Henry Jaglom obit

Henry Jaglom, Moviemaker Who Worked Outside the Mainstream, Dies at 87

A great friend of Orson Welles, he wrote and directed such films as 'A Safe Place,' 'Eating,' 'Last Summer in the Hamptons' and 'Déjà Vu.'  

He was not on the list.

Henry Jaglom, the maverick auteur who crafted deeply intimate and unconventional films that explored the intricacies of relationships and the quirkiness of human behavior, has died. He was 87.

Jaglom died Monday night at his home in Santa Monica, his daughter, Sabrina Jaglom, also a filmmaker, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“My dad was the most loving, fun, entertaining and unique father and the biggest cheerleader and champion anyone could be lucky enough to have,” she said.

The writer-director of such films as A Safe Place (1971), Sitting Ducks (1980), Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983), New Year’s Day (1989), Eating (1990), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995) and Déjà Vu (1997), Jaglom drew from experience to make his work feel all the more personal and true to life.

Though he never achieved the star status of some of his contemporaries, Jaglom was celebrated as an original. His films, though often meandering, were rich with intricate dialogue and deeply woven characters and emphasized people over plots. He often did without a script or rehearsals.

Some considered him a genius; others thought he had no talent at all. Who Is Henry Jaglom? was the title of a 1995 documentary that attempted to get to the heart of the matter.

“Ultimately, whether you love or hate him or his films,” Who Is Henry Jaglom? co-director H. Alex Rubin once said, “you’ve got to give him credit for his stubborn commitment to remain outside of the mainstream and his refusal to compromise.”

In a 2012 interview with Slant magazine, Jaglom said he loved Hollywood movies as a youngster but “always felt there was a wall between me and them.”

“I wanted to make films where people felt that the line was blurred,” he added. “People have told me that they somehow feel less lonely by [watching] my films, because my films reveal that we’re all ‘bozos on this bus,’ if you know that expression. And, somehow, to share that fact, that we’re all going through these things, people feel they’re less in trouble. I try to break through that wall by showing our self-involvement while at the same time entertaining them.”

Straight out of college, Jaglom studied acting under Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio in New York, then appeared opposite Jack Nicholson in Psych-Out (1968) and in the actor’s directorial debut, Drive, He Said (1971). He also cast himself in many of his films.

He was a great friend of Orson Welles, one of his stars in A Safe Place. For about two years before Welles’ death, the two would meet for a weekly lunch at Ma Maison in Hollywood, and Jaglom recorded their lengthy exchanges as they dined. Those became the basis for Peter Biskind’s 2013 book, My Lunches With Orson.

Welles’ final acting appearance came in Jaglom’s Someone to Love (1987), and Jaglom showed up in Welles’ last film, The Other Side of the Wind, released in 2018 after 40 years in development.

Henry David Jaglom was born in London on Jan. 26, 1938. His father, Simon, was from Russia — he was jailed during the Russian Revolution in 1917 for being a capitalist — and his mother, Marie, was a descendant of German philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. Both came from wealthy families.

Jaglom was raised in New York City after his family moved there to escape the Nazis. He attended the University of Pennsylvania to study acting (Bruce Dern was a classmate), then returned to New York after graduation to work with Strasberg.

Peter Bogdanovich, preparing to direct his first film, Targets (1968), convinced Jaglom to move to Hollywood. He wanted him to star in his movie as a journalist but ultimately decided to play the role himself.

Jaglom landed guest spots on the Sally Field sitcoms Gidget and The Flying Nun and in the feature The 1000 Plane Raid (1969). He had been in the running to portray Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967) but lost out to Dustin Hoffman.

His friendship with Nicholson gave Jaglom an opportunity to help edit Easy Rider (1969) — Jaglom would go on to edit several of his own features — and a chance to pitch producer Bert Schneider a script he had written and wanted to direct.

That was A Safe Place, which starred Tuesday Weld as a mentally unstable flower child torn between a steady boyfriend, Fred (Phil Procter), and the sexy, dangerous Mitch (Nicholson).

The film opened the New York Film Festival but was poorly received, and it would take Jaglom another five years before he could get financing to make his second movie, the Dennis Hopper-starring Tracks (1976). It followed a Vietnam veteran as he takes the coffin of a fellow soldier on a cross-country trip to make sure his comrade gets a hometown burial.

In Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? Karen Black chewed the scenery — literally and figuratively — as a neurotic, insecure wife who turns to consuming a diner’s entire desert tray to cope when her husband leaves her.

In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote, “It will probably appeal to the kinds of people who liked both Harold and Maude and My Dinner With Andre. It is the kind of crazy, endearing film where you start out believing characters like this could never be real and end up realizing you know people just like them.”

Jaglom, in fact, often put women in the spotlight. In her final screen appearance, Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors turned in one of her best performances in Last Summer in the Hamptons as a diva who, when forced to sell her beloved beach home, transforms the family’s last visit into grand theater.

Eating featured an all-female cast talking about their loves, their lives and food; Babyfever (1994) explored a woman struggling with the decision to start a family; and Going Shopping (2005) revolved around a Beverly Hills boutique and delved into the obsession some woman have with buying clothes.

“Because I’m in theater, my films are set in the world of actors and the worlds of actors’ reality,” Jaglom said. “The other subject that obsesses me is women’s issues, which Hollywood ignores. Eating, Babyfever and Going Shopping deal with women’s attitudes about food, weight and clothing. I think people see these films and feel less alone going through these things. I try to tell the truth on film. I try to break that fourth wall.”

Many times, the characters Jaglom played in his films were thinly veiled versions of himself. He portrayed a hesitant divorcee in Always (1985), a film director in Someone to Love, New Year’s Day and Venice/Venice (1992) and a member of a multigeneration theatrical family in Last Summer in the Hamptons.

In Always, his first wife, Patrice Townsend, played Judy, the woman his character was divorcing (she also appeared in Sitting Ducks). The two married in 1979 and divorced two years before the film was released.

Jaglom co-directed and co-wrote Babyfever with his second wife, Victoria Foyt, whom he married in 1991. The two went on to write Last Summer in the Hamptons, Déjà Vu, Going Shopping and 2001’s Festival in Cannes. (Foyt also starred in all four of those films before she and Jaglom divorced in 2013.)

Jaglom met Tanna Frederick when the then-aspiring actress wrote him in praise of Déjà Vu. He cast her in Hollywood Dreams (2006) as an ambitious actress from Iowa (Frederick was a native), and she became his muse, starring in Irene in Time (2009), Queen of the Lot (2010), Just 45 Minutes From Broadway (2012), The M Word (2014) and Train to Zakopane (2018).

In addition to Sabrina Jaglom — she wrote and directed the 2022 thriller Jane — he is survived by his son, Simon (middle name: Orson). Both kids, from his marriage to Foyt, often appeared in his films, as did his older brother, Michael Emil, who died in 2019.

Jaglom was “truly one of a kind,” his daughter noted. “He lived his entire life exactly the way he wanted to, and encouraged everyone else to do the same. We all admire him, and he will be greatly missed.”

Director

Mike Falkow and Tanna Frederick in Train to Zakopané (2017)

Train to Zakopané

6.4

Director

2017

 

Ovation (2015)

Ovation

5.8

Director

2015

 

The M Word (2014)

The M Word

5.7

Director

2014

 

Just 45 Minutes from Broadway (2012)

Just 45 Minutes from Broadway

4.8

Director

2012

 

Queen of the Lot (2010)

Queen of the Lot

4.7

Director

2010

 

Irene in Time (2009)

Irene in Time

5.5

Director

2009

 

Hollywood Dreams (2006)

Hollywood Dreams

5.5

Director

2006

 

Going Shopping (2005)

Going Shopping

4.9

Director

2005

 

Festival in Cannes (2001)

Festival in Cannes

6.0

Director

2001

 

Déjà Vu (1997)

Déjà Vu

6.7

Director

1997

 

Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Last Summer in the Hamptons

5.8

Director

1995

 

Babyfever (1994)

Babyfever

5.3

Director

1994

 

Venice/Venice (1992)

Venice/Venice

6.2

Director

1992

 

Eating (1990)

Eating

6.2

Director

1990

 

New Year's Day (1989)

New Year's Day

5.7

Director

1989

 

Someone to Love (1987)

Someone to Love

6.0

Director

1987

 

Always (1985)

Always

5.6

Director

1985

 

Karen Black and Michael Emil in Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

5.5

Director (directed by)

1983

 

Movie Madness (1982)

Movie Madness

3.2

Director (segment "Municipalians")

1982

 

Sitting Ducks (1980)

Sitting Ducks

6.2

Director

1980

 

Dennis Hopper and Taryn Power in Tracks (1976)

Tracks

6.3

Director

1976

 

My Brother's Sex Life

Director

1973

 

A Safe Place (1971)

A Safe Place

4.9

Director

1971

 

Writer

Mike Falkow and Tanna Frederick in Train to Zakopané (2017)

Train to Zakopané

6.4

play "Train to Zakopané"screenplay

2017

 

Ovation (2015)

Ovation

5.8

written by

2015

 

The M Word (2014)

The M Word

5.7

written by

2014

 

Just 45 Minutes from Broadway (2012)

Just 45 Minutes from Broadway

4.8

written by

2012

 

Queen of the Lot (2010)

Queen of the Lot

4.7

written by

2010

 

Irene in Time (2009)

Irene in Time

5.5

written by

2009

 

Hollywood Dreams (2006)

Hollywood Dreams

5.5

written by

2006

 

Going Shopping (2005)

Going Shopping

4.9

written by

2005

 

Festival in Cannes (2001)

Festival in Cannes

6.0

written by

2001

 

Déjà Vu (1997)

Déjà Vu

6.7

written by

1997

 

Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Last Summer in the Hamptons

5.8

written by

1995

 

Babyfever (1994)

Babyfever

5.3

written by

1994

 

Lucky Ducks

writer

1993

 

Venice/Venice (1992)

Venice/Venice

6.2

written by

1992

 

Eating (1990)

Eating

6.2

written by

1990

 

New Year's Day (1989)

New Year's Day

5.7

written by

1989

 

Someone to Love (1987)

Someone to Love

6.0

written by

1987

 

Always (1985)

Always

5.6

written by

1985

 

Karen Black and Michael Emil in Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

5.5

written by

1983

 

Sitting Ducks (1980)

Sitting Ducks

6.2

written by

1980

 

Dennis Hopper and Taryn Power in Tracks (1976)

Tracks

6.3

written by

1976

 

My Brother's Sex Life

Writer

1973

 

A Safe Place (1971)

A Safe Place

4.9

writer

1971

 

Actor

Everyone Asked About You

Henri

Completed

2025

 

Asleep at the Wheel

Gornick

In Production

 

Peter Bogdanovich, John Huston, and Susan Strasberg in The Other Side of the Wind (2018)

The Other Side of the Wind

6.7

Henry Jaglom

2018

 

Hollywood Dreams (2006)

Hollywood Dreams

5.5

Casting Director (voice)

2006

 

Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Last Summer in the Hamptons

5.8

Max Berger

1995

 

Venice/Venice (1992)

Venice/Venice

6.2

Dean

1992

 

New Year's Day (1989)

New Year's Day

5.7

Drew

1989

 

Someone to Love (1987)

Someone to Love

6.0

Danny Sapir

1987

 

Always (1985)

Always

5.6

David

1985

 

Sitting Ducks (1980)

Sitting Ducks

6.2

The Bad Guy

1980

 

Lily, aime-moi (1975)

Lily, aime-moi

7.0

Un invité chez Flo

1975

 

The Last Movie (1971)

The Last Movie

6.1

Minister's Son

1971

 

Drive, He Said (1971)

Drive, He Said

5.7

Conrad

1971

 

The Thousand Plane Raid (1969)

The Thousand Plane Raid

5.6

Worchek

1969

 

Susan Strasberg in Psych-Out (1968)

Psych-Out

5.9

Warren

1968

 

The Flying Nun (1967)

The Flying Nun

6.5

TV Series

Bill Watkins

1967

1 episode

 

Sally Field in Gidget (1965)

Gidget

6.9

TV Series

Billy Roy Soames

1965

1 episode

 

George C. Scott in East Side/West Side (1963)

East Side/West Side

8.5

TV Series

Reporter

1964

1 episode

 

Producer

Mike Falkow and Tanna Frederick in Train to Zakopané (2017)

Train to Zakopané

6.4

executive producer

2017

 

Always (1985)

Always

5.6

producer

1985

 

Hearts and Minds (1974)

Hearts and Minds

8.2

producer

1974

 

Editor

The M Word (2014)

The M Word

5.7

Editor

2014

 

Irene in Time (2009)

Irene in Time

5.5

Editor

2009

 

Hollywood Dreams (2006)

Hollywood Dreams

5.5

Editor

2006

 

Festival in Cannes (2001)

Festival in Cannes

6.0

Editor

2001

 

Déjà Vu (1997)

Déjà Vu

6.7

Editor

1997

 

Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Last Summer in the Hamptons

5.8

Editor

1995

 

Babyfever (1994)

Babyfever

5.3

Editor

1994

 

Eating (1990)

Eating

6.2

Editor (uncredited)

1990

 

Someone to Love (1987)

Someone to Love

6.0

Editor (uncredited)

1987

 

Always (1985)

Always

5.6

Editor

1985

 

Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)

Easy Rider

7.2

Editor (uncredited)

1969

 

Casting Director

Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Last Summer in the Hamptons

5.8

Casting Director (uncredited)

1995

 

Art Department

Déjà Vu (1997)

Déjà Vu

6.7

artist: painting of Paris past

1997

 

Editorial Department

Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)

Easy Rider

7.2

editorial consultant

1969

 

Additional Crew

Hearts and Minds (1974)

Hearts and Minds

8.2

presenter

1974

 

Thanks

Jane (2022)

Jane

4.9

special thanks

2022

 

Stars and Strife (2020)

Stars and Strife

4.8

thanks

2020

 

American Nudist (2011)

American Nudist

2.1

special thanks

2011

 

A Trip to Swadades (2008)

A Trip to Swadades

8.1

special thanks

2008

 

Charles at the Threshold (2006)

Charles at the Threshold

6.3

Short

thanks

2006

 

The Sweet Spot (2003)

The Sweet Spot

Short

special thanks

2003

 

Self

Now, Irving Rapper

Self

In Production

 

Jack of Three Trades: In Focus on Nicholson the Director (2024)

Jack of Three Trades: In Focus on Nicholson the Director

Video

Self

2024

 

Dean Martin in King of Cool (2021)

King of Cool

7.8

Self - Director, Author, 'Lunches with Orson'

2021

 

Superstar (2021)

Superstar

7.8

TV Mini Series

Self

2021

1 episode

 

Jack Nicholson in Dr. Jack and Mr. Nicholson (2019)

Dr. Jack and Mr. Nicholson

6.7

TV Movie

Self

2019

 

I Am Richard Pryor (2019)

I Am Richard Pryor

6.7

Self - ActorDirector

2019

 

The Immortal Orson Welles (2019)

The Immortal Orson Welles

5.7

Self

2019

 

Henry Jaglom en tête à tête avec Orson Welles

Short

Self

2018

 

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

7.4

Self - ActorDirector

2018

 

Jack Nicholson in Jack Nicholson - Das teuflische Grinsen Hollywoods (2017)

Jack Nicholson - Das teuflische Grinsen Hollywoods

7.5

Self

2017

 

This Is Orson Welles (2015)

This Is Orson Welles

7.0

Self

2015

 

Orson Welles: Shadows and Light (2015)

Orson Welles: Shadows and Light

6.7

TV Movie

Self

2015

 

Orson Welles in Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

6.9

Self

2014

 

Tim Sander in Tim Sander goes to Hollywood (2012)

Tim Sander goes to Hollywood

TV Mini Series

Self

2012

2 episodes

 

Tim Sander Goes to Hollywood (2012)

Tim Sander Goes to Hollywood

6.6

Self

2012

 

Scene Missing (2012)

Scene Missing

6.7

ActorDirector

2012

 

Henry Jaglom Finds a Safe Place (2010)

Henry Jaglom Finds a Safe Place

5.9

Video

Self

2010

 

Five Easy Pieces: BBStory (2010)

Five Easy Pieces: BBStory

6.9

Video

Self

2010

 

Theodore Gottlieb in To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable Story of Brother Theodore (2007)

To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable Story of Brother Theodore

7.0

Self

2007

 

John Kerwin in The John Kerwin Show (2001)

The John Kerwin Show

7.6

TV Series

Self

2007

1 episode

 

Searching for Orson (2006)

Searching for Orson

7.0

Self

2006

 

Edge of Outside (2006)

Edge of Outside

7.1

Self

2006

 

E! True Hollywood Story (1996)

E! True Hollywood Story

6.5

TV Series

Self

1997–2005

2 episodes

 

Biography (1987)

Biography

7.7

TV Series

Self

2003–2004

4 episodes

 

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

7.6

TV Movie

Self - Filmmaker

2004

 

The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004)

The Mystery of Natalie Wood

6.9

TV Mini Series

Self

2004

1 episode

 

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

7.5

Self

2003

 

Wheatfield with Crows (2002)

Wheatfield with Crows

8.1

Self

2002

 

Edward D. Wood Jr., Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Vincent Price, James Whale, A.J. Benza, and Lon Chaney in E! Mysteries & Scandals (1998)

E! Mysteries & Scandals

8.0

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

Roseanne Barr in The Roseanne Show (1997)

The Roseanne Show

3.0

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1995)

Who Is Henry Jaglom?

6.6

Self

1995

 

L'homme qui a vu l'homme qui a vu l'ours

7.2

TV Movie

Self

1990

 

Out of the Blue and into the Black

TV Special

Self

1987

 

My Brother's Sex Life

Self (voice)

1973

 

Natalie Wood and Jacques Sernas in Camera Three (1954)

Camera Three

7.2

TV Series

Self

1971

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

7.1

TV Movie

Self (archive footage)

2020

 

The Dead Wives Club (2019)

The Dead Wives Club

7.1

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2019

1 episode

 

Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Los Angeles Plays Itself

7.8

Dean in VeniceVenice (archive footage, uncredited)

2003