Director of iconic horror The Exorcist, William Friedkin, dies
Director William Friedkin has died at the age of 87, his wife's friend has confirmed.
He died in Los Angeles on Monday Chapman University dean Stephen Galloway announced. William was best known for his Oscar-winning move, The French Connection, and the huge horror film The Exorcist.
He was said to have got the job for the iconic horror - an adaptation of Blatty’s best-selling novel - after a number of other filmmakers such as Mike Nichols and Stanley Kubrick turned it down. His final film, titled The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The production features Kiefer Sutherland.
Other productions he was a part of included the thriller To Live and Die in LA and Sorcerer. He once described how he "never played by the rules," insisting it was "often to my own detriment".
William Friedkin holds up his Oscar (Bettmann Archive)In the noughties, Friedkin was part of the team behind 2003 thriller The Hunted, which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro. He later directed Bug in 2007, which starred Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr.
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Following news of his death, tributes poured in on various online platforms. One huge fan of his work was actor Elijah Wood. Taking to Twitter, the star shared a black and white image of William behind a camera. He captioned his upload: "Aww man…a true cinematic master whose influence will continue to extend forever. So long, William Friedkin."
Another, who had paid tribute to William on the social media platform wrote: "R.I.P. William Friedkin, the king, and the namesake for this silly account that will never be worth a fraction of what he accomplished. I adored him for his movies and his refusal to deal with bull***t in interviews. He f***ing lived."
William directed films such as The Exorcist (Getty Images)And a third penned: "There will never be another William Friedkin -- he was the definition of an iconoclast, told it like it was and was decidedly stubborn down to the bitter end. He leaves behind a career of great films, even a few bonafide masterpieces, but also a lot of perfect interviews."
William was previously married to newscaster Kelly Lange and actors Lesley-Anne Down and Jeanne Moreau. He is survived by his fourth wife and his two sons.
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