His father entered the film industry while Jaffe was in high school, and became an executive at United Artists after selling his agency to ICM Partners.
[4][5][6] While attending the University of Southern California to study linguistics, Jaffe developed a keen interest foreign films from directors like François Truffaut, Akira Kurosawa, and Michelangelo Antonioni.
[7] His first job in the industry came when he was involved in the making of a behind-the-scenes documentary of the critically acclaimed 1972 drama film Fat City[8] through producer Ray Stark, who had established a scholarship at USC in his son's name.
His father, upon leaving his position at United Artists, convinced Jaffe to join him in Spain for the film The Wind and the Lion after an initial refusal to avoid accusation of nepotism.
[10] Jaffe served as an associate producer on the 1977 horror film Demon Seed, which he co-wrote with his brother Robert and co-produced with his father Herb.