William Friedkin, the Academy Award winning director behind “The Exorcist,” passed away at the age of 87…
William Friedkin — the director behind “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection” — has died at the age of 87.
His death was confirmed by CAA via his wife, producer and former studio head Sherry Lansing.
A native of Chicago, Friedkin got his start on television in the 1960s before eventually moving over into film where he worked on a number of movies including “Good Times,” “The Birthday Party” and “The Night They Raided Minsky’s.”
After directing the film “The Boys in the Band” in 1970, Friedkin turned his attention to an adaptation of the book “The French Connection,” which centered on Detective Popeye Doyle as portrayed by Gene Hackman. The film was a smash success while featuring arguably one of the greatest car chase scenes in movie history.
“The French Connection” earned a number of Academy Awards including Best Picture as well as a Best Director win for Friedkin and Best Actor for Hackman.
Friedkin followed up that film with “The Exorcist” in 1973, which was adapted from a book of the same name by William Peter Blatty. The spine-chilling film centered around a young girl who ends up possessed by a demon and a pair of priests summoned to save her became a massive hit before eventually becoming a cultural icon in the horror movie industry.
The film went onto earn more than $400 million at the worldwide box office and “The Exorcist” later became the first horror movie to ever get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
The film also earned Friedkin a second nomination for Best Director.
In the years after “The Exorcist” was released, Friedkin continued to pick and choose his projects while also taking breaks between productions. He worked on the film “To Live and Die and L.A.” as well as the controversial movie “Cruising” starring Al Pacino that originally earned an “X” rating before cuts were made to get it down to an “R” so it could be released wide into theaters.
He also returned to direct several episodes of television over the years while sitting behind the camera for numerous movies including “Rules of Engagement,” “The Hunted” and “Bug.”
Following news of Friedkin’s passing, numerous colleagues paid tribute to the director, which you can see below:
Ellyn Burstyn (who earned an Academy Award nomination for “The Exorcist”)
“My friend Bill Friedkin was an original; smart, cultured, fearless and wildly talented. On the set, he knew what he wanted, would go to any length to get it and was able to let it go if he saw something better happening. He was undoubtedly a genius.”
Jason Blum, producer behind “The Exorcist: Believer,” which carries on the story from the original film
“I am personally indebted to William Friedkin and saddened by his loss. More than any other filmmaker, he changed both the way directors approached horror films and also the perception of horror films in the broader culture. We are deeply saddened to hear of his passing and intensely grateful for the body of work he has left behind.”
David Gordon Green, director of “The Exorcist: Believer”
“William Friedkin was an inspiration to me. I am saddened that our community lost a brilliant artist. The Exorcist is one of the finest films ever made, along with The French Connection, Sorcerer and so many others. His bold and visionary work will influence filmmakers forever.”
Eli Roth
Stephen King
Very sorry to hear of the passing of William Friedkin, a deeply talented filmmaker. THE EXORCIST is great, but for me the real classic was SORCERER.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 7, 2023
John Carpenter
Bill Friedkin was a brilliant director and a friend. I'll miss him as both. Rest in pease, Bill.
— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) August 7, 2023
