William Friedkin dies: ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The French Connection’ director was 87

Renowned filmmaker William Friedkin, celebrated for his extraordinary contributions to cinema with movies like the Academy Award-winning The French Connection and the groundbreaking The Exorcist, passed away on Monday at the age of 87 in Los Angeles.

The news of his death was confirmed by Stephen Galloway, the dean of Chapman University and a close friend of Friedkin's wife, Sherry Lansing.

The Oscar-winning director's final directorial work, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, featuring Kiefer Sutherland, is scheduled to premiere at the esteemed Venice Film Festival.

During the 1970s, Friedkin emerged as one of the leading figures of a bold and innovative generation of filmmakers, alongside Peter Bogdanovich, Francis Ford Coppola, and Hal Ashby.

Combining his background in documentary filmmaking, particularly in television, with a cutting-edge editing style, Friedkin infused the horror and police thriller genres with a tremendous amount of vitality and originality.

The French Connection, a gripping and morally complex film shot in a documentary-style manner, captivated audiences with its high-speed car chase sequence, which has since become iconic in cinematic history.

The movie garnered multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Gene Hackman, establishing itself as a definitive influence on police dramas in both film and television for years to come.

Following the critical triumph of The French Connection, Friedkin directed the monumental 1973 horror film The Exorcist, which shattered box office records, grossing an astonishing $500 million worldwide.

Based on William Peter Blatty's novel about a young girl's demonic possession, The Exorcist displayed Friedkin's distinct stylized approach to storytelling and earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Director.