William Friedkin - Misplaced Pages

American director and producer (1935–2023)

William Friedkin
Friedkin in 2017
Born	William David Friedkin (1935-08-29)August 29, 1935 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 7, 2023(2023-08-07) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Senn High School
Occupations	Director producer screenwriter
Years active	1962–2023
Spouses	Jeanne Moreau (m. 1977; div. 1979) Lesley-Anne Down (m. 1982; div. 1985) Kelly Lange (m. 1987; div. 1990) Sherry Lansing (m. 1991)
Children	2
Signature

William David Friedkin (/ˈfriːdkɪn/; 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.

Early life and education

Friedkin was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 29, 1935, the son of Rachael (née Green) and Louis Friedkin. His father was a semi-professional softball player, merchant seaman, and men's clothing salesman. His mother, whom Friedkin called "a saint," was a nurse. His parents were Jewish emigrants from Ukraine, in the Russian empire. His grandparents, parents, and other relatives fled Russia during a particularly violent anti-Jewish pogrom in 1903. Friedkin's father was somewhat uninterested in making money, and the family was generally lower middle class while he was growing up. According to film historian Peter Biskind, "Friedkin viewed his father with a mixture of affection and contempt for not making more of himself."

After attending public schools in Chicago, Friedkin enrolled at Senn High School, where he played basketball well enough to consider turning professional. He was not a serious student and barely received grades good enough to graduate, which he did at the age of 16. He said this was because of social promotion and not because he was bright.

Friedkin began going to movies as a teenager, and cited Citizen Kane as one of his key influences. Several sources claim that Friedkin saw this motion picture as a teenager, but Friedkin himself said that he did not see the film until 1960, when he was 25 years old. Only then, Friedkin said, did he become a true cineaste. Among the movies that he also saw as a teenager and young adult were Les Diaboliques, The Wages of Fear (which many consider he remade as Sorcerer), and Psycho (which he viewed repeatedly, like Citizen Kane). Televised documentaries such as 1960's Harvest of Shame were also important to his developing sense of cinema.

Friedkin began working in the mail room at WGN-TV immediately after high school. Within two years (at the age of 18), he started his directorial career doing live television shows and documentaries. His efforts included The People vs. Paul Crump (1962), which won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and contributed to the commutation of Crump's death sentence. Its success helped Friedkin get a job with producer David L. Wolper. He also made the football-themed documentary Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon (1965).

Career

1965–1979

As mentioned in his voice-over commentary on the DVD re-release of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, Friedkin directed one of the last episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965, called "Off Season". Hitchcock admonished Friedkin for not wearing a tie while directing.

In 1965, Friedkin moved to Hollywood and two years later released his first feature film, Good Times starring Sonny and Cher. He has referred to the film as "unwatchable". Several other films followed: The Birthday Party, based on an unpublished screenplay by Harold Pinter, which he adapted from his own play; the musical comedy The Night They Raided Minsky's, starring Jason Robards and Britt Ekland; and the adaptation of Mart Crowley's play The Boys in the Band.

His next film, The French Connection, was released to wide critical acclaim in 1971. Shot in a gritty style more suited for documentaries than Hollywood features, the film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Friedkin's next film was 1973's The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel, which revolutionized the horror genre and is considered by some critics to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won for Best Screenplay and Best Sound. Following these two pictures, Friedkin, along with Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich, was deemed one of the premier directors of New Hollywood. In 1973, the trio announced the formation of an independent production company at Paramount Pictures, The Directors Company. Whereas Coppola directed The Conversation and Bogdanovich, the Henry James adaptation, Daisy Miller, Friedkin abruptly left the company, which was soon closed by Paramount.

Friedkin's later movies did not achieve the same success. Sorcerer (1977), a $22 million American remake of the French classic The Wages of Fear, co-produced by both Universal and Paramount, starring Roy Scheider, was overshadowed by the blockbuster box-office success of Star Wars, which had been released exactly one week prior. Friedkin considered it his finest film, and was personally devastated by its financial and critical failure (as mentioned by Friedkin himself in the 1999 documentary series The Directors). Sorcerer was shortly followed by the crime-comedy The Brink's Job (1978), based on the real-life Great Brink's Robbery in Boston, Massachusetts, which was also unsuccessful at the box-office.

1980–1999

In 1980, Friedkin directed an adaptation of the Gerald Walker crime thriller Cruising, starring Al Pacino, which was protested during production and remains the subject of heated debate. It was critically assailed but performed moderately at the box office.

Friedkin had a heart attack on March 6, 1981, due to a genetic defect in his circumflex left coronary artery, and nearly died. He spent months in rehabilitation. His next picture was 1983's Deal of the Century, a satire about arms dealing starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver.

In 1985, Friedkin directed the music video for Barbra Streisand's rendition of the West Side Story song "Somewhere", which she recorded for her twenty-fourth studio LP, The Broadway Album. He later appears as Streisand's interviewer (uncredited) on the television special, "Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album".

The action/crime movie To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, was a critical favorite and drew comparisons to Friedkin's own The French Connection (particularly for its car chase sequence), while his courtroom drama/thriller Rampage (1987) received a fairly positive review from Roger Ebert. He next directed the cult classic horror film The Guardian (1990) and the thriller Jade (1995), starring Linda Fiorentino. Though the latter received an unfavorable response from critics and audiences, he said it was one of the favorite films he directed.

2000–2023

In 2000, The Exorcist was re-released in theaters with extra footage and grossed $40 million in the U.S. alone. Friedkin directed the 2006 film Bug due to a positive experience watching the stage version in 2004. He was surprised to find that he was, metaphorically, on the same page as the playwright and felt that he could relate well to the story. The film won the FIPRESCI prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Later, Friedkin directed an episode of the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Cockroaches", which re-teamed him with To Live and Die in L.A. star William Petersen. He directed again for CSI's 200th episode, "Mascara".

In 2011, Friedkin directed Killer Joe, a black comedy written by Tracy Letts based on Letts' play, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, and Thomas Haden Church. Killer Joe premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, prior to its North American debut at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. It opened in U.S. theaters in July 2012, to some favorable reviews from critics but did poorly at the box office, possibly because of its restrictive NC-17 rating. In April 2013, Friedkin published a memoir, The Friedkin Connection. He was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the 70th Venice International Film Festival in September. In 2017, Friedkin directed the documentary The Devil and Father Amorth about the ninth exorcism of a woman in the Italian village of Alatri. In August 2022, it was announced officially that Friedkin would be returning to film directing to helm an adaptation of the two-act play The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial with Kiefer Sutherland starring as Lt. Commander Queeg. The film was completed before Friedkin's death, and debuted in September 2023 in the out-of-competition category at the Venice Film Festival.

Influences

Friedkin cited Jean-Luc Godard, Federico Fellini, François Truffaut, and Akira Kurosawa as influences. Friedkin named Woody Allen as "the greatest living filmmaker".

In regard to influences of specific films on his films, Friedkin noted that The French Connection documentary-like realism was the direct result of the influence of having seen Z, a French film by Costa-Gavras:

After I saw Z, I realized how I could shoot The French Connection. Because he shot Z like a documentary. It was a fiction film but it was made like it was actually happening. Like the camera didn't know what was gonna happen next. And that is an induced technique. It looks like he happened upon the scene and captured what was going on as you do in a documentary. My first films were documentaries too. So I understood what he was doing but I never thought you could do that in a feature at that time until I saw Z.

Personal life

Friedkin was married four times:

Jeanne Moreau, married February 8, 1977, and divorced in 1979.
Lesley-Anne Down, married in 1982 and divorced in 1985.
Kelly Lange, married on June 7, 1987, and divorced in 1990.
Sherry Lansing, married on July 6, 1991.

While filming The Boys in the Band in 1970, Friedkin began a relationship with Kitty Hawks, daughter of director Howard Hawks. It lasted two years, during which the couple announced their engagement, but the relationship ended about 1972. Friedkin began a four-year relationship with Australian dancer and choreographer Jennifer Nairn-Smith in 1972. Although they announced an engagement twice, they never married. They had a son, Cedric, on November 27, 1976. Friedkin and his second wife, Lesley-Anne Down, also had a son, Jack, born in 1982. Friedkin was raised Jewish, but called himself an agnostic later in life, although he said that he strongly believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Death

Friedkin died from heart failure and pneumonia at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 7, 2023.

Work

Film

Narrative films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1967	Good Times	Yes	Uncredited	No
1968	The Birthday Party	Yes	No	No
1968	The Night They Raided Minsky's	Yes	No	No
1970	The Boys in the Band	Yes	No	No
1971	The French Connection	Yes	Uncredited	No
1973	The Exorcist	Yes	No	No
1977	Sorcerer	Yes	Uncredited	Yes
1978	The Brink's Job	Yes	No	No
1980	Cruising	Yes	Yes	No
1983	Deal of the Century	Yes	No	No
1985	To Live and Die in L.A.	Yes	Yes	No
1987	Rampage	Yes	Yes	Yes
1990	The Guardian	Yes	Yes	No
1994	Blue Chips	Yes	No	No
1995	Jade	Yes	Uncredited	No
2000	Rules of Engagement	Yes	No	No
2003	The Hunted	Yes	No	No
2006	Bug	Yes	No	No
2011	Killer Joe	Yes	No	No
2023	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial	Yes	Yes	No

Documentary films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1962	The People vs. Paul Crump	Yes	No	Yes
1965	The Bold Men	Yes	No	No
1965	Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon	Yes	No	Yes
1966	The Thin Blue Line	Yes	Story	Yes
1975	Fritz Lang Interviewed by William Friedkin	Yes	No	No
1986	Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album	Uncredited	No	No
2007	The Painter's Voice	Yes	No	No
2017	The Devil and Father Amorth	Yes	Yes	No

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist
1984	"Self Control"	Laura Branigan
1985	"Somewhere"	Barbra Streisand
1998	"Ce que je sais"	Johnny Hallyday

Television

TV series

Year	Title	Episode
1965	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	"Off Season" (S3 E29)
1967	The Pickle Brothers	TV pilot (S1 E1)
1985	The Twilight Zone	"Nightcrawlers" (S1 E4c)
1992	Tales from the Crypt	"On a Deadman's Chest" (S4 E3)
2007	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	"Cockroaches" (S8 E9)
2009	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	"Mascara" (S9 E18)

TV movies

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive producer
1986	C.A.T. Squad	Yes	No	Yes
1988	C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf	Yes	Yes	Yes
1994	Jailbreakers	Yes	No	No
1997	12 Angry Men	Yes	No	No

Stage

Operas

Year	Title and Composer	Country / Opera House
1998	Wozzeck, Alban Berg	Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre
2002	Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Béla Bartók	Los Angeles Opera
2002	Gianni Schicchi, Giacomo Puccini
2003	La damnation de Faust, Hector Berlioz
2004	Ariadne auf Naxos, Richard Strauss
2005	Samson and Delilah, Camille Saint-Saëns	June, New Israeli Opera October, Los Angeles Opera
2005	Aida, Giuseppe Verdi	Teatro Regio Torino
2006	Salome, Richard Strauss	Bavarian State Opera
2006	Das Gehege, Wolfgang Rihm	Bavarian State Opera
2008	Il tabarro, Giacomo Puccini	Los Angeles Opera
2008	Suor Angelica, Giacomo Puccini	Los Angeles Opera
2011	The Makropulos Case, Leoš Janáček	Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre
2012	The Tales of Hoffmann, Jacques Offenbach	Theater an der Wien
2015	Rigoletto, Giuseppe Verdi	Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

Plays

Year	Title	Theatre	Principal Cast	Ref(s)
1981	Duet for One	Royale Theatre	Max von Sydow, Anne Bancroft

Unrealized projects

Year	Title and description	Ref(s)
1960s	Gunn
	Chastity
	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1970s	A film adaptation of Ross Thomas' novel The Brass Go-Between
	The Bunker Hill Boys, a film for The Directors Company
	Untitled sci-fi film with Peter Gabriel
	The Devil's Triangle, a UFO thriller starring Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen and Charlton Heston
	A Safe Darkness, a documentary about horror cinema featuring interviews with Fritz Lang and Roman Polanski
	A made-for-television film adaptation of Will Eisner's comic The Spirit written by Harlan Ellison
	A 10-hour television adaptation of Thomas Thompson's novel Blood and Money
	A film adaptation of Ron Hansen's novel Desperadoes written by Walon Green
1980s	A film adaptation of Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman's novel No One Here Gets Out Alive
	A film adaptation of Gay Talese's novel Thy Neighbor's Wife
	A film adaptation of Robin Cook's novel Brain
	That Championship Season
	A film adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel Legion
	A film adaptation of Frank De Felitta's novel Sea Trial starring Laura Branigan and Michael Nouri
	Judgement Day, a film written by Pete Hamill starring Gregory Peck
	A film adaptation of Don Pendleton's The Executioner series written by Hilary Henkin starring Sylvester Stallone and Cynthia Rothrock
	The Gambler, a film written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner starring Sylvester Stallone
	Desperate Hours
	Untitled biopic about 1950s songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
1990s	Elsewhere, a ghost story with William Peter Blatty
	The Diary of Jack the Ripper, a biopic about James Maybrick written by Chris DeVore starring Anthony Hopkins
	A film adaptation of John Flood's novel Bag Men starring Michael Keaton
	A remake of the 1996 made-for-television film Truth or Dare written by William Davies
	Night Train, a biopic about boxer Sonny Liston written by Shane Salerno and Tyger Williams starring Ving Rhames
	Battle Grease, a film about the account of the Florence Maybrick murder trial
2000s	A film adaptation of Larry Collins' novel O Jerusalem! written by James Dearden
	Shooter starring Tommy Lee Jones
	Untitled biopic about Howard Hughes adapted from Richard Hack's biography Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters
	A film adaptation of Thomas Thompson's novel Serpentine
	Untitled biopic about Giacomo Puccini starring Plácido Domingo
	A film adaptation of Robert Silverberg's novel The Book of Skulls written by Jeff Davis and Terry Hayes
	The Man Who Kept Secrets, a biopic about Hollywood lawyer Sidney Korshak
	A film adaptation of Chris Greenhalgh's novel Coco and Igor starring Mads Mikkelsen and Marina Hands
2010s	A film adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel Dimiter
	Trapped, an indie thriller set in Europe starring Demián Bichir
	I Am Wrath starring Nicolas Cage
	Mae, a biopic about actress Mae West starring Natasha Lyonne and Bette Midler
	A TV pilot based on his film To Live and Die in L.A. written by Robert Moresco
	Untitled Killer Joe spinoff TV series
	A film adaptation of Don Winslow's novel The Winter of Frankie Machine

An LA Opera production of Wagner's Tannhäuser was announced by Friedkin, but a spokesperson revealed it had been delayed indefinitely. Friedkin had also been set to direct the premiere of an opera titled An Inconvenient Truth to debut in 2011, but he later departed from it when creative differences arose between him and the librettist. In 2013, it was reported that he would helm a stage production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party (which he had already directed as a feature film in 1968), for Geffen Playhouse. A cast including Katie Amess, Frances Barber, Steven Berkoff, Tim Roth and Nick Ullett was assembled, but the production was soon postponed for an unknown reason, and never revived.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
1972	Academy Award	Best Director	The French Connection	Won
	Directors Guild of America	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures		Won
	Golden Globes	Best Director		Won
1973	BAFTA Award			Nominated
1974	Academy Award		The Exorcist	Nominated
	Directors Guild of America	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures		Nominated
	Golden Globes	Best Director		Won
1981	Razzie Awards	Worst Director	Cruising	Nominated
1981	Razzie Awards	Worst Screenplay	Cruising	Nominated
1986	Cognac Festival du Film Policier	Audience Award	To Live and Die in L.A.	Won
1988	Deauville Film Festival	Critics Award	Rampage	Nominated
1991	Saturn Award	George Pal Memorial Award		Won
1993	Saturn Award	Best Director	Rampage	Nominated
1998	Directors Guild of America	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials	12 Angry Men	Nominated
1998	Primetime Emmy Awards	Best Director	12 Angry Men	Nominated
1999	Saturn Award	President's Award		Won
1999	Empire Awards	Movie Masterpiece Award	The Exorcist	Won
2000	Palm Beach International Film Festival	Lifetime Achievement Award		Won
2006	Cannes Film Festival	FIPRESCI	Bug	Won
2007	Munich Film Festival	CineMerit Award		Won
2007	Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival	Time-Machine Honorary Award		Won
2009	Locarno International Film Festival	Leopard of Honor		Won
2011	Venice Film Festival	Golden Lion	Killer Joe	Nominated
2011	Venice Film Festival	Golden Mouse		Won
2013	Belgian Film Critics Association	Grand Prix		Nominated
	Saturn Award	Best Director		Nominated
	Saturn Award	Lifetime Award		Won
	Venice Film Festival	Special Lion for Lifetime Achievement		Won

Bibliography

Friedkin, William. The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir. New York: HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN 978-0-06-177512-3
Friedkin, William. Conversations at the American Film Institute With the Great Moviemakers: The Next Generation. George Stevens, Jr., ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-27347-5

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"Daily News from New York, New York". New York Daily News. January 20, 1970. p. 47. Production Merger Phil D'Antoni and William Friedkin have joined forces with Milton Berle Paul W. Benson Productions to do the film version of "The Brass Go-between," a novel by Oliver Bleeck. The suspense-thriller will be shot on locations in Washington, D.
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Pinnock, Tom (October 19, 2012). "Peter Gabriel: "You could feel the horror..."". Uncut. Retrieved July 24, 2023. I had written a short story on Genesis Live – one of the stories I used to tell onstage – and William Friedkin, who was the king of Hollywood because of The Exorcist, wanted me to work with him. Not as a musician, but as a screenwriter and ideas man. That was very exciting to me. In the end, unfortunately, nothing happened; it was one of many Hollywood projects that bit the dust.
Easlea, Daryl (November 18, 2020). "Genesis, Peter Gabriel, and the story of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". Louder. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
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"SHOOTING OF STALLONE FILM RESCHEDULED". Chicago Tribune. June 23, 1988. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
^ "The cut in execute". Pop Cult Master. September 3, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Broeske, Pat H. (October 7, 1990). "Look Who's Back With a New Movie: 'The Deer Hunter' made Michael Cimino a winner, but his next film was the legendary failure 'Heaven's Gate.' With 'Desperate Hours,' the stakes have never been higher". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
Broeske, Pat H. (November 12, 1989). "Upbeat, Downbeat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Harrington, Richard (December 13, 1989). "ON THE BEAT". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Marx, Andy (August 23, 1993). "Blatty, Friedkin reteaming". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
Pond, Steve (August 27, 1993). "SPIRITED REUNION". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Cox, Dan (April 17, 1995). "Hopkins commits to 'Jack the Ripper'". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Sandler, Adam (May 5, 1997). "New Line, Katja named in Ripper suit". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Fleming, Michael (March 25, 1997). "Friedkin holding the 'Bag'". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Petrikin, Chris (March 10, 1998). "Friedkin set to tell 'Truth'". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Variety Staff (March 18, 1998). "Rhames: from 'King' to ring". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
^ Zoromski, Brian (October 13, 2000). "William Friedkin Reveals Details on His Upcoming Projects in IGN FilmForce's Chat". IGN. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
McNary, Dave (May 10, 2004). "Liston bio punched up". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
"William Friedkin (II)". The Guardian. October 22, 1998. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
Bing, Jonathan (April 11, 2000). "Friedkin, Seven Arts circle Collins' Mideast material". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Archerd, Army (September 6, 2001). "Helmer Friedkin to take on Hack's Hughes". Variety. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
Landau, Benny (August 30, 2002). "He's Got the Keys to the Kingdom". Haaretz. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
B., Scott (March 11, 2003). "An Interview with William Friedkin". IGN. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
^ Macnab, Geoffrey (December 19, 2003). "William Friedkin: The Devil in Mr Friedkin". The Independent. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Archerd, Army (May 14, 2003). "Zanuck advises Polanski on next move". Variety. Retrieved July 25, 2024. Friedkin will direct a movie based on an incident in Puccini's life — the pic to star Placido, who will be needed (he'll also sing) for three months on the pic!
McNary, Dave (August 3, 2003). "'Skulls' in session for Paramount". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
B., Brian (July 27, 2004). "Terry Hayes to pen Book of Skulls". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Waxman, Sharon (February 9, 2004). "A Director, Married to the Studio; With a New Assignment from Paramount, Cries of Nepotism Dog William Friedkin". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Leffler, Rebecca (May 1, 2007). "Friedkin walks runway for Chanel biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
"Mikkelsen Joins Friedkin's Coco & Igor". ComingSoon.net. May 24, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Fischer, Russ (October 7, 2010). "William Friedkin Preparing To Film Another William Peter Blatty Adaptation?". /Film. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
Sneider, Jeff (May 2, 2012). "Demian Bichir lines up pair of projects". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
Jagernauth, Kevin (May 2, 2012). "Demian Bichir Follows Oscar Nom With Roles In 'Machete Kills' & William Friedkin's 'Trapped'". IndieWire. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
"IamA Hollywood film director (Killer Joe, the Exorcist, French Connection). I'm William Friedkin. AMA". May 24, 2012.
Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 11, 2012). "Toronto: Nicolas Cage Back With Emmett/Furla For 'I Am Wrath'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
Jagernauth, Kevin (February 19, 2013). "Nicolas Cage Says 'I Am Wrath' With William Friedkin Is Not Happening, Reveals Dream Project With Roger Corman". IndieWire. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
Kiang, Jessica (July 21, 2014). "Interview: William Friedkin on 'Sorcerer,' The 'Killer Joe' TV Show And Life Beyond "Macho Bullsh*t Stories"". IndieWire. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
Hiler, James (December 10, 2013). "Bette Midler to Star in 'Mae West' for HBO Films, William Friedkin Directing". IndieWire. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
@nlyonne (August 7, 2023). "I ♥️ you, #WilliamFriedkin & will cherish this bad boy for always" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
Couch, Aaron (August 8, 2023). "'Exorcist' Stars Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair Remember William Friedkin: "Undoubtedly a Genius"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ Jagernauth, Kevin (June 9, 2014). "TV Shows Based On William Friedkin's 'Killer Joe' & 'To Live And Die in L.A.' Developing". IndieWire. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
Andreeva, Nellie (June 25, 2015). "'To Live And Die In L.A.' Series From William Friedkin & Bobby Moresco In Works At WGN America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
Mikulec, Sven (December 7, 2015). "A Discussion with William Friedkin: 'I See a Diminishing of All Art Forms These Days'". Cinephilia & Beyond.
Kohn, Eric (October 23, 2017). "William Friedkin Is Developing 'Killer Joe' TV Series With 'Million Dollar Baby' Producer — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 7, 2023). "Remembering William Friedkin: '70s Maverick's Death Defying Tales Making 'The French Connection,' 'The Exorcist,' 'Sorcerer,' To Live & Die In LA' & Others In No Holds Barred Q&A". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
Olson, Josh; Dante, Joe. "William Friedkin - The Movies That Made Me - Trailers From Hell". Trailers from Hell (Podcast).
Gallo, Phil (July 7, 2008). "Friedkin to direct 'Truth' at La Scala". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
Vivarelli, Nick (January 30, 2009). "Friedkin departs 'Inconvenient' opera". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
Purcell, Carey (December 17, 2013). "The Birthday Party, Starring Frances Barber, Steven Berkoff, Tim Roth and Nick Ullett, to Play the Geffen Playhouse". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
Purcell, Carey (January 31, 2014). "Geffen Playhouse Postpones Revival of The Birthday Party". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
"1972 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
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"1974 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. October 4, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
"26th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1973". dga.org. Directors Guild of America. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
"Winners & Nominees 1974". Golden Globes. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
^ Wilson, John (August 23, 2000). "Razzies.com - Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation". razzies.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
"Past Winners Database". Archived from the original on October 17, 2006.
"50th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1997". dga.org. Directors Guild of America. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
"Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries Movie Or A Dramatic Special Nominees / Winners 1998". Television Academy. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
"Sci-fi acad sends pix into orbit with Saturns". June 15, 1999.
"The Movie Masterpiece Award". empireonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
"CONFUSING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WITH STAR POWER". Sun Sentinel. February 9, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2023. Ms. Burke handed over the dais to producer Richard Zanuck (Jaws, Driving Miss Daisy), who would present the evening's first Lifetime Achievement Award to director William Friedkin.
"Festival Awards". fipresci.org. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
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Mayorga, Emilio (May 31, 2017). "William Friedkin to Be Honored at Spain's Sitges Festival". Variety. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
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"Venice Film Festival: 'Faust' wins Golden Lion award". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 2011.
Aftab, Kaleem (June 7, 2012). "Killer instincts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved August 12, 2023. Was in competition at Venice, where it won the Golden Mouse (online critics' best film).
"'Beasts of the Southern Wild' reçoit le Grand Prix de l'Union de la Critique de Cinéma". RTBF.be (in French). January 6, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2023. Cinq films étaient en lice pour cette récompense: "Beasts of the Southern Wild", de Benh Zeitlin, "Take Shelter", de Jeff Nichols, "Shame", de Steve McQueen, "Ernest et Célestine", de Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar et Stéphane Aubier, et "Killer Joe", de William Friedkin.
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Notes

Friedkin said in a 2012 Reddit AMA that he was working on a thriller from an original story of his to be filmed in Europe in January 2013.

External links

William Friedkin at IMDb
William Friedkin at the TCM Movie Database
William Friedkin at the Internet Broadway Database
William Friedkin discography at Discogs
"From 'Popeye' Doyle to Puccini: William Friedkin" NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Friedkin, September 14, 2006
EXCL: Bug Director William Friedkin
The Reeler interview with Friedkin
William Friedkin papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

v t e Films directed by William Friedkin
Feature films	Good Times (1967) The Birthday Party (1968) The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) The Boys in the Band (1970) The French Connection (1971) The Exorcist (1973) Sorcerer (1977) The Brink's Job (1978) Cruising (1980) Deal of the Century (1983) To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Rampage (1987) The Guardian (1990) Blue Chips (1994) Jade (1995) Rules of Engagement (2000) The Hunted (2003) Bug (2006) Killer Joe (2011) The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)
Television	C.A.T. Squad (1986) C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (1988) Jailbreakers (1994) 12 Angry Men (1997)
Documentaries	The People vs. Paul Crump (1962) The Bold Men (1965) Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon (1965) The Thin Blue Line (1966) Conversation with Fritz Lang (1975) The Painter's Voice (2007) The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)

Awards for William Friedkin

v t e Academy Award for Best Director
1927–1950	Frank Borzage (1927/28; Dramatic Picture) Lewis Milestone (1927/28; Comedy Picture) Frank Lloyd (1928/29) Lewis Milestone (1929/30) Norman Taurog (1930/31) Frank Borzage (1931/32) Frank Lloyd (1932/33) Frank Capra (1934) John Ford (1935) Frank Capra (1936) Leo McCarey (1937) Frank Capra (1938) Victor Fleming (1939) John Ford (1940) John Ford (1941) William Wyler (1942) Michael Curtiz (1943) Leo McCarey (1944) Billy Wilder (1945) William Wyler (1946) Elia Kazan (1947) John Huston (1948) Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1949) Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950)
1951–1975	George Stevens (1951) John Ford (1952) Fred Zinnemann (1953) Elia Kazan (1954) Delbert Mann (1955) George Stevens (1956) David Lean (1957) Vincente Minnelli (1958) William Wyler (1959) Billy Wilder (1960) Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (1961) David Lean (1962) Tony Richardson (1963) George Cukor (1964) Robert Wise (1965) Fred Zinnemann (1966) Mike Nichols (1967) Carol Reed (1968) John Schlesinger (1969) Franklin J. Schaffner (1970) William Friedkin (1971) Bob Fosse (1972) George Roy Hill (1973) Francis Ford Coppola (1974) Miloš Forman (1975)
1976–2000	John G. Avildsen (1976) Woody Allen (1977) Michael Cimino (1978) Robert Benton (1979) Robert Redford (1980) Warren Beatty (1981) Richard Attenborough (1982) James L. Brooks (1983) Miloš Forman (1984) Sydney Pollack (1985) Oliver Stone (1986) Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) Barry Levinson (1988) Oliver Stone (1989) Kevin Costner (1990) Jonathan Demme (1991) Clint Eastwood (1992) Steven Spielberg (1993) Robert Zemeckis (1994) Mel Gibson (1995) Anthony Minghella (1996) James Cameron (1997) Steven Spielberg (1998) Sam Mendes (1999) Steven Soderbergh (2000)
2001–present	Ron Howard (2001) Roman Polanski (2002) Peter Jackson (2003) Clint Eastwood (2004) Ang Lee (2005) Martin Scorsese (2006) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (2007) Danny Boyle (2008) Kathryn Bigelow (2009) Tom Hooper (2010) Michel Hazanavicius (2011) Ang Lee (2012) Alfonso Cuarón (2013) Alejandro González Iñárritu (2014) Alejandro González Iñárritu (2015) Damien Chazelle (2016) Guillermo del Toro (2017) Alfonso Cuarón (2018) Bong Joon-ho (2019) Chloé Zhao (2020/21) Jane Campion (2021) Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (2022) Christopher Nolan (2023)

v t e Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film
1948–1975	Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1948) Robert Rossen (1949) Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950) George Stevens (1951) John Ford (1952) Fred Zinnemann (1953) Elia Kazan (1954) Delbert Mann (1955) George Stevens (1956) David Lean (1957) Vincente Minnelli (1958) William Wyler (1959) Billy Wilder (1960) Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (1961) David Lean (1962) Tony Richardson (1963) George Cukor (1964) Robert Wise (1965) Fred Zinnemann (1966) Mike Nichols (1967) Anthony Harvey (1968) John Schlesinger (1969) Franklin J. Schaffner (1970) William Friedkin (1971) Francis Ford Coppola (1972) George Roy Hill (1973) Francis Ford Coppola (1974) Miloš Forman (1975)
1976–2000	John G. Avildsen (1976) Woody Allen (1977) Michael Cimino (1978) Robert Benton (1979) Robert Redford (1980) Warren Beatty (1981) Richard Attenborough (1982) James L. Brooks (1983) Miloš Forman (1984) Steven Spielberg (1985) Oliver Stone (1986) Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) Barry Levinson (1988) Oliver Stone (1989) Kevin Costner (1990) Jonathan Demme (1991) Clint Eastwood (1992) Steven Spielberg (1993) Robert Zemeckis (1994) Ron Howard (1995) Anthony Minghella (1996) James Cameron (1997) Steven Spielberg (1998) Sam Mendes (1999) Ang Lee (2000)
2001–present	Ron Howard (2001) Rob Marshall (2002) Peter Jackson (2003) Clint Eastwood (2004) Ang Lee (2005) Martin Scorsese (2006) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (2007) Danny Boyle (2008) Kathryn Bigelow (2009) Tom Hooper (2010) Michel Hazanavicius (2011) Ben Affleck (2012) Alfonso Cuarón (2013) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (2014) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (2015) Damien Chazelle (2016) Guillermo del Toro (2017) Alfonso Cuarón (2018) Sam Mendes (2019) Chloé Zhao (2020) Jane Campion (2021) Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (2022) Christopher Nolan (2023)

George Pal Memorial Award

C. Dean Anderson (1975)
Don Fanzo (1975)
Gloria Swanson (1975)
Fay Wray (1975)
John Badham (1980)
Nicholas Meyer (1984)
Douglas Trumbull (1985)
Charles Band (1986)
Arnold Leibovit (1987)
Larry Cohen (1988)
David Cronenberg (1989)
William Friedkin (1991)
Gene Roddenberry (1992)
Frank Marshall (1993)
Wah Chang (1994)
Gene Warren (1994)
Stan Winston (1994)
Robert Zemeckis (1995)
John Carpenter (1996)
Kathleen Kennedy (1997)
Dean Devlin (1998)
Ray Bradbury (1999)
Douglas Wick (2000)
Sam Raimi (2001)
Samuel Z. Arkoff (2002)
Ridley Scott (2004)
Ray Harryhausen (2006)
Guillermo del Toro (2008)
Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (2010)
Martin Scorsese (2012)
Gregory Nicotero (2014)
Simon Kinberg (2015)
Dave Filoni (2022/2023)

v t e Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1943–1975	Henry King (1943) Leo McCarey (1944) Billy Wilder (1945) Frank Capra (1946) Elia Kazan (1947) John Huston (1948) Robert Rossen (1949) Billy Wilder (1950) László Benedek (1951) Cecil B. DeMille (1952) Fred Zinnemann (1953) Elia Kazan (1954) Joshua Logan (1955) Elia Kazan (1956) David Lean (1957) Vincente Minnelli (1958) William Wyler (1959) Jack Cardiff (1960) Stanley Kramer (1961) David Lean (1962) Elia Kazan (1963) George Cukor (1964) David Lean (1965) Fred Zinnemann (1966) Mike Nichols (1967) Paul Newman (1968) Charles Jarrott (1969) Arthur Hiller (1970) William Friedkin (1971) Francis Ford Coppola (1972) William Friedkin (1973) Roman Polanski (1974) Miloš Forman (1975)
1976–2000	Sidney Lumet (1976) Herbert Ross (1977) Michael Cimino (1978) Francis Ford Coppola (1979) Robert Redford (1980) Warren Beatty (1981) Richard Attenborough (1982) Barbra Streisand (1983) Miloš Forman (1984) John Huston (1985) Oliver Stone (1986) Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) Clint Eastwood (1988) Oliver Stone (1989) Kevin Costner (1990) Oliver Stone (1991) Clint Eastwood (1992) Steven Spielberg (1993) Robert Zemeckis (1994) Mel Gibson (1995) Miloš Forman (1996) James Cameron (1997) Steven Spielberg (1998) Sam Mendes (1999) Ang Lee (2000)
2001–present	Robert Altman (2001) Martin Scorsese (2002) Peter Jackson (2003) Clint Eastwood (2004) Ang Lee (2005) Martin Scorsese (2006) Julian Schnabel (2007) Danny Boyle (2008) James Cameron (2009) David Fincher (2010) Martin Scorsese (2011) Ben Affleck (2012) Alfonso Cuarón (2013) Richard Linklater (2014) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (2015) Damien Chazelle (2016) Guillermo del Toro (2017) Alfonso Cuarón (2018) Sam Mendes (2019) Chloé Zhao (2020) Jane Campion (2021) Steven Spielberg (2022) Christopher Nolan (2023)