Snape
← Home
William Friedkin

William Friedkin

Directing

Born: August 29, 1935Chicago, 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.

Known For
Filmography
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist

Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist

Self

2024

The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons

Self

2022
Algren

Algren

Self

2021
I Am Alfred Hitchcock

I Am Alfred Hitchcock

Self (archive footage)

2021
Fellini of the Spirits

Fellini of the Spirits

Self

2020
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

Self

2019
Friedkin Uncut

Friedkin Uncut

Self

2018
The Devil and Father Amorth

The Devil and Father Amorth

Self

2018

Return to the Genre

2016
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn

Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn

2015
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

2014
Henri Langlois vu par...

Henri Langlois vu par...

Self

2014
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Self

2013
A Fuller Life

A Fuller Life

Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")

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

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

Self

2013
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot

Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot

Self

2013

Stanley Kubrick in Focus

Self

2012
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic

Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic

Self

2012
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

Self

2012
Making the Boys

Making the Boys

Self

2011
Miller's Tale

Miller's Tale

Self

2011
Godard Made in USA

Godard Made in USA

Self

2010
The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now

The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now

Self

2010
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist

Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist

Self

2010

Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock

Self

2009
North by Northwest: One for the Ages

North by Northwest: One for the Ages

Self

2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

Self

2009
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman

Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman

Self

2009
Anatomy of a Chase

Anatomy of a Chase

Self

2009
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

Self

2008
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

Self

2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Self

2008
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

Self

2008
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

Self

2007
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'

View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'

Self

2007
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick

The Visions of Stanley Kubrick

Self

2007
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'

Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'

Self

2007
Exorcising 'Cruising'

Exorcising 'Cruising'

Self

2007
The History of 'Cruising'

The History of 'Cruising'

Self

2007

Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen

Self

2007
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo

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

Self

2007
Shadows of Suspense

Shadows of Suspense

Self

2006
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy

2005

A Little Solitaire

Self

2004
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'

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

Self

2003

The Cutting Edge

Self

2003

Pursuing “The Hunted”

Self

2003

Filming “The Hunted”

Self

2003
Narc: The Friedkin Connection

Narc: The Friedkin Connection

Self

2003
A Decade Under the Influence

A Decade Under the Influence

Self

2003
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection

Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection

Self

2001
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'

The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'

Self

2000
Without Limits

Without Limits

TV Director

1998
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist

The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist

Self - Director

1998
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy

Self

1998
Hollywood Halloween

Hollywood Halloween

Self

1997

Howard Hawks: American Artist

Self

1997
Fear in the Dark

Fear in the Dark

Self

1991
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album

Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album

Self

1986
Conversation with Fritz Lang

Conversation with Fritz Lang

Self

1975

Oscars, Actors and The Exorcist

Self

1974