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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Documentary about the work of film director Michael Curtiz....
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| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) | Director / Writer | 8 | |
| 2 | The Devil and Father Amorth (2018) | Director / Writer | 4 | |
| 3 | Friedkin Uncut (2018) | Self | - | - |
| 4 | Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014) | Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) | - | - |
| 5 | Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot (2013) | Self | - | - |
| 6 | Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of (2012) | Self | - | - |
| 7 | Stanley Kubrick in Focus (2012) | Self | - | - |
| 8 | Killer Joe (2012) | Director / Writer | 6.5 | |
| 9 | Bug (2007) | Director / Writer | 6 | |
| 10 | View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' (2007) | Self | - | - |
| 11 | The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007) | Self | - | - |
| 12 | Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange' (2007) | Self | 9 | |
| 13 | The Hunted (2003) | Director / Writer | 6.6 | |
| 14 | Rules of Engagement (2000) | Director / Writer | 6.8 | |
| 15 | The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist (1998) | Self - Director | 8 | |
| 16 | Without Limits (1998) | TV Director | - | - |
| 17 | 12 Angry Men (1997) | Director / Writer | 7.7 | |
| 18 | Jade (1995) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 19 | Blue Chips (1994) | Director / Writer | 6 | |
| 20 | Jailbreakers (1994) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 21 | The Guardian (1990) | Director / Writer | 6 | |
| 22 | Rampage (1987) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 23 | To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) | Director / Writer | 7.2 | |
| 24 | Cruising (1980) | Director / Writer | 7.2 | |
| 25 | The Brink's Job (1978) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 26 | Sorcerer (1977) | Director / Writer | 7.8 | |
| 27 | The Exorcist (1973) | Director / Writer | 7.7 | |
| 28 | The French Connection (1971) | Director / Writer | 6.9 | |
| 29 | The Boys in the Band (1970) | Director / Writer | 7 | |
| 30 | The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) | Director / Writer | - | - |

