“He was a massive inspiration.”
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William Friedkin
William David Friedkin was an American 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), whic…
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culture · American director and producer (1935–2023) · film director · film producer · screenwriter · television director · film screenwriter · director · writer · also William Friedkin, Billy Friedkin, William David Friedkin, Friedkin
Born 29 August 1935 · Died 7 August 2023 · Q51582
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2026· 4 entries
“He was role model to me and to (my brother) Jack,”
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Far Out Magazine: “I was wrong”: How William Friedkin missed out on making millions from ‘Star Wars’
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No Film School: The 1977 William Friedkin Masterpiece That Bombed at the Box Office
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2024· 2 entries
Collider: William Friedkin Broke Laws To Film ’The French Connection’s Car Chase
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Collider: William Friedkin's Final Movie Is an Intense, Certified Fresh Masterpiece
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2023· 15 entries
The Guardian: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial review – William Friedkin’s final film looks for the truth
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Deadline.com: William Friedkin’s ‘Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ Collaborators On Working With Late Director & How Guillermo Del Toro Became Involved – Venice
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The Hollywood Reporter: William Friedkin’s Last Film, ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,’ to Roll out on Paramount+ Internationally
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NPR: Remembering 'Exorcist' director William Friedkin
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The Guardian: My friend Billy: Mark Kermode remembers The Exorcist director William Friedkin
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The Guardian: Bread and butter pudding with William Friedkin | Letter
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The Guardian: William Friedkin obituary
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Yahoo: William Friedkin Passes Away at Age 87
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The Guardian: William Friedkin created unforgettable horror and pleasure with equal brilliance
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The Guardian: William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, dies at 87
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The Guardian: The Exorcist and French Connection director William Friedkin – a life in pictures
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Decider: ‘The Exorcist’ Actress Ellen Burstyn Mourns Director William Friedkin: “Smart, Cultured, Fearless, and Wildly Talented”
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USA Today: 'The Exorcist': That time William Friedkin gave us a tour of the movie's making
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Yahoo: William Friedkin Mourned by Hollywood as ‘One of the Most Impactful Directors of All Time’
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Died 2023-08-07.
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2021· 1 entry
“Everything you see, we actually did. There was no CGI then. There was no way to fake it. I just put the pedal to the metal, and we went 90 miles an hour in city traffic,”
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2020· 1 entry
The Guardian: Streaming: the best of William Friedkin
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2018· 1 entry
The Guardian: William Friedkin: 'You don’t know a damn thing, and neither do I'
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2017· 3 entries
Awarded Sitges Grand Honorary Award (2017).
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Friedkin directed the documentary The Devil and Father Amorth about the ninth exorcism of a woman in the Italian village of Alatri
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“To me, it was an exotic background for a murder mystery that had never been seen in a mainstream film.”
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2014· 1 entry
Awarded Robert Honorary Award (2014).
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2013· 2 entries
“I really don’t live by what the critics write, although I was aware of the critical reception of all of my films,”
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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
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2011· 2 entries
But he later departed from it when creative differences arose between him and the librettist
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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
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2007· 1 entry
Awarded Time Machine Award (2007).
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2004· 1 entry
“I was just on the same page with the writer. His worldview was something that I understood, and that doesn”
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2000· 1 entry
The Exorcist was re-released in theaters with extra footage and grossed $40 million in the U
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1985· 1 entry
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
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1984· 1 entry
Became one of the first Academy Award-winning directors to direct a music video, directing Laura Branigan's "Self Control
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1981· 1 entry
Due to a genetic defect in his circumflex left coronary artery, and nearly died
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1980· 1 entry
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
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1973· 3 entries
Won Golden Globe Award for Best Director for The Exorcist (1973).
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Friedkin directed 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
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The trio announced the formation of an independent production company at Paramount Pictures, The Directors Company
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1972· 1 entry
Awarded Academy Award for Best Director for The French Connection (1972).
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1971· 3 entries
Awarded Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film for The French Connection (1971).
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Won Golden Globe Award for Best Director for The French Connection (1971).
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“I’ve made better films than Good Times but I’ve never had so much fun.”
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1970· 1 entry
Friedkin began a relationship with Kitty Hawks, daughter of director Howard Hawks
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1965· 1 entry
Friedkin moved to Hollywood and two years later released his first feature film, Good Times starring Sonny and Cher
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1935· 2 entries
The son of Rachael (née Green) and Louis Friedkin
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Born 1935-08-29.
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