William Friedkin
Known for Directing · 67 credits
- Born
- 1935-08-29
- Died
- 2023-08-07
- Place of birth
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Also known as
- 윌리엄 프리드킨 · 윌리암 프리드킨 · William David Friedkin
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.
Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (63)
Exorcising 'Cruising'
2007
as Self
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
A Decade Under the Influence
2003
as Self
Without Limits
1998
as TV Director
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
2008
as Self
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
2013
as Self
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
2009
as Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
2008
as Self
The History of 'Cruising'
2007
as Self
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
1998
as Self - Director
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
2019
as Self
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
2013
as Self
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
2021
as Self (archive footage)
A Fuller Life
2013
as Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
2003
as Self
Stanley Kubrick in Focus
2012
as Self
Friedkin Uncut
2018
as Self
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
2005
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2013
as Self
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
2007
as Self
Henri Langlois vu par...
2014
as Self
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
2007
as Self
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'
2000
as Self
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
2007
as Self
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1998
as Self
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
2012
as Self
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
2008
as Self
Filming “The Hunted”
2003
as Self
Making the Boys
2011
as Self
The Cutting Edge
2003
as Self
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009
as Self
Miller's Tale
2011
as Self
Algren
2021
as Self
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection
2001
as Self
Godard Made in USA
2010
as Self
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
2007
as Self
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
2012
as Self
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
2009
as Self
The Devil and Father Amorth
2018
as Self
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
2008
as Self
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
2009
as Self
Fellini of the Spirits
2020
as Self
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
1986
as Self
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
2026
as Self (archive footage)
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
2007
as Self
Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen
2007
as Self
Fear in the Dark
1991
as Self
Pursuing “The Hunted”
2003
as Self
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
2024
as Self
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
2010
as Self
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
2015
Hollywood Halloween
1997
as Self
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
2007
as Self
Howard Hawks: American Artist
1997
as Self
Shadows of Suspense
2006
as Self
Oscars, Actors and The Exorcist
1974
as Self
The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now
2010
as Self
Narc: The Friedkin Connection
2003
as Self
Conversation with Fritz Lang
1975
as Self
Anatomy of a Chase
2009
as Self
The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons
2022
as Self
A Little Solitaire
2004
as Self
Return to the Genre
2016
About William Friedkin
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 fil… With 67 credits spanning from 1974 to 2026, William Friedkin has appeared in 63 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for William Friedkin movies, William Friedkin filmography, or the latest projects starring William Friedkin can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular William Friedkin Movies
- Exorcising 'Cruising' (2007) — as Self
- Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014) — as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- A Decade Under the Influence (2003) — as Self
- Without Limits (1998) — as TV Director
- The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't (2008) — as Self
Where to Watch William Friedkin Films
Most William Friedkin movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring William Friedkin, check our movies catalogue and browse page.