Jeannot Szwarc, the most Hollywood of French directors, is dead

The filmmaker has spent almost his entire career in Los Angeles, notably directing the films Jaws 2 and Superigrl, around fifteen episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and also La Vengeance d’une Blonde in France.

He will have had an extraordinary career. Jeannot SzwarcFrench director based in Hollywood since the 1960s, died this Wednesday. He was 85 years old.

Jane Seymourwho played Elise McKenna in Somewhere in time (in 1980), confirmed the news on his networks:

“Today we say goodbye to a true visionary. Jeannot Szwarc was not only a brilliant director, but a kind and generous soul. He gave us many timeless stories, including Somewhere in Time, a film that changed my life forever. May his memory be a blessing and may his art live on in our hearts.”

Born in Paris, Jeannot Szwarc grew up in Argentina and undertook brilliant studies before launching into directing. He first attended HEC, then went to Harvard, where he obtained a master’s degree in political science. But in the 1960s, he developed a passion for the camera and began directing for television. He films first Raymond Burr In The Iron Man and made a place for himself in the studios, as a series director, even offering himself his episode of Columbo with Martin Sheen featured (in 1973).

His first film, Extreme Close-up (1973), did not meet with great success, but Univeral entrusted him with the continuation of Jawsalways with Roy Scheider (1978), which will total $208 million worldwide. In the process, he directs Somewhere in time (1980), bringing together Christopher Reeve And Jane Seymour in this great romantic fantasy film. Then he directs Helen Slater And Faye Dunaway In Supergirl (1984), the spin-off film Superman (by Christopher Reeve).

In the 1990s, Jeannot Szwarcfinds France. He directs three comedies including Blonde’s Revenge (1994), carried by Christian Clavier And Marie-Anne Chazel. The film totaled more than 2 million admissions and Szwarc continued with Hercules and Sherlock (1996), carried by the duo Christophe Lambert And Richard Anconina. Once again, it was a success with nearly 1 million spectators. The director continues with The Sun Sisters. But this time, Marie-Anne Chazel And Clementine Célarié have fewer than 300,000 entries. This is the end of the French career of Jeannot Szwarc.

He then returned to Hollywood and invested again in the small screen. Jumping on the train of the TV series boom, he directs JAG, Ally McBeal, CSI, Fringe, Smallville, Heroes and above all Grey’s Anatomyin the 2010s, of which he directed around fifteen episodes. And it was with an episode of season 14, nicely titled “The End of a Dream” (2018) that he ended his career.