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Jeannot Szwarc, known in part for directing the first sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws along with Helen Slater's Supergirl movie, has passed away. He was 87 years old.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Szwarc died on Tuesday due to respiratory failure while at Central Hospital in Loches, France. Jane Seymour, sho co-starred with Superman actor Christopher Reeve in Szwarc's 1980 film Somewhere in Time, also commented on the filmmaker's passing with a statement shared on social media.

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

After graduating from Harvard University, the Paris-born Szwarc delved into directing for American TV in the 1960s. He worked on many classic shows from the era,...

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...