FILM DIRECTOR

William Friedkin

1935 - 2023

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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 religious horror thriller once receiving an X rating The Exorcist (1973); 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). Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. William Friedkin is the 198th most popular film director (down from 92nd in 2019), the 1,582nd most popular biography from United States (down from 626th in 2019) and the 58th most popular American Film Director.

William Friedkin is most famous for directing the horror film The Exorcist.

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Among FILM DIRECTORS

Among film directors, William Friedkin ranks 198 out of 2,041. Before him are Dino Risi, Joel Schumacher, Vincente Minnelli, Margarethe von Trotta, Guillermo del Toro, and Danny Boyle. After him are Lev Kuleshov, Blake Edwards, Stephen Frears, Ivan Reitman, Barry Levinson, and Lina Wertmüller.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1935, William Friedkin ranks 58. Before him are Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Viktor Bryukhanov, Jerry Lee Lewis, Udo Lattek, Abdou Diouf, and Zhelyu Zhelev. After him are Ernesto Laclau, David Lodge, Monique Wittig, Seiji Ozawa, Mirella Freni, and Pranab Mukherjee. Among people deceased in 2023, William Friedkin ranks 70. Before him are Alain Touraine, Harry Markowitz, Matthew Perry, Dubravka Ugrešić, Milan Milutinović, and Mark Margolis. After him are Gordon Moore, Hans Modrow, Dick Fosbury, Charles Simic, Gianluca Vialli, and Renata Scotto.

Others Born in 1935

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In United States

Among people born in United States, William Friedkin ranks 1,582 out of 20,380. Before him are Jack Black (1969), Walter Hunt (1796), Cyrus Vance (1917), Mamie Eisenhower (1896), Billie Eilish (2001), and Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. (1868). After him are Alfred G. Gilman (1941), Donna Haraway (1944), Carl Woese (1928), Jeff Lindsay (1952), Louis Zamperini (1917), and Clyde Drexler (1962).

Others born in United States

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Among FILM DIRECTORS In United States

Among film directors born in United States, William Friedkin ranks 58. Before him are Kathryn Bigelow (1951), Ed Wood (1924), Sean Baker (1971), Arthur Penn (1922), Joel Schumacher (1939), and Vincente Minnelli (1903). After him are Blake Edwards (1922), Barry Levinson (1942), Garry Marshall (1934), Chris Columbus (1958), Robert Aldrich (1918), and Stanley Kramer (1913).

American born Film Directors

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