William Friedkin
An image from The Hunted, one of the productions that also features William Friedkin.
William Friedkin

William Friedkin

August 29, 1935 — Chicago, Illinois, USA

William David Friedkin (August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is best known for his crime thriller film The French Connection (1971), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and the horror film The Exorcist (1973), which earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Director.

Friedkin's other films in the 1970s and 1980s include the drama The Boys in the Band (1970), considered a milestone of queer cinema; the originally deprecated, now lauded thriller Sorcerer (1977); the crime comedy drama The Brink's Job (1978); the controversial thriller Cruising (1980); and the neo-noir thriller To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). Although Friedkin's works suffered an overall commercial and critical decline in the late 1980s, his last three feature films, all based on plays, were positively received by critics: the psychological horror film Bug (2006), the crime film Killer Joe (2011), and the legal drama film The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023), released two months after his death. He also worked extensively as an opera director from 1998 until his death, and directed various television films and series episodes for television.

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The Exorcist

The Exorcist

1973

The French Connection

The French Connection

1971

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

2000

Killer Joe

Killer Joe

2012

Tales from the Crypt

Tales from the Crypt

1989

The Hunted

The Hunted

2003

To Live and Die in L.A.

To Live and Die in L.A.

1985

Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement

2000