William Friedkin Add to My Celebs Age 76 Birthday Aug. 29th, 1935 Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA Height 6'

William Friedkin's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Bravo Profiles William Fri…

Main Movie Roles 2003 - A Decade Under the Influence 1998 - Without Limits

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB


BIOGRAPHY:

Friedkin's mother was an operating room nurse. His father was a merchant seaman, semi-pro softball player and ultimately sold clothes in a men's discount chain. He never earned more than $50/week in his whole life and died indigent. Friedkin became infatuated with Orson Welles after seeing Citizen Kane (1941). He went to work for WGN TV immediately after graduating from high school where he started making documentaries, one of which won the Golden Gate Award at the 1962 San Francisco film festival. In 1965, he moved to Hollywood and immediately started directing TV shows, including an episode of the "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1962). Hitchcock chastised him for not wearing a tie.


TRIVIA:

• He directed 5 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: 'Gene Hackman' (qv), 'Roy Scheider' (qv), 'Jason Miller (I)' (qv), 'Ellen Burstyn' (qv) and 'Linda Blair' (qv). Hackman won an Oscar for _The French Connection (1971)_ (qv).
• Does not like to work with storyboards.
• After _The Exorcist (1973)_ (qv), he was planning on making a film about Aliens and Atlantis. But, after _Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)_ (qv) went into production, he abandoned the film and made _Sorcerer (1977)_ (qv), instead.
• His video for 'Laura Branigan' (qv)'s song "self control" has never been shown in its entirety on MTV. Friedkin's uncut version features a brief shot of a female breast.
• His two most famous films, _The French Connection (1971)_ (qv) and _The Exorcist (1973)_ (qv), both begin in a foreign country, in which something in that country is brought over to America and then dealt with by American "authorities" in that field. _The French Connection (1971)_ (qv) has drugs coming from France and then dealt with by American narcotics officers; _The Exorcist (1973)_ (qv) has a demonic presence (from an idol) coming from Iraq to America, and dealt with by American priests.
• Was going to work with 'Peter Gabriel' (qv) on a film project, but Gabriel was caught up with work with his former band 'Genesis (I)' (qv) on the album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". The project was called off.
• The night he won his Academy Award for directing _The French Connection (1971)_ (qv), he was riding with his manager when their Rolls-Royce broke down several miles from the ceremony. They had to hitch a ride from a driver at a gas station in order to arrive in time.
• Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 372-375. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

William Friedkin Photos

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