Filmmaker of The Exorcist dies aged 87 due to pneumonia and cardiac arrest

American filmmaker William Friedkin, known for directing the horror classic, died this Monday (07). “The Exorcist”from 1973. The director was 87 years old and died due to pneumonia, in addition to a cardiac arrest at his home in Bel Air, located in the upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA.

The news was confirmed by the filmmaker's wife, former actress Sherry Lansing, to whom he had been married since 1991. Lansing was the first woman to head a film studio in Hollywood, when he was president of production at 20th Century Fox. Furthermore, the producer was still CEO from the studios Paramount Pictures.

_{Trailer in “The Exorcist”. (Photo: Reproduction/YouTube/Warner Bros. Entertainment)}

Life of Friedkin

The son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, Friedkin was born in 1935 in Chicago, Illinois. Having his art influenced by the film “Citizen Kane” (1941), the director started going to cinemas when he was still a teenager. Friedkin also mentioned the long “The Wages of Fear” (1953), “The Devils” (1955), the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Psychosis” (1960) and the 1960 television documentary “Harvest of Shame” (Harvest of Shame, in free translation) as some of his inspirations.

In addition to his relationship with Sherry Lansing, William was married three other times: to French actress Jeanne Moreau (Jules and Jim and The Bride Was in Black), to British actress Lesley-Anne Down (Burning and The First Train Robbery) and with American journalist Kelly Lange, known for being the first woman to serve as an evening news anchor in Los Angeles.

The filmmaker also leaves behind two children: Jackson Friedkin, from his marriage to Lesley-Anne Down, who followed in his father's footsteps and worked in the production of some projects in Hollywood, and Cedric, the director's son with dancer Jennifer Nairn-Smith, who works as a film editor.

Notable works

In addition to “The Exorcist”, which earned Friedkin a nomination for Oscar for Best Director and broke records, being the first horror film to be nominated in the horror category Best movie of the award, William was also known for directing the film “Operation France” (1971), a crime thriller that won five Oscars, including Best Director. Friedkin's last work was the film “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”, which will be released in September.

Featured photo: William Friedkin. Reproduction/Warner Bros.