The Oscar-winning director William Friedkin, who emerged to fame in his 30s with the thriller The French Connection and the horrifying The Exorcist and struggled in the following decades to match his early success has passed away. He was 87.
William, who won an Oscar for best director for The French Connection, passed away on Monday in Los Angeles, his better half, producer and former studio head Sherry Lansing told The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a true story, the film follows maverick New York City cop Detective James ‘Popeye’ Doyle’s efforts to hunt down Frenchman Fernando Rey, the mastermind of a large drug pipeline funnelling heroin into the United States. It includes one of the most spectacular chase scenes ever filmed.
The film also won Academy Awards for best picture, screenplay and film editing, placing William, who was just 32 at the time, as an important part of a new generation of directors. The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s best-selling novel about a 12-year-old girl possessed by a demon, was his next bigger blockbuster ever.
Other movie credits include To Live and Die in LA, Cruising, Rules of Engagement, and a TV version of the iconic play and Sidney Lumet film 12 Angry Men. William has also helmed episodes of The Twilight Zone, Rebel Highway and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
