William Friedkin | Favlog Movies

William Friedkin

William Friedkin

Personal Info

Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1935-08-29
Day of Death
2023-08-07 (87 years old)
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA

William Friedkin

Biography

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.

Known For

Acting

(2024)
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
as Self
(2024)
Peter Lorre : Derrière le masque du maudit
as Self (archive footage)
(2023)
The Exorcist Untold
as Self (archive footage)
(2023)
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
as Self
(2022)
The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons
as Self
(2021)
Algren
as Self
(2021)
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
as Self
(2020)
Fellini of the Spirits
as Self
(2018)
The Devil and Father Amorth
as Self
(2018)
Friedkin Uncut
as Self
(2016)
Return to the Genre
(2015)
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
(2014)
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
(2014)
Henri Langlois vu par...
as Self
(2013)
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
as Self
(2013)
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as Self
(2013)
A Fuller Life
as Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
(2013)
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
as Self
(2012)
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
as Self
(2012)
Stanley Kubrick in Focus
as Self
(2012)
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
as Self
(2011)
Miller's Tale
as Self
(2011)
Making the Boys
as Self
(2010)
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
as Self
(2010)
The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now
as Self
(2010)
Godard Made in USA
as Self
(2009)
Anatomy of a Chase
as Self
(2009)
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
as Self
(2009)
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
as Self
(2009)
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
as Self
(2009)
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
as Self
(2008)
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
as Self
(2008)
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
as Self
(2008)
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
as Self
(2008)
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
as Self
(2007)
Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen
as Self
(2007)
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
as Self
(2007)
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
as Self
(2007)
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
as Self
(2007)
The History of 'Cruising'
as Self
(2007)
Exorcising 'Cruising'
as Self
(2007)
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
as Self
(2007)
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
as Self
(2006)
Shadows of Suspense
as Self
(2005)
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
(2004)
A Little Solitaire
as Self
(2003)
Pursuing “The Hunted”
as Self
(2003)
The Cutting Edge
as Self
(2003)
Filming “The Hunted”
as Self
(2003)
A Decade Under the Influence
as Self
(2003)
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
as Self
(2003)
Narc: The Friedkin Connection
as Self
(2001)
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection
as Self
(2000)
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'
as Self
(1998)
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
as Self - Director
(1998)
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Self
(1998)
Without Limits
as TV Director
(1997)
Howard Hawks: American Artist
as Self
(1997)
Hollywood Halloween
as Self
(1991)
Fear in the Dark
as Self
(1986)
Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
(1975)
Conversation with Fritz Lang
as Self

Crew

(2023)
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Teleplay, Director
(2018)
The Devil and Father Amorth
Director, Writer
(2015)
Verdi Aida
Stage Director
(2014)
Henri Langlois vu par...
Director
(2012)
Killer Joe
Director
(2007)
Bug
Director
(2007)
The Painter's Voice
Director
(2003)
The Hunted
Director
(2000)
Rules of Engagement
Director
(1998)
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Thanks
(1997)
12 Angry Men
Director
(1995)
Jade
Director
(1994)
Blue Chips
Director
(1994)
Jailbreakers
Director
(1990)
The Guardian
Director, Screenplay
(1988)
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
Director, Story, Executive Producer
(1987)
Rampage
Director, Writer, Producer
(1986)
C.A.T. Squad
Director, Executive Producer
(1986)
Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Director
(1985)
To Live and Die in L.A.
Director, Screenplay
(1984)
Self Control
Director
(1983)
Deal of the Century
Director
(1980)
Cruising
Writer, Director
(1978)
The Brink's Job
Director
(1977)
Sorcerer
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(1975)
Conversation with Fritz Lang
Director
(1973)
The Exorcist
Director
(1971)
The French Connection
Director, Screenplay
(1970)
The Boys in the Band
Director
(1968)
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Director
(1968)
The Birthday Party
Director
(1967)
Good Times
Director, Screenplay
(1967)
The Pickle Brothers
Director
(1967)
Muggins
Producer
(1966)
The Thin Blue Line
Producer, Director, Story
(1965)
Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon
Director
(1965)
The Bold Men
Director
(1962)
The People vs. Paul Crump
Director, Producer