About
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...
Known for
The SimpsonsSeries • 1989
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationSeries • 2000
The Alfred Hitchcock HourSeries • 1962
The Twilight ZoneSeries • 1985
Tales from the CryptSeries • 1989
The ExorcistMovie • 1973
Rebel HighwaySeries • 1994
The HuntedMovie • 2003
Rules of EngagementMovie • 2000
12 Angry MenMovie • 1997
Killer JoeMovie • 2012
The French ConnectionMovie • 1971
SorcererMovie • 1977
To Live and Die in L.A.Movie • 1985
CruisingMovie • 1980
Blue ChipsMovie • 1994
BugMovie • 2007
JadeMovie • 1995
The Brink's JobMovie • 1978
The Caine Mutiny Court-MartialMovie • 2023
The GuardianMovie • 1990
The Boys in the BandMovie • 1970
Deal of the CenturyMovie • 1983
RampageMovie • 1987