William Friedkin
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- August 29, 1935
- Died
- August 7, 2023
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
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.
Filmography
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders 2026
as Self (archive footage)
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist 2024
as Self
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 2023
Teleplay, Director
- The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons
The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons 2022
as Self
Algren 2021
as Self
I Am Alfred Hitchcock 2021
as Self (archive footage)
Fellini of the Spirits 2020
as Self
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist 2019
as Self
Friedkin Uncut 2018
as Self
- Stringman: The Jack Nitzsche Story
Stringman: The Jack Nitzsche Story 2018
as Self
The Devil and Father Amorth 2018
as Self, Director, Writer
- Return to the Genre
Return to the Genre 2016
Actor
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn 2015
Actor
Verdi Aida 2015
Stage Director
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles 2014
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Henri Langlois vu par... 2014
as Self, Director
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz 2013
as Self
A Fuller Life 2013
as Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck 2013
as Self
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot 2013
as Self
- Stanley Kubrick in Focus
Stanley Kubrick in Focus 2012
as Self
Killer Joe 2012
Director
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic 2012
as Self
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of 2012
as Self
Making the Boys 2011
as Self
Miller's Tale 2011
as Self
Godard Made in USA 2010
as Self
The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now 2010
as Self
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist 2010
as Self
- Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock 2009
as Self
North by Northwest: One for the Ages 2009
as Self
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style 2009
as Self
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman 2009
as Self
Anatomy of a Chase 2009
as Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy 2008
as Self
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock 2008
as Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock 2008
as Self
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't 2008
as Self
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 2007
as Self
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 2007
as Self
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick 2007
as Self
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' 2007
as Self
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange' 2007
as Self
Exorcising 'Cruising' 2007
as Self
The History of 'Cruising' 2007
as Self
- Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen
Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen 2007
as Self
The Painter's Voice 2007
Director
Bug 2007
Director
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo 2007
as Self
Shadows of Suspense 2006
as Self
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy 2005
Actor
- A Little Solitaire
A Little Solitaire 2004
as Self
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.' 2003
as Self
- Filming “The Hunted”
Filming “The Hunted” 2003
as Self
- The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge 2003
as Self
- Pursuing “The Hunted”
Pursuing “The Hunted” 2003
as Self
Narc: The Friedkin Connection 2003
as Self
A Decade Under the Influence 2003
as Self
The Hunted 2003
Director
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection 2001
as Self
Rules of Engagement 2000
Director
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection' 2000
as Self
Without Limits 1998
as TV Director
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist 1998
as Self - Director, Thanks
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy 1998
as Self
12 Angry Men 1997
Director
Hollywood Halloween 1997
as Self
- Howard Hawks: American Artist
Howard Hawks: American Artist 1997
as Self
Jade 1995
Director
Jailbreakers 1994
Director
Blue Chips 1994
Director
Fear in the Dark 1991
as Self
The Guardian 1990
Director, Screenplay
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf 1988
Director, Story, Executive Producer
Rampage 1987
Director, Writer, Producer
C.A.T. Squad 1986
Director, Executive Producer
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album 1986
as Self, Director
To Live and Die in L.A. 1985
Director, Screenplay
Deal of the Century 1983
Director
Cruising 1980
Writer, Director
The Brink's Job 1978
Director
Sorcerer 1977
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Conversation with Fritz Lang 1975
as Self, Director
- Oscars, Actors and The Exorcist
Oscars, Actors and The Exorcist 1974
as Self
The Exorcist 1973
Director
The French Connection 1971
Director
The Boys in the Band 1970
Director
The Night They Raided Minsky's 1968
Director
The Birthday Party 1968
Director
Good Times 1967
Director, Screenplay
Muggins 1967
Producer
- The Pickle Brothers
The Pickle Brothers 1967
Director
The Thin Blue Line 1966
Producer, Director, Story
Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon 1965
Director
The Bold Men 1965
Director
The People vs. Paul Crump 1962
Director, Producer
Credits from TMDB.