbye to a true visionary. Jeannot Szwarc was not just a brilliant director but a kind and generous soul. He gifted us many timeless stories, including Somewhere in Time, a film that changed my life forever. May his memory be a blessing, and may his artistry live on in our hearts.”

Among Szwarc’s feature films are the Michael Crichton thriller “Extreme Close-Up” (1973), “Santa Claus: The Movie” (1985) and the 1996 family film “Hercule et Sherlock.”

He also had a long and prolific career directing for American television, beginning in the 1960s with episodes of “Ironside” and “It Takes a Thief.” His other TV directing credits include “The Rockford Files,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Kojack,” “Night Gallery,” the 1980s revival of “The Twilight Zone,” “JAG,” “The Practice,” “Smallville,” “CSI Miami,” “Heroes,” “Boston Legal,” “Bones,” “Castle,
“Fringe” and “Grey’s Anatomy” among many, many others.

Born in Paris in 1938, he moved to the United States to attend Harvard University, graduating with a degree in political science. He left before completing a doctorate and returned to France in order to enter the film industry there. He returned to the U.S. in the 1960s where he began working as a freelance screenwriter, getting his big break when he was put under contract by NBC television.

“RIP my dear JEANNOT SZWARC One of the finest most talented souls I was privileged to know!” actor Jeffrey Kramer, who co-starred in “Jaws 2,” wrote on Thursday.