William David Friedkin (August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s.[1][2] Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he directed the crime thriller film The French Connection (1971), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. He then directed the horror film The Exorcist (1973), which earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Director.