WILLIAM FRIEDKIN

'William Friedkin' (born August 29 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American movie and television director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing ''The Exorcist'' and ''The French Connection'' in the early 1970s.

Contents

Career

Personal life

Filmography (as director)

External links

Career

After seeing the movie ''Citizen Kane'' as a boy, Friedkin became fascinated with movies and 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. 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 movie ''The Boys in the Band''), although Friedkin did not want to be known as an art house director.
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 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. ''The Exorcist'' was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Following these two critically acclaimed pictures, Friedkin, along with Francis Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich, was deemed as one of the premier directors in Hollywood. Unfortunately, Friedkin's later movies did not achieve the same success. ''Sorcerer'', an American remake of the movie ''Wages of Fear'' starring Roy Scheider, was overshadowed by the box office smash, '', which was released around the same time.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Friedkin's films received lackluster reviews and moderate ticket sales.
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. ^[1]

Personal life

Friedkin has two sons: Jack (with actress Lesley-Anne Down) and Cedric, whose mother is Australian dancer Jennifer Nairn-Smith. He has been married four times, including a short marriage to French actress Jeanne Moreau. He is currently married to former film executive Sherry Lansing.

Filmography (as director)

Award information is from The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)[2].

Year	DVD cover	Film information	Additional information
2007		'''Bug''' ★ Release Date: May 25, 2007 ★ Genre: Horror, psychological thriller ★ Distributed by: Lionsgate	★ 2006 FIPRESCI Prize winner, William Friedkin
2003		'''The Hunted''' ★ Release Date: 2003 ★ Genre: Action ★ Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	★ 2003 Two Golden Trailer nominations (Best Action, Best Horror/Thriller)
2000		'''Rules of Engagement''' ★ Release Date: March 31 2000 ★ Genre: Action drama ★ Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	★ 2000 Image Award (Outstanding Supporting Actor) ★ World Stunt Award nomination (Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director)
1995		'''Jade''' ★ Release Date: October 13, 1995 ★ Genre: Erotic crime thriller ★ Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	★ 1995 Two Razzie Award nominations. (Worst New Star, Worst Screenplay)
1994		'''Blue Chips''' ★ Release Date: February 18, 1994 ★ Genre: Drama ★ Distributed by: Paramount	★ 1994 Razzie Award nomination. (Worst New Star)
1990		'''The Guardian''' ★ Release Date: 1990 ★ Genre: Horror ★ Distributed by:	★ 1990 Three Saturn Award nominations (Best Horror Film, Best Music, Best Supporting Actress)
1988		'''Rampage''' ★ Release Date: 1988 ★ Genre: Horror ★ Distributed by: Miramax Films	★ 1988 Saturn Award nomination, Best Director. ★ Deauville Film Festival Critics award nomination, William Friedkin
1985		'''To Live and Die in L.A.''' ★ Release Date: November 1, 1985 ★ Genre: Action thriller ★ Distributed by: MGM	★ 1985 Cognac Festival du Film Policier, Audience award winner: William Friedkin ★ Two Stuntman Awards.
1983		'''Deal of the Century''' ★ Release Date: 1983 ★ Genre: Comedy ★ Distributed by:	★
1980		'''Cruising''' ★ Release Date: February 8, 1980 ★ Genre: Thriller ★ Distributed by: Lorimar Productions / United Artists	★ Nominated for three 'Golden Raspberry Awards': Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay and Worst Director
1978		'''The Brink's Job''' ★ Release Date: 1978 ★ Genre: Comedy ★ Distributed by:	★ 1978 Nominated for 1 Oscar. (Best Art Direction-Set Decoration)
1977		'''Sorcerer''' ★ Release Date: June 21, 1977 ★ Genre: Drama ★ Distributed by: Universal Pictures	★ 1977 Nominated for 1 Oscar. (Best Sound)
1973		'''The Exorcist''' ★ Release Date: December 26, 1973 ★ Genre: Horror ★ Distributed by: Warner Bros.	★ 1973 Nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Director. It won two, for Sound and Writing Adapted Screenplay. ★ Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. It won 4, including Best Director. ★ 1974 Four Golden Scrolls ★ BAFTA Film Award nomination (Best Sound Track) ★ DGA Award nomination, William Friedkin ★ Empire Movie Masterpiece Award, William Friedkin ★ 1978 Golden Screen (Germany) ★ 1974 2 Golden Reel Awards (Best Sound Editing) ★ WGA Award nomination (Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium)
1971		'''The French Connection''' ★ Release Date: October 7, 1971 ★ Genre: Crime thriller ★ Distributed by: 20th Century Fox	★ 1971 Nominated for 8 Oscars. It won 5, including Best Director. ★ Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. It won 3, including Best Director. ★ Eddie Award nomination (Best Edited Feature Film) ★ Five BAFTA Film Award nominations. It won two. ★ David di Donatello Awards (Best Foreign Film) ★ DGA Award (Outstanding Directorial Achievement) ★ Edgar Allan Poe Award (Best Motion Picture) ★ KCFCC Award (Best Actor, Best Film) ★ Golden Reel Award (Best Sound Editing) ★ NBR Award (Best actor) ★ NYFCC Award (Best actor) ★ WGA Award (Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium)
1970		'''The Boys in the Band''' ★ Release Date: March 17, 1970 ★ Genre: Drama ★ Distributed by: National General Pictures	★ 1970 Nominated for one Golden Globe award. (Most Promising Newcomer - Male)
1968		'''The Night They Raided Minsky's''' ★ Release Date: December 22, 1968 ★ Genre: Comedy ★ Distributed by: United Artists	★
1968		'''The Birthday Party''' ★ Release Date: December 9, 1968 ★ Genre: Drama thriller ★ Distributed by: Continental Motion Pictures Corporation	★
1967		'''Good Times''' ★ Release Date: May 1967 ★ Genre: Comedy ★ Distributed by: Columbia Pictures	★ Starring Sonny & Cher

External links

★

★ Friedkin's website

★ Watching Under the Influence: To Live and Die in L.A. essay at 24 Lies A Second

★ "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