Directed credits
36
Prolific
Very extensive directing filmography.
Director
William Friedkin
Directing
Career Snapshot
ExplainedThese indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.
TMDB popularity
1.1
Low visibility
TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.
Directed movies: 31Directed series: 5All crew credits: 41
TMDB ID: 15175
IMDb ID: nm0001243
Known for: Directing
Born: August 29, 1935
Died: August 7, 2023
Age: 87
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gender: Male
Adult content flag: No
Career span: 1962 - 2026
Years active: 65
Average TMDB rating: 6.81
Wikidata: Q51582
Also known as
윌리엄 프리드킨 • 윌리암 프리드킨 • William David Friedkin
Frequent jobs
Director (35)Stage Director (1)Producer (2)Teleplay (1)Thanks (1)Writer (1)
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.
Photos
Directed Movies
Movies directed by William Friedkin.
The Devil and Father Amorth
Director
2018 Movie
Verdi Aida
Stage Director
2015 Movie
Henri Langlois vu par...
Director
2014 Movie
Killer Joe
Director
2012 Movie
The Painter's Voice
Director
2007 Movie
Bug
Director
2007 Movie
The Hunted
Director
2003 Movie
Rules of Engagement
Director
2000 Movie
12 Angry Men
Director
1997 Movie
Jade
Director
1995 Movie
Jailbreakers
Director
1994 Movie
Blue Chips
Director
1994 Movie
The Guardian
Director
1990 Movie
C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
Director
1988 Movie
Rampage
Director
1987 Movie
C.A.T. Squad
Director
1986 Movie
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Director
1986 Movie
To Live and Die in L.A.
Director
1985 Movie
Deal of the Century
Director
1983 Movie
The Brink's Job
Director
1978 Movie
Sorcerer
Director
1977 Movie
Conversation with Fritz Lang
Director
1975 Movie
The Exorcist
Director
1973 Movie
The French Connection
Director
1971 Movie
Directed Series
Series directed by William Friedkin.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Director • 2 eps
2000 Series
Rebel Highway
Director • 1 eps
1994 Series
Tales from the Crypt
Director • 1 eps
1989 Series
The Twilight Zone
Director • 1 eps
1985 Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Director • 1 eps
1962 Series
Top Rated Movies
Highest rated movies linked with William Friedkin.
The Exorcist
Director
1973 Movie
12 Angry Men
Director
1997 Movie
The French Connection
Director
1971 Movie
Sorcerer
Director
1977 Movie
To Live and Die in L.A.
Director
1985 Movie
The Boys in the Band
Director
1970 Movie
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Teleplay
2023 Movie
Without Limits
as TV Director
1998 Movie
Cruising
Writer
1980 Movie
Killer Joe
Director
2012 Movie
Rules of Engagement
Director
2000 Movie
The Hunted
Director
2003 Movie
Top Rated Series
Highest rated series linked with William Friedkin.
The Simpsons
as Dr. Kenneth Humphries (voice) • 1 eps
1989 Series
Tales from the Crypt
Director • 1 eps
1989 Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Director • 1 eps
1962 Series
The Twilight Zone
Director • 1 eps
1985 Series
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Director • 2 eps
2000 Series
Most Popular Movies
Most viewed movie titles linked with William Friedkin.
The Exorcist
Director
1973 Movie
Bug
Director
2007 Movie
12 Angry Men
Director
1997 Movie
The Hunted
Director
2003 Movie
Sorcerer
Director
1977 Movie
The French Connection
Director
1971 Movie
Killer Joe
Director
2012 Movie
Cruising
Writer
1980 Movie
To Live and Die in L.A.
Director
1985 Movie
Rules of Engagement
Director
2000 Movie
Jailbreakers
Director
1994 Movie
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
as Self (archive footage)
2026 Movie
Most Popular Series
Most viewed series linked with William Friedkin.
The Simpsons
as Dr. Kenneth Humphries (voice) • 1 eps
1989 Series
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Director • 2 eps
2000 Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Director • 1 eps
1962 Series
The Twilight Zone
Director • 1 eps
1985 Series
Tales from the Crypt
Director • 1 eps
1989 Series
Through the Night with...
as Self • 1 eps
2002 Series
Rebel Highway
Director • 1 eps
1994 Series
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self • 1 eps
2023 Series
Leçon de Cinéma
as Self • 1 eps
2004 Series
Other Crew Work in Movies
Additional movie credits for William Friedkin.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Teleplay
2023 Movie
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
Thanks
1998 Movie
Cruising
Writer
1980 Movie
Muggins
Producer
1967 Movie
The Thin Blue Line
Producer
1966 Movie
Acting Appearances in Movies
Movie cast credits for William Friedkin.
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
as Self (archive footage)
2026 Movie
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
as Self
2024 Movie
Algren
as Self
2021 Movie
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
as Self (archive footage)
2021 Movie
Fellini of the Spirits
as Self
2020 Movie
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
as Self
2019 Movie
Friedkin Uncut
as Self
2018 Movie
The Devil and Father Amorth
as Self
2018 Movie
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
2015 Movie
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2014 Movie
Henri Langlois vu par...
as Self
2014 Movie
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as Self
2013 Movie
Acting Appearances in Series
Series cast credits for William Friedkin.
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self • 1 eps
2023 Series
Leçon de Cinéma
as Self • 1 eps
2004 Series
Through the Night with...
as Self • 1 eps
2002 Series
The Simpsons
as Dr. Kenneth Humphries (voice) • 1 eps
1989 Series