William Friedkin

William Friedkin was an American filmmaker closely identified with the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, who began his career directing documentaries before moving into features. His 1971 film The French Connection won him the Academy Award for Best Director along with four other Oscars including Best Picture, and his 1973 film The Exorcist became a landmark of the horror genre and earned him another Best Director nomination. His other films include The Boys in the Band, an early and significant work of queer cinema, the long-underrated Sorcerer, and To Live and Die in L.A. Late in his career he directed Bug, Killer Joe and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and from 1998 onward he also worked extensively as an opera director alongside his film and television work. He died in Los Angeles in 2023 at age 87 from heart failure and pneumonia.