About

Known credits:
115
Birthday:
1935-08-29
Place of birth:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Website:
N/A

William Friedkin

Overview

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.

Description above from the Wikipedia article William Friedkin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting
2024 Peter Lorre : Derrière le masque du maudit Actor Himself (archive) 59
Average
2024 Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist Actor Himself N/A
N/A
2023 The Exorcist Untold Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2023 Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist Actor Self 59
Average
2021 Algren Actor Self 59
Average
2021 I Am Alfred Hitchcock Actor Self 59
Average
2020 Fellini of the Spirits Actor Self 59
Average
2018 Friedkin Uncut Actor Self 60
Fair
2018 The Devil and Father Amorth Actor Himself 57
Average
2016 Return to the Genre Actor N/A
N/A
2015 Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn Actor 58
Average
2014 Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles Actor Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) 59
Average
2014 Henri Langlois vu par... Actor Self N/A
N/A
2013 The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz Actor Self 59
Average
2013 A Fuller Life Actor Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns") 59
Average
2013 Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck Actor Self 58
Average
2013 Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot Actor Self 59
Average
2012 Stanley Kubrick in Focus Actor Self 59
Average
2012 Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic Actor Self 59
Average
2012 Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of Actor Self 59
Average
2011 Making the Boys Actor Himself 59
Average
2011 Miller's Tale Actor Self 59
Average
2010 Godard Made in USA Actor Self N/A
N/A
2010 The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now Actor Self N/A
N/A
2010 Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist Actor Self 59
Average
2009 Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock Actor Self N/A
N/A
2009 North by Northwest: One for the Ages Actor Self 59
Average
2009 The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style Actor Self 59
Average
2009 Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman Actor Himself 59
Average
2009 Anatomy of a Chase Actor Self 59
Average
2008 Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock Actor Self N/A
N/A
2008 In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy Actor Self 59
Average
2008 Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock Actor Self N/A
N/A
2008 The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't Actor Self 59
Average
2007 Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange' Actor Self 59
Average
2007 View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' Actor Self 59
Average
2007 Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 Actor Self 59
Average
2007 The Visions of Stanley Kubrick Actor Self 59
Average
2007 Exorcising 'Cruising' Actor Self 59
Average
2007 The History of 'Cruising' Actor Self 59
Average
2007 Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen Actor Self N/A
N/A
2007 The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo Actor Self 59
Average
2006 Shadows of Suspense Actor Self N/A
N/A
2005 Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy Actor 59
Average
2004 A Little Solitaire Actor Himself N/A
N/A
2003 Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.' Actor Himself 59
Average
2003 The Cutting Edge Actor Self N/A
N/A
2003 Filming “The Hunted” Actor Self N/A
N/A
2003 Pursuing “The Hunted” Actor Self N/A
N/A
2003 A Decade Under the Influence Actor Self 60
Fair
2001 Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection Actor Self 58
Average
2000 The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection' Actor Self 59
Average
1998 The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist Actor Self - Director 59
Average
1998 Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy Actor Self 59
Average
1997 Howard Hawks: American Artist Actor Self 59
Average
1997 Hollywood Halloween Actor Himself 59
Average
1991 Fear in the Dark Actor Self 59
Average
1986 Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album Actor 59
Average
1975 Conversation with Fritz Lang Actor Self 59
Average

Directing
2023 The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Directing Director 60
Fair
2018 The Devil and Father Amorth Directing Director 57
Average
2015 Verdi Aida Directing Stage Director N/A
N/A
2014 Henri Langlois vu par... Directing Director N/A
N/A
2012 Killer Joe Directing Director 63
Fair
2007 The Painter's Voice Directing Director N/A
N/A
2007 Bug Directing Director 59
Average
2003 The Hunted Directing Director 60
Fair
2000 Rules of Engagement Directing Director 60
Fair
1997 12 Angry Men Directing Director 66
Fair
1995 Jade Directing Director 57
Average
1994 Jailbreakers Directing Director 58
Average
1994 Rebel Highway Directing Director 70
Good
1994 Blue Chips Directing Director 59
Average
1990 The Guardian Directing Director 58
Average
1988 C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Rampage Directing Director 59
Average
1986 C.A.T. Squad Directing Director 58
Average
1986 Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album Directing Director 59
Average
1985 To Live and Die in L.A. Directing Director 65
Fair
1984 Self Control Directing Director N/A
N/A
1983 Deal of the Century Directing Director 57
Average
1980 Cruising Directing Director 62
Fair
1978 The Brink's Job Directing Director 59
Average
1977 Sorcerer Directing Director 66
Fair
1975 Conversation with Fritz Lang Directing Director 59
Average
1973 The Exorcist Directing Director 75
Good
1971 The French Connection Directing Director 71
Good
1970 The Boys in the Band Directing Director 60
Fair
1968 The Night They Raided Minsky's Directing Director 58
Average
1968 The Birthday Party Directing Director 59
Average
1967 Good Times Directing Director 58
Average
1967 The Pickle Brothers Directing Director N/A
N/A
1966 The Thin Blue Line Directing Director N/A
N/A
1965 Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1965 The Bold Men Directing Director N/A
N/A
1962 The People vs. Paul Crump Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2023 The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Writing Teleplay 60
Fair
2018 The Devil and Father Amorth Writing Writer 57
Average
1990 The Guardian Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1988 C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf Writing Story 58
Average
1987 Rampage Writing Writer 59
Average
1985 To Live and Die in L.A. Writing Screenplay 65
Fair
1980 Cruising Writing Writer 62
Fair
1977 Sorcerer Writing Screenplay 66
Fair
1971 The French Connection Writing Screenplay 71
Good
1967 Good Times Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1966 The Thin Blue Line Writing Story N/A
N/A

Production
1988 C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1987 Rampage Production Producer 59
Average
1986 C.A.T. Squad Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1977 Sorcerer Production Producer 66
Fair
1967 Muggins Production Producer N/A
N/A
1966 The Thin Blue Line Production Producer N/A
N/A
1962 The People vs. Paul Crump Production Producer N/A
N/A

Crew
1998 The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist Crew Thanks 59
Average