William Friedkin
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See All- DocumentaryThe Devil and Father Amorth
- DocumentaryThe Devil and Father Amorth
- DocumentaryThe Devil and Father Amorth
- CrimeKiller Joe
- DramaBug
- ActionThe French Connection
- DramaThe Guardian
- DramaThe Guardian
- DocumentaryA Fuller Life
- HorrorThe Exorcist
- ComedyDeal of the Century
- CrimeCruising
- CrimeCruising
- AdventureSorcerer
- DramaBlue Chips
- AdventureSorcerer
- ComedyPaper Moon
- CrimeJade
- ActionThe Hunted
- DramaRules of Engagement
- DocumentaryMagician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
- DocumentaryThe Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
- DocumentaryFriedkin Uncut
- DocumentaryLeap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
- DocumentaryMaking the Boys
- MusicPutting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
- DocumentaryA Little Solitaire
- DocumentaryConversation with Fritz Lang
- DocumentaryAnatomy of a Chase
- MusicVerdi Aida
- MusicVerdi Aida
- DocumentaryPro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon
- DocumentaryShadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
- ActionC.A.T. Squad
- DocumentaryStanley Kubrick in Focus
- ActionC.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
- ActionC.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
- ComedyGood Times
- DocumentaryThe People vs. Paul Crump
- DocumentaryConversation with Fritz Lang
- DocumentaryMiller's Tale
- DocumentarySorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
- DocumentaryCounterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
- DocumentaryShadows of Suspense
- DocumentaryBilly Wilder: The Human Comedy
- DocumentaryReturn to the Genre
- CrimeMaking the Connection: Untold Stories of 'The French Connection'
- DocumentaryThe Exorcist: 50 Years of Fear
- DramaThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
- ActionC.A.T. Squad
- ActionC.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
- moviePursuing “The Hunted”
- DocumentaryFear in the Dark
- movieThe Cutting Edge
- DocumentaryThe People vs. Paul Crump
- DramaJailbreakers
- DocumentaryThe Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
- DocumentaryCasablanca: An Unlikely Classic
- DocumentaryHollywood Halloween
- movieRaising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
- DocumentaryThe Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
- DramaThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
- DramaRampage
- DramaThe Birthday Party
- DocumentaryTales from the Warner Bros. Lot
- ActionC.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
- DocumentaryNorth by Northwest: One for the Ages
- DocumentaryThe Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'
- movieFilming “The Hunted”
- DocumentaryThe Exorcist Untold
- DramaRampage
- DocumentaryAlgren
- DocumentaryMichael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
- MusicPutting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
- DocumentaryFellini of the Spirits
- DocumentaryGodard Made in USA
- Crime12 Angry Men
- DramaRampage
- DocumentaryHenri Langlois vu par...
- DocumentaryThe Thin Blue Line
- DramaThe Boys in the Band
- DocumentaryThe Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
- DocumentaryThe Thin Blue Line
- ComedyThe Night They Raided Minsky's
- DocumentaryThe Visions of Stanley Kubrick
- DocumentaryGreat Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
- DocumentaryThe Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
- DocumentaryThe Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- DocumentaryThe Thin Blue Line
- DocumentaryThe Thin Blue Line
- CrimeExorcising 'Cruising'
- DocumentaryVictor Fleming: Master Craftsman
- ComedyThe Brink's Job
- DocumentaryHenri Langlois vu par...
- ActionTo Live and Die in L.A.
- DocumentaryA Decade Under the Influence
- DocumentaryHoward Hawks: American Artist
- CrimeThe History of 'Cruising'
- ActionTo Live and Die in L.A.
- DocumentaryIn the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
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About
William Friedkin
Actor
William Friedkin (August 29, 1935 - August 7, 2023) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing "The French Connection" (1971) and "The Exorcist" (1973); for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Some of his other notable films include "The Boys in the Band" (1970), "Sorcerer" (1977), "Cruising" (1980), "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985), "Blue Chips" (1994), "Jade" (1995), "Rules of Engagement" (2000), "The Hunted" (2003), "Bug" (2006), and "Killer Joe" (2011).
In 1965, Friedkin moved to Hollywood and two years later released his first feature film, "Good Times," starring Sonny and Cher. Several other "art" films followed, including the adaptation of Mart Crowley's "The Boys in the Band" and most notably "The Birthday Party," based on an unpublished screenplay by Harold Pinter, which he adapted from his own play. Friedkin, however, did not want to be known as an art house director, but rather for action and serious drama through stories about an America upended by crime, hypocrisy, the occult, and amorality. All of which he mounted up into his films to reflect what was going on in an America that was changing in the wake of Vietnam, the Sexual Revolution, and Watergate.
In 1971, his "The French Connection" was released to wide critical acclaim. Shot in a gritty style more suited for documentaries than Hollywood features, the film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Friedkin followed up with 1973's "The Exorcist," based on William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel, which revolutionized the horror genre and is considered by some critics to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. "The Exorcist" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won the Best Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing.
Following these two pictures, Friedkin, along with Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich, was deemed one of the premier directors of New Hollywood. In 1973, the trio announced the formation of an independent production company at Paramount, The Directors Company. Whereas Coppola directed "The Conversation" and Bogdanovich the Henry James adaptation, "Daisy Miller," Friedkin abruptly left the company, which was soon closed by Paramount. Friedkin's later movies did not achieve the same success. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Friedkin's films received mostly lackluster reviews and moderate ticket sales. However, his action/crime movie "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985), starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, was a critical favorite and drew comparisons to Friedkin's own "The French Connection" (particularly for its car-chase sequence). In 2011, Friedkin directed "Killer Joe," a black comedy written by Tracy Letts, and starring Matthew McConaughey. Killer Joe premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, prior to its North American debut at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. In April 2013, Friedkin published a memoir, "The Friedkin Connection." He was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the 70th Venice International Film Festival in September.
Information
- Place of Birth
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Known Credits
- 82