William Friedkin
Directing
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
Directing40
movieVerdi Aida
2015
Stage Director
movieKiller Joe
2012
Director
movieThe Painter's Voice
2007
Director
movieBug
2007
Director
movieThe Hunted
2003
Director
movieRules of Engagement
2000
Director
movie12 Angry Men
1997
Director
movieJade
1995
Director
movieJailbreakers
1994
Director
tvRebel Highway
1994
Director
movieBlue Chips
1994
Director
movieThe Guardian
1990
Director
tvTales from the Crypt
1989
Director
movieRampage
1987
Director
movieC.A.T. Squad
1986
Director
movieTo Live and Die in L.A.
1985
Director
tvThe Twilight Zone
1985
Director
movieDeal of the Century
1983
Director
movieCruising
1980
Director
movieThe Brink's Job
1978
Director
movieSorcerer
1977
Director
movieThe Exorcist
1973
Director
movieThe French Connection
1971
Director
movieThe Boys in the Band
1970
Director
movieThe Birthday Party
1968
Director
movieGood Times
1967
Director
movieThe Thin Blue Line
1966
Director
movieThe Bold Men
1965
Director
tvThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
Director
Acting67
movieMineshaft: The Cruising Murders
2026
Self (archive footage)
movieAlgren
2021
Self
movieI Am Alfred Hitchcock
2021
Self (archive footage)
movieMagician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
movieA Fuller Life
2013
Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
movieWithout Limits
1998
TV Director
movieThe Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
1998
Self - Director
tvThe Simpsons
1989
Dr. Kenneth Humphries (voice)
Writing10
movieThe Guardian
1990
Screenplay
movieRampage
1987
Writer
movieTo Live and Die in L.A.
1985
Screenplay
movieCruising
1980
Writer
movieSorcerer
1977
Screenplay
movieGood Times
1967
Screenplay
Production7
movieC.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
1988
Executive Producer
movieRampage
1987
Producer
movieC.A.T. Squad
1986
Executive Producer
movieSorcerer
1977
Producer
movieMuggins
1967
Producer
movieThe Thin Blue Line
1966
Producer