William Friedkin, the maverick film director who helped revolutionize 1970s Hollywood with the electrifying, era-defining classics "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist," died Monday, a representative from his office told the Associated Press.
Friedkin won an Academy Award for directing "The French Connection," a white-knuckle 1971 crime thriller about a brash New York City narcotics detective played by Gene Hackman.
Friedkin got his big break in 1971 with "The French Connection," a smash with audiences and critics alike.
"The French Connection" catapulted Friedkin to the top ranks of American filmmakers, putting him in league with other New Hollywood rising stars like Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich and Francis Ford Coppola.
Friedkin leaped from "The French Connection" to "The Exorcist," adapted from William Peter Blatty's novel of the same name.
Persons:
William Friedkin, Sherry Lansing, Friedkin's, Friedkin, Gene Hackman, didn't, That's, Satan, Al Pacino, Sonny, Pauline Kael, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Francis Ford Coppola, William Peter Blatty's, Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Roger Ebert, Joe, —, Kiefer Sutherland
Organizations:
Associated Press, Paramount Pictures, New, New York, NBC News, Venice
Locations:
Venice, Italy, New, New York City, L.A, Chicago, Manhattan, Hollywood, New York