Highest rated as cast or director
William Friedkin's 5 titles from the 1970s have a median Balasaur Score of 76, led by The French Connection (84) and The Exorcist (80), against 57 for those from the 1980s.
Biography
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. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Friedkin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Directed 39
2020s
- 2023
2010s
- 2018
- 2015
Verdi Aida
Stage Director
- 2014
Henri Langlois vu par...
Director
- 2012
2000s
- 2007
The Painter's Voice
Director
- 2003
- 2000
1990s
- 1997
- 1995
- 1994
Jailbreakers
Director
- 1990
1980s
- 1989
- 1988
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
Director
- 1987
Rampage
Director
- 1986
C.A.T. Squad
Director
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Director
- 1985
- 1983
- 1980
1970s
- 1978
- 1977
- 1975
Conversation with Fritz Lang
Director
- 1973
- 1971
- 1970
1960s
- 1968
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Director
The Birthday Party
Director
- 1967
Good Times
Director
- 1966
The Thin Blue Line
Director
- 1965
Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon
Director
The Bold Men
Director
- 1962
The People vs. Paul Crump
Director
Wrote 10
2020s
- 2023
2010s
- 2018
1990s
- 1990
1980s
- 1988
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
Story
- 1987
Rampage
Writer
- 1985
- 1980
1970s
- 1977
1960s
- 1967
Good Times
Screenplay
- 1966
The Thin Blue Line
Story
Produced 7
1980s
- 1988
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
Executive Producer
- 1987
Rampage
Producer
- 1986
C.A.T. Squad
Executive Producer
1970s
- 1977
1960s
- 1967
Muggins
Producer
- 1966
The Thin Blue Line
Producer
- 1962
The People vs. Paul Crump
Producer
Acted in 4
2010s
- 2015
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
Movie
2000s
- 2005
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
Movie
1990s
- 1998
Without Limits
TV Director
Appearances52
2020s
- 2026
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
Self (archive footage)
- 2024
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
Self
- 2023
- 2021
Algren
Self
- 2020
Fellini of the Spirits
Self
2010s
- 2019
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Self
- 2018
- 2014
Henri Langlois vu par...
Self
- 2013
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Self
A Fuller Life
Self - Reader (segment "My Ballsy Yarns")
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
Self
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
Self
- 2012
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
Self
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
Self
- 2011
Making the Boys
Self
Miller's Tale
Self
- 2010
Godard Made in USA
Self
The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now
Self
Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist
Self
2000s
- 2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
Self
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
Self
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
Self
Anatomy of a Chase
Self
- 2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
Self
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
Self
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
Self
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
Self
- 2007
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
Self
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
Self
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
Self
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
Self
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
Self
The History of 'Cruising'
Self
Exorcising 'Cruising'
Self
The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
Self
- 2006
Shadows of Suspense
Self
- 2004
- 2003
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
Self
Narc: The Friedkin Connection
Self
A Decade Under the Influence
Self
- 2002
- 2001
Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection
Self
- 2000
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection'
Self
1990s
- 1998
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Self - Director
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
Self
- 1997
Hollywood Halloween
Self
- 1991
Fear in the Dark
Self
1980s
- 1986
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Self
1970s
- 1975
Conversation with Fritz Lang
Self
Thanked in the credits1
1990s
- 1998
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Thanks