Emmy award-winning TV producer Sarah Caplan, who worked on series including “Felicity,” “Lost” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, died April 30 at Dignitas in Zurich, three years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She was 73.
Her daughter, Stella Stahl, said in a statement, “In December, when it became clear the treatment she was undergoing wasn’t making an impact and her disease was progressing more rapidly than anticipated, she asked for my help fulfilling her wish to end her life with dignity and grace in Switzerland. And so, without hesitation, I did. She passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 30th, at Dignitas in Zurich. It was the most Sarah Caplan way to leave this world.”
Born in London, Caplan earned a B.A. in philosophy from Bedford College, University of London and a Masters in South East Asian studies from SOAS, University of London. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television in 1980, where she joined Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz’s Bedford Falls, producers of “Thirtysomething,” “Glory” and “Dangerous Beauty.”
In 1984, she married writer Jerry Stahl, and they had a daughter, Stella, in 1989. Stahl’s book “Permanent Midnight” was adapted into a film, and Caplan was played by Elizabeth Hurley.
She was hired by Steven Spielberg in 2000 to produce the TV series “The Others,” then went on to work for J.J. Abrams early in his career. She joined season 3 of “Felicity” as a line producer and went on to produce the pilot of “Alias,” Abrams’ directing debut. She produced the next four seasons of “Alias” as well as the pilot for “Lost,” for which she won an Emmy.
Caplan went on to produce five seasons of “Brothers & Sisters,” working with collaborators from her Abrams/Zwick days including Ken Olin.
Her other credits include “Political Animals,” for which she was Emmy-nominated, and “Ray Donovan.” In 2015, Aline Brosh-McKenna and Rachel Bloom brought her on to produce the pilot of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and she went on to produce the full series. She also served as co-executive producer of “The Morning Show.”
Caplan is survived by her daughter, Stella Stahl.
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