William Friedkin, the Academy Award-winning director who helmed such classics as “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection,” died Aug. 7 from heart failure and pneumonia, his family said in a statement to NBC News. He was 87.
Friedkin had directed several TV series and TV movies before he crossed into film, making his big screen directorial debut with 1967’s Sonny and Cher comedy “Good Times.”
He directed a few more movies before he struck gold with 1971’s “The French Connection,” a gritty crime thriller starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as New York City police detectives trying to track down a French heroin smuggler. Friedkin won the Academy Award for best director while the movie, which features one of cinema's most well-known car chases, won four other Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Hackman.
Friedkin was just getting started, though. His next film was “The Exorcist” in 1973 about a little girl, played by Linda Blair, who is possessed by a demonic presence. The film is remembered for its terrifying portrayal of possession, as well as a legendary scene in which Blair vomits into the face of a priest.
Largely considered one of the best and most influential horror movies of all time, “The Exorcist” was a sensation and pop culture phenomenon. It won two Oscars and was nominated for eight others, including best director for Friedkin and best picture.
Friedkin also directed “Sorcerer,” “The Brinks Job,” “Cruising,” “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Blue Chips,” “Rules of Engagement” and “Bug.”
He also didn’t leave TV too far behind. He directed an episode of HBO’s popular horror anthology “Tales from the Crypt,” as well as two episodes of “CSI.”
In 1997, Friedkin directed Showtime’s remake of “12 Angry Men” with Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Hume Cronyn and Ossie Davis. That movie won two Emmy Awards and garnered him a nomination for outstanding directing for a miniseries or a movie.
“When it comes to directorial influence, Billy was a titan — both on the screen and behind the scenes for his fellow members of the DGA,” Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement.
“A master of storytelling across multiple genres, his aptitude for creating atmosphere and building tension broke convention and he was one of the key influences in the New Hollywood era of director-driven filmmaking. ‘The French Connection,’ for which he won the DGA Feature Film Award was the quintessential thriller; and ‘The Exorcist’ remains the template for horror to this very day.”
Fellow Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola also mourned the death of Friedkin.
“His accomplishments in Cinema are extraordinary and unique,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Billy’s work represents true milestones in Cinema, a list which will never be forgotten; certainly THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE EXORCIST and SORCERER, but all of his films are alive with his genius,” he added.
“Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled. His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again, but his work will at least stand in for him.”
Friedkin’s most recent directorial effort is “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” which is scheduled to premiere at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
Friedkin is survived by his wife, film executive Sherry Lansing, and sons Cedric and Jack.