William Friedkin

Director, Writer, Producer

Birthdate: Aug 29, 1935

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died: Aug 7, 2023

Friedkin's mother was an operating room nurse. His father was a merchant seaman, semi-pro softball player and ultimately sold clothes in a men's discount chain. Ultimately, his father never earned more than $50/week in his whole life and died indigent. Eventually young Will became infatuated with Orson Welles after seeing Citizen Kane (1941). He went to work for WGN TV immediately after graduating from high school where he started making documentaries, one of which won the Golden Gate Award at the 1962 San Francisco film festival. In 1965, he moved to Hollywood and immediately started directing TV shows, including an episode of the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962); Hitchcock infamously chastised him for not wearing a tie.

William Friedkin Movies

director

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Previous (6)

2024 |
The Hunted
The Hunted
2024
R
1h 34m
Horror, Thriller
5.1
After their boat engine fails in the Mediterranean Sea, a group of refugees are rescued by rich Europeans who offer them shelter on an idyllic island. But the miracle becomes a nightmare when the saviours turn into ruthless manhunters.
2018 |
Rampage
Rampage
2018
1h 47m
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
6.1
When three different animals become infected with a dangerous pathogen, a primatologist and a geneticist team up to stop them from destroying Chicago.
More Info
1980 |
Cruising
Cruising
1980
R
1h 42m
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
6.5
A New York police officer goes undercover on the rough-trade beat to find a serial killer who is targeting homosexual men.
1977 |
Sorcerer
Sorcerer
1977
PG
2h 1m
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
7.7
Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.
1973 |
The Exorcist
The Exorcist
1973
2h 2m
Horror
8.1
When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
More Info
1971 |
The French Connection
The French Connection
1971
TV-14
1h 44m
Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
7.7
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

actor

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Previous (31)

2023 |
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
2022 |
The Lost Print
2021 |
Algren (revised)
2021 |
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
2021 |
Algren
Algren
2021
1h 26m
Biography, Documentary, History, Sport
7.2
Charts the rise and fall of Nelson Algren, a writer whose transgressions, compassion and thirst for justice pushed him to become a champion of America's underclass and one of the 20th century's most consequential literary voices.
asSelf
2020 |
Fellini of the Spirits
2020 |
The Exorcist Confidential
2019 |
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist
2018 |
Friedkin Uncut
2018 |
The Devil and Father Amorth
The Devil and Father Amorth
2018
Other
1h 8m
Documentary
4.6
Father Gabriele Amorth performs his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman.
More Info
asSelf - Director, The Exorcist
2017 |
Cinéma par Albert Dupontel
2011 |
Killer Joe
2011 |
Miller's Tale
2007 |
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
2006 |
Bug
2003 |
A Decade Under the Influence
2000 |
Rules of Engagement
1998 |
The Uttmost
1995 |
Jade
1994 |
Blue Chips
1990 |
The Guardian
1985 |
To Live and Die in L.A.
1983 |
Deal of the Century
1980 |
Cruising
1978 |
The Brink's Job
1977 |
Sorcerer
1975 |
Fritz Lang Interviewed by William Friedkin
1970 |
The Boys in the Band
1968 |
The Birthday Party
1968 |
The Night They Raided Minsky's
1967 |
Good Times