William Friedkin
Encyclopedia
William Friedkin is an American film director
, producer
and screenwriter
best known for directing The French Connection
in 1971 and The Exorcist
in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director. His film, Bug
(2006) won the FIPRESCI
prize at the Cannes Film Festival
.
as a boy, Friedkin became fascinated with movies. He began working for WGN-TV
immediately after high school. He eventually started his directorial
career doing live television shows and documentaries, including The People vs. Paul Crump which won several awards and contributed to the commutation of Crump's
death sentence
. As mentioned in Friedkin's voice-over commentary on the DVD re-release of Alfred Hitchcock
's Vertigo
, Friedkin also directed one of the last episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965, called "Off Season".
Hitchcock admonished Friedkin for not wearing a tie while directing. In 1965 Friedkin moved to Hollywood and two years later released his first feature film, Good Times
starring Sonny and Cher. Several other "art" films followed (including the gay-themed movie The Boys in the Band
), although Friedkin did not necessarily want to be known as an art house
director. He wanted to be known for action, serious drama, and for stories about an America turned upside down by crime, hypocrisy, the occult, and amorality, which he mounted up into his films.
In 1971, his The French Connection
was released to wide critical acclaim. Shot in a gritty style more suited for documentaries than Hollywood features, the film won five Academy Awards
, including an Academy Award for Best Picture
and Best Director
.
Friedkin followed up with 1973's 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. Friedkin's directorial 'ethics' however, came into serious question when filming the now notorious scene where Linda Blair smacks Ellen Burstyn, causing her to fly backwards into a break-away table. Even after warning Friedkin the stuntman was "pulling her too hard," Friendkin prompted him to pull her harder, resulting in a permanent back injury for Burstyn.
The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards
, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won the Best Screenplay Award.
Following these two critically acclaimed pictures, Friedkin, along with Francis Ford Coppola
and Peter Bogdanovich
, was deemed as one of the premier directors of New Hollywood
. Unfortunately, Friedkin's later movies did not achieve the same success. Sorcerer
(1977), a $22 million dollar American remake
of the French classic Wages of Fear, starring Roy Scheider
, was overshadowed by the box-office success of Star Wars
, which was released around the same time. Friedkin considers it his finest film, and was personally devastated by its financial and critical failure (as mentioned by Friedkin himself in the documentary series The Directors (1999).
Sorcerer was shortly followed by the crime-comedy The Brink's Job
(1978), based on the real-life Great Brink's Robbery in Boston, Massachusetts, which was also unsuccessful at the box-office. In 1980, he directed the highly controversial gay-themed crime thriller Cruising
, starring Al Pacino
, which was protested against even during its making and remains the subject of heated debate to this day.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Friedkin's films received mostly lackluster reviews and moderate ticket sales. Deal of the Century
(1983), starring Chevy Chase
, Gregory Hines
and Sigourney Weaver
, was sometimes regarded as a latter-day Dr. Strangelove, though it was generally savaged by critics. However, his action/crime movie To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), starring William Petersen
and Willem Dafoe
, was a critical favorite and drew comparisons to Friedkin's own The French Connection (particularly for its car-chase sequence), while his courtroom-drama/thriller Rampage (1987) received a fairly positive review from Roger Ebert
despite major distribution problems. The Guardian
(1990) and Jade
(1995), starring Linda Fiorentino
, received somewhat favorable response from critics and audiences. Friedkin even said that Jade was the favorite of all the films he had made.
Friedkin has also done features drawing attention to artists as different as Fritz Lang
and Barbra Streisand
.
In 2000, The Exorcist was re-released in theaters with extra footage and grossed $40 million in the U.S. alone. Friedkin's involvement in 2007's Bug resulted from a positive experience watching the stage version in 2004. He was surprised to find that he was, metaphorically, on the same page as the playwright and felt that he could relate well to the story.
Later, Friedkin directed an episode of the hit TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
entitled "Cockroaches," which re-teamed him with To Live and Die In L.A. star William Petersen. He would go on to direct again for CSI's 200th episode, "Mascara."
In June 2010, author William Peter Blatty
, promoting his latest novel, revealed that Friedkin has committed to direct the feature film adaptation of his thriller, Dimiter
. This would mark almost forty years since their previous collaboration, The Exorcist
, not counting the failed collaboration between the two on The Exorcist III
. The idea for the book itself actually came to Blatty while sitting in Friedkin's office in 1972 during the first film's production, as he read an article concerning the then atheist-run state of Albania executing a priest for baptizing a new-born infant. He has been working on it on and off ever since 1974, and, upon its completion, sat down with Friedkin for a one-on-one interview in The Huffington Post
a few days after Blatty named Friedkin as attached to direct. According to the author, his friend and director has been eager to adapt the story for the last three years.
, Illinois
, the son of Rae ( Green) and Louis Friedkin, a semi-professional softball player, merchant seaman, and men's clothing salesman. He has two sons: Jack (with actress Lesley-Anne Down
) and Cedric, whose mother is Australian dancer and choreographer Jennifer Nairn-Smith. He has been married four times, to Kelly Lange
, Lesley-Anne Down
, and a short marriage to French actress Jeanne Moreau
. He is currently married to former film executive Sherry Lansing
.
Justin Green in the 2009 edition of his book Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary
says William Friedkin is his first cousin.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
best known for directing The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
in 1971 and The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director. His film, Bug
Bug (2006 film)
Bug is a 2006 American horror/thriller directed by William Friedkin, and starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick, Jr..The film is based on the play of the same name written by Tracy Letts.-Plot:...
(2006) won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
Career
After seeing the movie Citizen KaneCitizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
as a boy, Friedkin became fascinated with movies. He began working for WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
immediately after high school. He eventually started his directorial
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
career doing live television shows and documentaries, including The People vs. Paul Crump which won several awards and contributed to the commutation of Crump's
Paul Crump
Paul Crump was a former death row inmate who gained international notoriety and parole after writing the novel Burn, Killer, Burn.- Crimes and Prison Sentences :...
death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
. As mentioned in Friedkin's voice-over commentary on the DVD re-release of Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
, Friedkin also directed one of the last episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965, called "Off Season".
Hitchcock admonished Friedkin for not wearing a tie while directing. In 1965 Friedkin moved to Hollywood and two years later released his first feature film, Good Times
Good Times (film)
Good Times is a 1967 musical comedy film starring Sonny and Cher.-Synopsis:Sonny and Cher appear as themselves in this spoof of various movie genres, including mysteries, westerns and spy thrillers. The plot revolves around a movie contract offered to Sonny by powerful executive Mr. Mordicus,...
starring Sonny and Cher. Several other "art" films followed (including the gay-themed movie The Boys in the Band
The Boys in the Band
The Boys in the Band is a 1970 American drama film directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay by Mart Crowley is based on his Off Broadway play of the same title, Crowley penned a sequel to the play years later entitled The Men From The Boys...
), although Friedkin did not necessarily want to be known as an art house
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
director. He wanted to be known for action, serious drama, and for stories about an America turned upside down by crime, hypocrisy, the occult, and amorality, which he mounted up into his films.
In 1971, his The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
was released to wide critical acclaim. Shot in a gritty style more suited for documentaries than Hollywood features, the film won five Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, including an Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
and Best Director
Academy Award for Directing
The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
.
Friedkin followed up with 1973's The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
, based on William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
'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. Friedkin's directorial 'ethics' however, came into serious question when filming the now notorious scene where Linda Blair smacks Ellen Burstyn, causing her to fly backwards into a break-away table. Even after warning Friedkin the stuntman was "pulling her too hard," Friendkin prompted him to pull her harder, resulting in a permanent back injury for Burstyn.
The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won the Best Screenplay Award.
Following these two critically acclaimed pictures, Friedkin, along with Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
and Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
, was deemed as one of the premier directors of New Hollywood
New Hollywood
New Hollywood or post-classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave", refers to the time from roughly the late-1960s to the early 1980s when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence in America, influencing the types of films produced, their production and...
. Unfortunately, Friedkin's later movies did not achieve the same success. Sorcerer
Sorcerer (film)
Sorcerer is a 1977 thriller adventure film, produced and directed by William Friedkin, starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal and Amidou. It is the second remake of the 1953 French film Le Salaire de la Peur ....
(1977), a $22 million dollar American remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the French classic Wages of Fear, starring Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
, was overshadowed by the box-office success of Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, which was released around the same time. Friedkin considers it his finest film, and was personally devastated by its financial and critical failure (as mentioned by Friedkin himself in the documentary series The Directors (1999).
Sorcerer was shortly followed by the crime-comedy The Brink's Job
The Brink's Job
The Brink's Job is a 1978 film directed by William Friedkin and starring Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Allen Garfield, Warren Oates, Gena Rowlands, and Paul Sorvino. It is based on the Brink's robbery in Boston, where almost 3 million dollars were stolen....
(1978), based on the real-life Great Brink's Robbery in Boston, Massachusetts, which was also unsuccessful at the box-office. In 1980, he directed the highly controversial gay-themed crime thriller Cruising
Cruising (film)
Cruising is a 1980 film directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, about a serial killer targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the S&M scene.Poorly reviewed by critics,...
, starring Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
, which was protested against even during its making and remains the subject of heated debate to this day.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Friedkin's films received mostly lackluster reviews and moderate ticket sales. Deal of the Century
Deal of the Century
Deal of the Century is a 1983 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin and starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver.The film follows the adventures of several arms dealers that compete to sell weapons to a South American dictator....
(1983), starring Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
, Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
and Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
, was sometimes regarded as a latter-day Dr. Strangelove, though it was generally savaged by critics. However, his action/crime movie To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), starring William Petersen
William Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
and Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
, was a critical favorite and drew comparisons to Friedkin's own The French Connection (particularly for its car-chase sequence), while his courtroom-drama/thriller Rampage (1987) received a fairly positive review from Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
despite major distribution problems. The Guardian
The Guardian (1990 film)
The Guardian is a 1990 American horror film directed by William Friedkin and starring Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown and Carey Lowell. A cable television version of the film was credited to "Alan Von Smithee", indicating that Friedkin wished to disassociate himself from its release.This ended up as...
(1990) and Jade
Jade (film)
Jade is a 1995 erotic thriller film written by Joe Eszterhas, produced by Robert Evans, directed by William Friedkin and starring David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna and Michael Biehn. The original music score was composed by James Horner...
(1995), starring Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Dogma, Vision Quest, Men in Black, After Hours and The Last Seduction.-Personal life:...
, received somewhat favorable response from critics and audiences. Friedkin even said that Jade was the favorite of all the films he had made.
Friedkin has also done features drawing attention to artists as different as Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
.
In 2000, The Exorcist was re-released in theaters with extra footage and grossed $40 million in the U.S. alone. Friedkin's involvement in 2007's Bug resulted from a positive experience watching the stage version in 2004. He was surprised to find that he was, metaphorically, on the same page as the playwright and felt that he could relate well to the story.
Later, Friedkin directed an episode of the hit TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
entitled "Cockroaches," which re-teamed him with To Live and Die In L.A. star William Petersen. He would go on to direct again for CSI's 200th episode, "Mascara."
In June 2010, author William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
, promoting his latest novel, revealed that Friedkin has committed to direct the feature film adaptation of his thriller, Dimiter
Dimiter
Dimiter is a novel by William Peter Blatty, released on March 16, 2010 through Forge Books...
. This would mark almost forty years since their previous collaboration, The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
, not counting the failed collaboration between the two on The Exorcist III
The Exorcist III
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural thriller written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the second sequel of The Exorcist series and a film adaptation of Blatty's novel, Legion . The film stars George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders, and Nicol Williamson...
. The idea for the book itself actually came to Blatty while sitting in Friedkin's office in 1972 during the first film's production, as he read an article concerning the then atheist-run state of Albania executing a priest for baptizing a new-born infant. He has been working on it on and off ever since 1974, and, upon its completion, sat down with Friedkin for a one-on-one interview in The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
a few days after Blatty named Friedkin as attached to direct. According to the author, his friend and director has been eager to adapt the story for the last three years.
Personal life
Friedkin was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the son of Rae ( Green) and Louis Friedkin, a semi-professional softball player, merchant seaman, and men's clothing salesman. He has two sons: Jack (with actress Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down is a British film and television actress, former model and singer.Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
) and Cedric, whose mother is Australian dancer and choreographer Jennifer Nairn-Smith. He has been married four times, to Kelly Lange
Kelly Lange
Kelly Lange is an American journalist, most notable for being the first woman to be a nightly news anchor in Los Angeles...
, Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down is a British film and television actress, former model and singer.Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
, and a short marriage to French actress Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
. He is currently married to former film executive Sherry Lansing
Sherry Lansing
Sherry Lansing is a former actress and American film studio executive. She is former CEO of Paramount Pictures, and when president of production at 20th Century Fox was the first woman to head a Hollywood studio In 1996, she became the first woman named Pioneer of the Year by the Foundation of...
.
Justin Green in the 2009 edition of his book Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary is a 44-page autobiographical comic book from 1972 by American cartoonist Justin Green. It was the first long autobiographical work to appear in underground comics, and was extremely personal, detailing Green's childhood struggle with a disorder which in...
says William Friedkin is his first cousin.
Filmography (as director)
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Good Times Good Times (film) Good Times is a 1967 musical comedy film starring Sonny and Cher.-Synopsis:Sonny and Cher appear as themselves in this spoof of various movie genres, including mysteries, westerns and spy thrillers. The plot revolves around a movie contract offered to Sonny by powerful executive Mr. Mordicus,... |
|
| 1968 | ||
| 1968 | ||
| 1970 | ||
| 1971 | Academy Award for Best Director Directors Guild of America Directors Guild of America Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry... Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Direction BAFTA Award for Best Direction Winners of the BAFTA Award for Best Direction presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.-2010s:* 2010 - David Fincher – The Social Network** Tom Hooper – The King's Speech** Danny Boyle – 127 Hours... |
|
| 1973 | Empire Movie Masterpiece Award Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated — Academy Award for Best Director Nominated — Directors Guild of America Directors Guild of America Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry... Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement |
|
| 1977 | Sorcerer Sorcerer (film) Sorcerer is a 1977 thriller adventure film, produced and directed by William Friedkin, starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal and Amidou. It is the second remake of the 1953 French film Le Salaire de la Peur .... |
Also Producer |
| 1978 | ||
| 1980 | Cruising Cruising (film) Cruising is a 1980 film directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker, about a serial killer targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the S&M scene.Poorly reviewed by critics,... |
Also Writer |
| 1983 | Deal of the Century Deal of the Century Deal of the Century is a 1983 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin and starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver.The film follows the adventures of several arms dealers that compete to sell weapons to a South American dictator.... |
|
| 1985 | To Live and Die in L.A. | Also Writer Festival du Film Policier de Cognac Festival du Film Policier de Cognac The Festival du Film Policier de Cognac is an annual film festival that took place in Cognac, France from 1982 to 2007 .The festival was disbanded after an extraordinary general meeting in December 2007... Audience Award |
| 1986 | C.A.T. Squad (TV) | Also Producer |
| 1987 | Rampage | Also Producer/Writer Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Direction Saturn Award for Best Direction The following is a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Direction:-Multiple Winners:*James Cameron - 5 awards*Steven Spielberg - 4 awards*Peter Jackson - 3 awards*Bryan Singer - 2 awards... Nominated — Deauville Film Festival Critics Award |
| 1988 | C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (TV) | Also Producer |
| 1990 | Also Writer | |
| 1994 | Blue Chips Blue Chips Blue Chips is a 1994 drama film about basketball, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college coach and real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway as talented finds.... |
|
| 1995 | Jade Jade (film) Jade is a 1995 erotic thriller film written by Joe Eszterhas, produced by Robert Evans, directed by William Friedkin and starring David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna and Michael Biehn. The original music score was composed by James Horner... |
|
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men is a 1957 American drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Directed by Sidney Lumet, the film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt... (TV) |
|
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement (film) Rules of Engagement is a 2000 American film directed by William Friedkin and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement in a military incident at an American embassy... |
|
| 2003 | ||
| 2007 | Bug Bug (2006 film) Bug is a 2006 American horror/thriller directed by William Friedkin, and starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick, Jr..The film is based on the play of the same name written by Tracy Letts.-Plot:... |
FIPRESCI FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in... |
| 2011 | Killer Joe Killer Joe (film) Killer Joe is a 2011 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin. The film competed in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in September.-Cast:... |
Competed in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival 68th Venice International Film Festival The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,... . |
External links
- Watching Under the Influence: To Live and Die in L.A. essay at Slant Magazine
- "From 'Popeye' Doyle to Puccini: William Friedkin" NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Friedkin, 14 September 2006
- EXCL: Bug Director William Friedkin
- The Reeler interview with Friedkin
- American Film Institute interview