Jeannot Szwarc, Director of ‘Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Jaws 2,’ Dies at 87

Jeannot Szwarc, Director of ‘Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Jaws 2,’ Dies at 87

Jeannot Szwarc, the French-American director who helmed the movies Somewhere in Time and Jaws 2 and multiple episodes of shows including The Practice, Smallville and Grey’s Anatomy, has died. He was 87.

Szwarc died Tuesday of respiratory failure at Central Hospital in Loches, France, his son Sacha Szwarc, a film editor, told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Jane Seymour, who starred alongside Christopher Reeve in the 1980 time-traveling romantic fantasy Somewhere in Time, said on Facebook that the role changed her career.

“Jeannot Szwarc was not just a brilliant director but a kind and generous soul,” she wrote. “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.”

His other film credits included the Martin Sheen-starring Enigma (1982), the Helen Slater-starring Supergirl (1984) and Santa Claus (1985), starring David Huddleston and Dudley Moore.

Szwarc also had a long and thriving career in American episodic TV, calling the shots on 19 episodes of JAG from 1998-2004, 18 of The Practice (1999-2004), 14 of Smallville (2003-11), 12 of Without a Trace (2005-09), 15 of Bones (2007-16) and 15 of Grey’s Anatomy (2009-19)

He also worked on Ally McBeal, Cold Case, Heroes and Supernatural, among many other series.

Born in Paris on Nov. 21, 1937, Szwarc was raised in Argentina and completed a master’s degree at Harvard University before returning to his birthplace to work on documentaries and TV commercials.

Once back in the U.S., Szwarc helmed episodes of Ironside and It Takes a Thief before becoming the resident director for Rod Serling’s NBC anthology series, Night Gallery, in 1971.

Like Steven Spielberg, the director of the original Jaws, Szwarc started out in Hollywood at Universal.

In a 2019 interview with Film Talk, Szwarc recalled being hired by the studio on the fly to replace initial Jaws 2 director Verna Fields just as he was preparing a TV pilot for veterable producer Quinn Martin. The movie was a mess at the time, he said.

“I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t have a clue,” he recalled. “So they gave me the script, I read it, and they asked, ‘What do you think?’ I told them that the dialogue was terrible, but the action was good.”

His reward for getting that 1978 movie to the finish line was Somewhere in Time. Then-studio head Lew Wasserman said he could direct the fantasy film, but only if the budget was cut in half.

“We had very little money when we made it, but I didn’t mind,” he said. “The studio was so absolutely non-interested in the project that they left us totally alone.”

He also is survived by his wife, Cara Szwarc, and another son, Stefan Szwarc. “He was a passionate filmmaker and cinephile his whole life,” Sacha said, “traits he has passed down to both his sons.”