Origins & Early Life

William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is best known for his crime thriller film The French Connection (1971), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and the horror film The Exorcist (1973), which earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Friedkin's other films in the 1970s and 1980s include the drama The Boys in the Band (1970), considered a milestone of queer cinema; the originally criticized, now lauded thriller Sorcerer (1977); the crime comedy drama The Brink's Job (1978); the controversial thriller Cruising (1980); and the neo-noir thriller To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Although Friedkin's works suffered an overall commercial and critical decline in the late 1980s, his last three feature films, all based on plays, were positively received by critics: the psychological horror film Bug (2006), the crime film Killer Joe (2011), and the legal drama film The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023), released two months after his...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• 14th Dalai Lama — Contemporary (Born in 1935) (1935): Spiritual leader of Tibet and head of Tibetan Buddhism since 1940.
• Abraham Isaac Kook — Contemporary (Died in 1935) (1935): Pioneering Orthodox Rabbi and Father of Religious Zionism.
• Adnan Khashoggi — Contemporary (Born in 1935) (1935): Saudi businessman and arms dealer, known as 'The Great Gatsby of the Middle East'
• Alan Arkin — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Esteemed American actor, filmmaker, and musician with a seven-decade career.
• Ama Ata Aidoo — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Pioneering Ghanaian writer, poet, and academician celebrated for feminist themes.
• B. V. Doshi — Contemporary (Died in 2023) (2023): Pioneering Indian architect celebrated for modernist and brutalist design.
• Alfred Peet — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (2007): Dutch-American founder credited with starting the US specialty coffee revolution.
• Éamon de Valera — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (1975): Dominant Irish statesman, leading figure in the establishment of modern Irish governance.
• Abanindranath Tagore — Shared historical date (08-07 · Born) (1871): Pioneering figure of the Bengal School, modernizing Indian art against Western influence.
• Abebe Bikila — Shared historical date (08-07 · Born) (1932): Ethiopian Olympic marathon champion, known for his barefoot victories in Rome and Tokyo.
• 1935 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1935
• August 29 (08-29) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 29
• 2023 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2023
• August 7 (08-07) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on August 7