American director William Friedkin, best known for the 1970s films "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection," died in Los Angeles on Monday, Fox News Digital can confirm. He was 87.
Chapman University dean Stephen Galloway, a friend of Friedkin and his wife Sherry Lansing, first confirmed his passing to Variety.
Galloway spoke with Fox News Digital about Friedkin and the legacy he left behind.
"He had an extraordinary life and few people achieved what he achieved. These are films that linger after decades, how many movies do that?" Galloway said. "You look at some of his early work like ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘The French Connection,’ the movie that he loved best, ‘Sorcerer,’ they could be made today."
Specializing in horror and police thrillers, Friedkin rose to acclaim during the "New Hollywood" movement of the '70s.
What has now become Friedkin's final movie, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month.
It stars Kiefer Sutherland and follows the story of a naval officer who stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he feels is acting in an unstable way, putting in danger both the ship and its crew, according to the production company Mubi.
Galloway noted that Friedkin had been working until a few weeks ago, despite "on and off issues with his heart over many years."
Friedkin’s 1971 "The French Connection," based on Robin Moore's 1969 book about the seizure of 246 pounds of heroin smuggled via car on a French ocean liner, won five Oscars, including best director for Friedkin, best actor for Hackman, and best picture.
"The Exorcist," which depicts a mother imploring two priests to save her daughter from possession by an evil entity, earned 10 Oscar nominations, including best director for Friedkin, and won two, for best adapted screenplay, and for sound. It also prompted several spinoffs and is still regularly regarded as one of the scariest films ever made.
Friedkin is survived by his wife, Sherry Lansing, the former chairman and CEO of Paramount and president of production at 20th Century Fox, and their two sons, one of whom is an editor and the other works in real estate.
According to Galloway, who wrote a biography on Lansing and her trailblazing work in entertainment, she and Friedkin were "an extraordinary match."
"He had been married several times, and in his 50s married Sherry Lansing, who was probably… the most powerful woman in the entertainment business for decades. And everyone was probably thinking, 'They’re getting married? They’re opposites.’ They had the most lovely, happy marriage for almost 30 years," Galloway said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
