Director William Friedkin of “The Exorcist” passes away at 87

In 1971, with the gritty police drama “The French Connection,” Friedkin burst onto the Hollywood scene alongside contemporaries like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.
In attendance for the special screening of “The Exorcist” on September 21, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, was American director William Friedkin. (AFP/Chris Delmas photo)

William Friedkin, the pioneering American director of “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection,” passed away on Monday, according to AFP, who spoke to a family acquaintance. He was 87.

According to Stephen Galloway, a former executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter, Friedkin passed away in Los Angeles after having unidentified health concerns in recent years.

After communicating with Friedkin’s widow, Galloway confirmed that Friedkin had passed away this morning.

He added that the director had “been working up until a couple of weeks ago,” but “had been in declining health.”

On Monday, the honours were led by Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who referred to Friedkin as “one of the Gods of Cinema.”

He posted on social media that “Cinema has lost a true Scholar and I have lost a dear, loyal and true friend.”

Eli Roth, a fellow horror director, paid tribute to “one of the most influential directors of all time” on Instagram, saying that he “set the course of my life in a different direction.”

Friedkin was hailed as “a true cinematic master whose influence will continue to extend forever” by actor Elijah Wood.

In the 1970s, Friedkin was one of a group of significant young “New Hollywood” directors that significantly changed the US cinema business, upending a long-standing order in which wealthy studio producers had held sway.

In 1971, with the gritty police drama “The French Connection,” Friedkin burst onto the Hollywood scene alongside contemporaries like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.

Five Oscars were won, including ones for best picture and best director.

“The Exorcist,” which Friedkin released in 1973, came after that. In addition to being extremely divisive, it was a major commercial and critical success.

The terrifying movie, which followed a 12-year-old girl who was possessed by the devil, was nominated for 10 Oscars and took home two of them. It eventually made $440 million.

The film has generated a number of sequels, including a trilogy that Jason Blum, a producer of scary films, will release in which Ellen Burstyn reprises her role as the protagonist from the first movie.

Blum claimed in a statement on Monday that Friedkin was “personally indebted” to him.

He said that “more than any other filmmaker, he changed the way directors approached horror films as well as the perception of horror films in the broader culture” in a statement acquired by trade website Deadline.

We were shocked to learn of his demise and are incredibly appreciative of the collection of work he has left behind.

Friedkin’s career rapidly declined after the enormous success of “The Exorcist.”

When he first released “Sorcerer” in 1977, it was a tremendous financial failure, but fans like best-selling horror author Stephen King paid tribute to it on Monday.

We are profoundly saddened to learn of the demise of William Friedkin, a tremendously talented director, King said. “THE EXORCIST is fantastic, but for me, SORCERER was the true classic.”

Even after he became 80, Friedkin kept directing.

This year’s Venice Film Festival will host the world premiere of his farewell movie, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” starring Kiefer Sutherland.

In a statement, Sutherland stated, “Working with William Friedkin was one of the great honours of my career. “Sherry and his family have my condolences,”

He is survived by his fourth wife, former Paramount Pictures studio head Sherry Lansing, and two boys. Friedkin was briefly married to French actress Jeanne Moreau.