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 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.

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William Friedkin is known for work in directing across film and television. New Release currently presents 27 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes I Am Alfred Hitchcock (2021), The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't (2008), The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007), The Simpsons (1989), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962), The Twilight Zone (1985), Tales from the Crypt (1989). The recorded credits span 1962 to 2023, including 18 movies and 9 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.