William Friedkin

Directing

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

August 29, 1935

died

August 7, 2023

place of birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

also known as

윌리엄 프리드킨 · 윌리암 프리드킨 · William David Friedkin

total credits

50 movies

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.

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

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Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Without Limits
6.6

Without Limits

1998as TV Director
A Decade Under the Influence
7.9

A Decade Under the Influence

2003as Self
Friedkin Uncut
7.1

Friedkin Uncut

2018as Self
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
7.3

I Am Alfred Hitchcock

2021as Self (archive footage)
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
6.5

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

2014as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
6.8

Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot

2013as Self
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
6.3

Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck

2013as Self
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
7.2

The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

2008as Self
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
7.4

The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist

1998as Self - Director
The History of 'Cruising'
7.7

The History of 'Cruising'

2007as Self
A Fuller Life
6.6

A Fuller Life

2013as Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
7.4

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

2019as Self
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
9.4

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy

2005
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
6.2

Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001

2007as Self
Exorcising 'Cruising'
6.5

Exorcising 'Cruising'

2007as Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
6.8

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

2008as Self
Henri Langlois vu par...
4.0

Henri Langlois vu par...

2014as Self
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection
7.0

Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection

2001as Self
Algren
6.0

Algren

2021as Self
Miller's Tale
7.1

Miller's Tale

2011as Self
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
6.0

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy

1998as Self
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
6.5

Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic

2012as Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

2008as Self
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
6.1

Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'

2007as Self
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
6.8

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

2009as Self
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
6.0

The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo

2007as Self
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
9.0

Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album

1986as Self
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
6.9

The Visions of Stanley Kubrick

2007as Self
Fear in the Dark
9.0

Fear in the Dark

1991as Self
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
7.5

Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman

2009as Self
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist

Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist

2024as Self
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
6.0

Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

2007as Self
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
10.0

The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2013as Self
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
7.4

View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'

2007as Self
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
6.7

Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

2012as Self
Making the Boys
4.7

Making the Boys

2011as Self
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
7.7

Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'

2003as Self
Fellini of the Spirits
6.6

Fellini of the Spirits

2020as Self
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'
8.1

The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'

2000as Self
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

2026as Self (archive footage)
Shadows of Suspense

Shadows of Suspense

2006as Self
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
6.8

North by Northwest: One for the Ages

2009as Self
Hollywood Halloween
8.0

Hollywood Halloween

1997as Self
Godard Made in USA

Godard Made in USA

2010as Self
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

2008as Self
The Devil and Father Amorth
5.1

The Devil and Father Amorth

2018as Self
Narc: The Friedkin Connection
9.0

Narc: The Friedkin Connection

2003as Self
Conversation with Fritz Lang
7.1

Conversation with Fritz Lang

1975as Self
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
6.0

Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist

2010as Self
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
4.5

Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn

2015