A family acquaintance confirmed to AFP that William Friedkin, the pioneering US director of “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection,” passed away on Monday. He was 87.
Friedkin passed unexpectedly in Los Angeles, according to Stephen Galloway, a former executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter, after experiencing unidentified health concerns recently.
“He died this morning,” confirmed Galloway, after speaking with Friedkin’s wife.
Friedkin had “been working until a few weeks ago,” but “had been in declining health,” he added.
Friedkin was one of a group of significant young “New Hollywood” directors that significantly changed the US movie business, overturning a long-standing order in which wealthy studio producers had held sway.
In the early 1970s, Friedkin burst onto the scene alongside other auteurs like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese with the gritty cop drama “The French Connection.”
It was a five-time Oscar winner with Gene Hackman, winning for best director and best picture.
In 1973, he released “The Exorcist” as a follow-up. Both a hit and a contentious topic, it was.
The terrifying movie about a 12-year-old girl who is possessed by the devil received ten Oscar nominations, took home two, and inspired a number of sequels.
Soon after, Friedkin’s career began to rapidly collapse, with the extremely expensive flop “Sorcerer” in 1977
While he never reached those early heights again, he continued directing well into his 80s.
His final film, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” starring Kiefer Sutherland, is set to premiere at this year’s Venice film festival.
Friedkin is survived by his fourth wife Sherry Lansing — a former Paramount Pictures studio chief — and two sons.