-
William Friedkin
WilliamFriedkin (born August 29, 1935)[1] is an Amer-ican lm
director, producer and screenwriter best knownfor directing The
French Connection in 1971 and TheExorcist in 1973; for the former,
he won the AcademyAward for Best Director. Some of his other lms
includeSorcerer, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A., Jade, Rulesof
Engagement, The Hunted, Bug, and Killer Joe.
1 Early life
Friedkin was born in August 1935 in Chicago, Illi-nois, the son
of Rachael (ne Green) and Louis Fried-kin. His father was a
semi-professional softball player,merchant seaman, and mens
clothing salesman. Hismother, whom Friedkin called a saint, was an
operatingroom registered nurse.[1] His parents were Jewish
immi-grants from Ukraine.[2] His grandparents, parents, andother
relatives ed Ukraine during a particularly vio-lent anti-Jewish
pogrom in 1903.[3] Friedkins father wassomewhat uninterested in
making money, and the familywas generally lower middle class while
he was growingup.[1] According to lm historian Peter Biskind,
Fried-kin viewed his father with a mixture of aection and con-tempt
for not making more of himself.[1] According tohis memoir, The
Friedkin Connection, Friedkin had theutmost aection for his
father.Friedkin attended public schools in Chicago. He en-rolled at
Senn High School, where he played basketballwell enough to consider
turning professional.[4] Friedkinwas not a serious student and
barely received grades goodenough to graduate,[5] which he did at
the age of 16.[6] Ac-cording to Friedkin, this was because of
social promotionand not because he was bright.[7]
Friedkin began going to movies as a teenager,[4] and hascited
Citizen Kane as one of his key inuences. Severalsources claim that
Friedkin saw this motion picture as ateenager,[8] but Friedkin
himself says that he did not seethe lm until 1960, when he was 25
years old. Only then,Friedkin says, did he become a true
cineaste.[9] Amongthe movies which he saw as a teenager and young
adultwere Les Diaboliques, The Wages of Fear, and Psycho(which he
viewed repeatedly, like Citizen Kane). Tele-vised documentaries,
such as 1960s Harvest of Shame,also were important in his
developing sense of cinema.[4]
He began working in the mail room at WGN-TV imme-diately after
high school.[10] Within two years (at the ageof 18),[11] he started
his directorial career doing live tele-
vision shows and documentaries.[12] His eorts includedThe People
vs. Paul Crump (made with Bill Butler in1962) which won an award at
the San Francisco Inter-national Film Festival and contributed to
the commuta-tion of Crumps death sentence.[11][13] Its success
helpedFriedkin get a job with producer David L. Wolper.[11]
2 CareerAs mentioned in Friedkins voice-over commentary onthe
DVD re-release of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, Fried-kin directed
one of the last episodes of The AlfredHitchcock Hour in 1965,
called O Season.[14] Hitch-cock admonished Friedkin for not wearing
a tie whiledirecting.[15]
In 1965 Friedkinmoved to Hollywood and two years laterreleased
his rst feature lm, Good Times starring Sonnyand Cher. Several
other art lms followed, includingthe gay-themed movie The Boys in
the Band and mostnotably The Birthday Party, based on an
unpublishedscreenplay by Harold Pinter, which he adapted from
hisown play. Friedkin, however, did not want to be knownas an art
house director, but rather for action and seri-ous drama through
stories about an America upended bycrime, hypocrisy, the occult,
and amorality. All of whichhe mounted up into his lms to reect what
was going onin an America that was changing in the wake of
Vietnam,the Sexual Revolution, and Watergate.In 1971, his The
French Connection was released to widecritical acclaim. Shot in a
gritty style more suited fordocumentaries than Hollywood features,
the lmwon veAcademy Awards, including Best Picture and Best
Direc-tor.Friedkin followed up with 1973s The Exorcist, based
onWilliam Peter Blatty's best-selling novel, which revolu-tionized
the horror genre and is considered by some crit-ics to be one of
the greatest horror movies of all time.The Exorcist was nominated
for 10 Academy Awards, in-cluding Best Picture and Best Director.
It won the BestScreenplay Award.Following these two critically
acclaimed pictures, Fried-kin, along with Francis Ford Coppola and
Peter Bog-danovich, was deemed one of the premier directors ofNew
Hollywood; but Friedkins later movies did notachieve the same
success. Sorcerer (1977), a $22 mil-lion American remake of the
French classic Wages ofFear, starring Roy Scheider, was
overshadowed by the
1
-
2 4 FILMOGRAPHY (AS DIRECTOR)
blockbuster box-oce success of Star Wars, which hadbeen released
exactly one month prior. Friedkin consid-ers it his nest lm, and
was personally devastated by itsnancial and critical failure (as
mentioned by Friedkinhimself in the documentary series The
Directors (1999)).Sorcerer was shortly followed by the crime-comedy
TheBrinks Job (1978), based on the real-life Great BrinksRobbery in
Boston,Massachusetts, whichwas also unsuc-cessful at the box-oce.
In 1980, he directed the highlycontroversial gay-themed crime
thriller Cruising, starringAl Pacino, which was protested against
even during itsmaking and remains the subject of heated
debate.Friedkin suered a major heart attack on March 6, 1981.He had
a genetically-caused defect in his circumex leftcoronary artery,
and nearly died. He spent months inrehabilitation.[16]
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Friedkins lms re-ceived mostly
lackluster reviews and moderate ticketsales. Deal of the Century
(1983), starring Chevy Chase,Gregory Hines and Sigourney Weaver,
was sometimesregarded as a latter-day Dr. Strangelove, though it
wasgenerally savaged by critics. However, his action/crimemovie To
Live and Die in L.A. (1985), starring WilliamPetersen and Willem
Dafoe, was a critical favorite anddrew comparisons to Friedkins own
The French Con-nection (particularly for its car-chase sequence),
whilehis courtroom-drama/thriller Rampage (1987) receiveda fairly
positive review from Roger Ebert despite majordistribution
problems. The Guardian (1990) and Jade(1995), starring Linda
Fiorentino, received a somewhatfavorable response from critics and
audiences. Friedkineven said that Jade was the favorite of all the
lms he hadmade,[17] although he later denied this.[18]
In 2000, The Exorcist was re-released in theaters with ex-tra
footage and grossed $40 million in the U.S. alone.Friedkins
involvement in 2007s Bug resulted from a pos-itive experience
watching the stage version in 2004. Hewas surprised to nd that he
was, metaphorically, on thesame page as the playwright and felt
that he could relatewell to the story.[19] The lm won the FIPRESCI
prize atthe Cannes Film Festival.Later, Friedkin directed an
episode of the TV series CSI:Crime Scene Investigation titled
Cockroaches, which re-teamed him with To Live and Die in L.A.
starWilliam Pe-tersen. He directed again for CSIs 200th episode,
Mas-cara.In June 2010, author William Peter Blatty, promoting
hislatest novel, revealed that Friedkin had committed to di-rect
the feature lm adaptation of his thriller, Dimiter.[20]This would
mark almost forty years since their previouscollaboration, The
Exorcist, not counting the failed col-laboration between the two on
The Exorcist III. The ideafor the book itself actually came to
Blatty while sittingin Friedkins oce in 1972 during the rst lms
produc-tion, as he read an article concerning the then
atheist-runstate of Albania executing a priest for baptizing a
new-
born infant.[21] He has been working on it on and oever since
1974, and, upon its completion, sat down withFriedkin for a
one-on-one interview in The HungtonPost a few days after Blatty
named Friedkin as attachedto direct. According to the author, his
friend and directorhas been eager to adapt the story for the last
three years.In 2011 Friedkin directedKiller Joe, a black
comedywrit-ten by Tracy Letts, and starring Matthew
McConaughey,Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, and
ThomasHaden Church. Killer Joe premiered at the 68th
VeniceInternational Film Festival, prior to its North Americandebut
at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Itopened in U.S.
theaters in July 2012, to favorable reviewsfrom critics.In April
2013 Friedkin published a memoir, The FriedkinConnection.[22] He
was presented with a lifetime achieve-ment award at the 70th Venice
International Film Festivalin September.[23]
3 Personal lifeWilliam Friedkin has been married four times:
Jeanne Moreau, married February 8, 1977,[24] anddivorced in
1979.[25]
Lesley-Anne Down, married in 1982[26] and di-vorced in
1985.[27]
Kelly Lange, married on June 7, 1987,[28] and di-vorced in
1990.[29]
Sherry Lansing, married on July 6, 1991.[30] Theyremain married
as of April 2013.[31]
While he was lming The Boys in the Band in 1970,Friedkin began a
relationship with Kitty Hawks, daugh-ter of director Howard Hawks.
It lasted two years, duringwhich the couple announced their
engagement, but therelationship ended about 1972.[32] Friedkin
began a four-year relationship with Australian dancer and
choreogra-pher Jennifer Nairn-Smith in 1972. Although they
an-nounced an engagement twice, they never married. Theydid,
however, have a son, Cedric, born on November 27,1976.[33]
Friedkin and his second wife, Lesley-Anne Down, alsohad a son,
Jack, born in 1983.[27] Friedkin is anagnostic.[34]
4 Filmography (as director)
4.1 Documentary credits The People vs. Paul Crump (1965)
-
3 The Bold Men The Thin Blue Line Mayhem on a Sunday
Afternoon
5 Awards
6 References[1] Biskind, p. 200.
[2] Pfeerman, Naomi. "'Killer Joes' William Friedkin: 'ICould
Have Been a Very Violent Person'. Jewish Journal.August 2, 2012.
Accessed 2013-04-29.
[3] Friedkin, The Friedkin Connection, p. 1.
[4] Biskind, p. 201.
[5] Segalo, p. 25.
[6] Wakeman, p. 372.
[7] Friedkin, Conversations at the American Film Institute...,p.
186.
[8] Emery, p. 237; Claggett, p. 3.
[9] Friedkin, The Friedkin Connection, p. 9.
[10] Stevens, p. 184.
[11] Walker and Johnson, p. 15.
[12] Derry, p. 361; Edmonds and Mimura, p. 211.
[13] Hamm, p. 86-87.
[14] O Season 1965. IMDb. p. 2. Retrieved September 8,2009.
[15] Vertigo: The Legacy Series Universal, 2008
[16] Biskind, p. 413.
[17] William, Linda Ruth (2005). The Erotic Thriller in
Con-temporary Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 140.ISBN
0-253-21836-5.
[18] William Friedkin Interview on YouTube
[19] EXCL: Bug Director William Friedkin.
[20] Crazy by William Peter Blatty, authorsontourlive.com,June
30, 2010
[21] William Friedkin : Director, producer and screenwriter :A
Quiet Little Thriller, The Hungton Post, July 6, 2010
[22] Friedkin, William. The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir.New
York: HarperCollins, 2013.
[23] William Friedkin to receive Venice honour. BBC News.
[24] Martin, Judith. Personalities. Washington Post. Febru-ary
9, 1977, p. B3.
[25] Filing for Divorce. Newsweek. June 25, 1979, p. 99.
[26] Sanders, Richard. Director Billy Friedkin and Lesley-Anne
Down Make a Home Movie-Divorce HollywoodStyle. People. September 2,
1985. Accessed 2013-04-29.
[27] Names in the News. Associated Press. August 15, 1985.
[28] Director William Friedkin Marries News Anchor KellyLange.
Ocala Star-Banner. July 29, 1987, p. 2A. Ac-cessed 2013-04-29.
[29] Ryon, Ruth. Still Anchored in the Hills. Los AngelesTimes.
May 31, 1992. Accessed 2013-04-29.
[30] Anderson, Susan Heller. Chronicle. New York Times.July 11,
1991. Accessed 2013-04-29.
[31] Teetor, Paul. "'The Exorcist' Director William
FriedkinTells All in His No-Bullshit Memoir. Los Angeles
Times.April 11, 2013. Accessed 2013-04-29.
[32] Segalo, p. 98.
[33] William Friedkin Biography. Movies.Yahoo.com.2013, accessed
2013-04-29; Failing Better Every Time.Sunday Independent. July 1,
2012.
[34] The Exorcist & The French Connection Dir.
WilliamFriedkin on Religion, Crime & Film on YouTube
[35] Venezia 68: International competition of feature
lms.Venice. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
7 Bibliography Biskind, Peter. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How
the
Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hol-lywood. New
York: Simon and Schuster, 1998.ISBN 0-684-80996-6
Claggett, Thomas D. William Friedkin: Films ofAberration,
Obsession, and Reality. Los Angeles:Silman-James Press, 2003. ISBN
0-89950-262-8
Derry, Charles, ed. Dark Dreams 2.0: A Psycho-logical History of
the Modern Horror Film From the1950s to the 21st Century. Jeerson,
N.C.: McFar-land & Co., 2009. ISBN 978-0-7864-3397-1
Edmonds, I. G. and Mimura, Reiko. The Oscar Di-rectors. San
Diego: A.S. Barnes, 1980. ISBN 0-498-02444-X
Emery, Robert J., ed. The Directors: In Their OwnWords. Vol. 2.
New York: TV Books, 1999. ISBN1-57500-129-2
Friedkin, William. The Friedkin Connection: AMemoir. New York:
HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN978-0-06-177512-3
-
4 8 EXTERNAL LINKS
Friedkin, William. Conversations at the AmericanFilm Institute
With the Great Moviemakers: The NextGeneration. George Stevens,
Jr., ed. New York: Al-fred A. Knopf, 2012. ISBN
978-0-307-27347-5
Hamm, Theodore. Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chess-man and the
Politics of the Death Penalty in PostwarCalifornia, 19481974.
Berkeley, Calif.: Univer-sity of California Press, 2001. ISBN
0-520-22427-2
Segalo, Nat. Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life andFilms of
William Friedkin. New York: Morrow,1990. ISBN 0-688-07852-4
Stevens, Jr., George, ed. Conversations at the Amer-ican Film
Institute With the Great Moviemakers: TheNext Generation. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf,2012. ISBN 978-0-307-27347-5
Wakeman, John. World Film Directors, 19451985.New York: Wilson,
1988. ISBN 0-8242-0757-2
Walker, Elsie M. and Johnson, David T., eds. Con-versations With
Directors: An Anthology of Inter-views From 'Literature/Film
Quarterly'. Lanham,Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2008. ISBN
978-0-8108-6122-0
8 External links William Friedkin at the Internet Movie Database
William Friedkin at the Internet BroadwayDatabase From 'Popeye'
Doyle to Puccini: William Fried-kin NPRs Robert Siegel interviews
Friedkin,September 14, 2006
EXCL: Bug Director William Friedkin The Reeler interview with
Friedkin Master Class at La Cinmathque franaise on De-cember 4th
2013
William Friedkin papers, Margaret Herrick Library,Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
-
59 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses9.1
Text
William Friedkin Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Friedkin?oldid=669419811
Contributors: SimonP, Jahsonic, SeanO,Greenrd, Moncrief, Matty j,
Cyrius, David Gerard, Varlaam, Sam, Udzu, D6, Discospinster, Jpk,
Antaeus Feldspar, Dyl, ESkog, Canis-Rufus, Remember, Feitclub,
HasharBot~enwiki, Hektor, Philip Cross, Yamla, Dismas, Angr, Robert
K S, Wikiklrsc, Zzyzx11, Bunchof-grapes, Ted Wilkes, Eoghanacht,
Koavf, Jake Wartenberg, The wub, FlaBot, Djrobgordon, Nihiltres,
Darkhorse82, IsaacBarry, YurikBot,Borgx, RandallJones, Grafen,
Irishguy, Jona, Tony1, Engineer Bob, Pegship, Fallout boy, Hal
Raglan, Whobot, Garion96, Tim1965,Kranar drogin, Vulturell,
SmackBot, Cubs Fan, Chris the speller, Tunes, Colonies Chris, Bib,
Nixeagle, Threeafterthree, Jwy, TheLimbi-cOne, Hotwine8, Ceoil,
TenPoundHammer, Thepangelinanpost, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Guat6,
Lisapollison, Jon186, Ryulong, Irides-cent, Lathrop1885, Luigibob,
Joey80, Brandubh Blathmac, Cydebot, J.D., Lugnuts, Ameliorate!,
Mallanox, Bookgrrl, BetacommandBot,Thijs!bot, Blacklake,
CharlotteWebb, Rsocol, MegX, Doctorhawkes, Dmacw6, Wildhartlivie,
Scanlan, Freefry, GavSalkeld, Sleepyjuly,CommonsDelinker,
Magnakai6, RRawpower, Cop 663, N26825, Jevansen, Sgeureka,
Thismightbezach, Annoynmous, Bovineboy2008,Usernodunno, Joliecide,
Anderswolleck, Broadbot, Markdashark1212, The News Hound, Ponyo,
Scarian, Schizodelight, Alex Middle-ton, Zeromega, Plee4139,
ImageRemovalBot, Twinsday, Martarius, ClueBot, Binksternet, All
Hallows Wraith, Starvinsky, Nymf, De-oli1, Light show, Kbdankbot,
Addbot, Manuel Trujillo Berges, BONKEROO, Vikiizer, Jim10701,
Debresser, JGKlein, Tassedethe,Numbo3-bot, Danicat, Lightbot,
Contributor777, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Themfromspace, Bbb23, AnomieBOT,
Jim1138, Rickaremyself-porra, RobertEves92, ArthurBot, Xqbot,
RicaumLOL, MaverickAC, My blue orpheus, Omnipaedista, Jean-Jacques
Georges, Michaellee4,Shaundaily, B3t, Tinton5, Mjs1991, MikeAllen,
Anthony Winward, RjwilmsiBot, Twix1875, Earthh, Christian
wikipedestrian, LM2000,Grapple X, Asalrifai, Helpful Pixie Bot,
Strike Eagle, Gothiclm, Puramyun31, Dutchy85, ERJANIK, Benmckone,
QuickMotion,Ophuls20393, Mogism, Makecat-bot, VIAFbot, Mongo460,
Hitcher vs. Candyman, Fallacies4, Lauren at Margaret Herrick
Library, Kas-parBot, Knife-in-the-drawer and Anonymous: 115
9.2 Images File:Commons-logo.svg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg
License: ? Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
9.3 Content license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
3.0
Early lifeCareerPersonal lifeFilmography (as
director)Documentary credits
AwardsReferencesBibliographyExternal links Text and image
sources, contributors, and licensesTextImagesContent license
