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William Friedkin

American director and producer (1935–2023)

6.99body-of-work score · ranked #144 of 2631 directors · 7 films in our library

A director's score is the sum of their films' composite canon scores — methodology.

Born
August 29, 1935 · Chicago
Died
August 7, 2023 · Bel Air
Nationality
United States
Work
film director, film producer, screenwriter, television director
Reference
Wikipedia · Wikidata
Portrait of William Friedkin
GuillemMedina · CC BY-SA 4.0

Films in our library, ranked

Ranked by composite canon score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — our ordering, with every placement citing its evidence on the film's page.

  1. 1
    The French ConnectionMust-See #101

    1971 · United States · crime, action, thriller

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1971 · AFI 100 (2007) #93 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #10

    3.4410 citations
  2. 2
    The ExorcistMust-See #437

    1973 · United States · horror, mystery, drama

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1973 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #10 · Siskel's annual top 10 1973 #3

    1.878 citations
  3. 3
    Sorcerer

    1977 · United States / Mexico · thriller, action

    Letterboxd Top 250 #205 · Criterion Collection spine #1267 · Ebert's annual top 10 1977 #9

    0.624 citations
  4. 4
    To Live and Die in L.A.

    1985 · United States · crime, thriller, action

    Sarris's annual top 10 1985 #3 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

    0.362 citations
  5. 5
    The Boys in the Band

    1970 · United States · drama

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #6

    0.361 citation
  6. 6
    Killer Joe

    2011 · United States · comedy, thriller, crime

    Film Comment year-end poll 2012 #28

    0.211 citation
  7. 7
    The Hunted

    2003 · United States · thriller, crime, action

    Kehr's annual top 10 2003 #10

    0.141 citation

Complete filmography

All 30 directorial credits recorded on Wikidata, in chronological order; films in our library link to their canon-score page.

  • 1962The People vs. Paul Crump
  • 1965Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon
  • 1965The Bold Men
  • 1966The Thin Blue Line
  • 1967Good Times
  • 1968The Birthday Party
  • 1968The Night They Raided Minsky's
  • 1970The Boys in the Band
  • 1971The French Connection
  • 1973The Exorcist
  • 1974Fritz Lang Interviewed by William Friedkin
  • 1977Sorcerer
  • 1978The Brink's Job
  • 1980Cruising
  • 1983Deal of the Century
  • 1985To Live and Die in L.A.
  • 1986C.A.T. Squad
  • 1987Rampage
  • 1988C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
  • 1990The Guardian
  • 1994Blue Chips
  • 1994Jailbreakers
  • 1995Jade
  • 199712 Angry Men
  • 2000Rules of Engagement
  • 2003The Hunted
  • 2006Bug
  • 2011Killer Joe
  • 2017The Devil and Father Amorth
  • 2023The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial