William Friedkin, born on August 29, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ukrainian immigrants, was a celebrated American movie and television director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the iconic films The Exorcist and The French Connection in the early 1970s. Today, a street will be named in his honor posthumously. The unveiling ceremony, presented by Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, will feature Friedkin’s widow, Sherry Lansing, a Chicago native and former CEO of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. This tribute is the result of efforts by Senator Billy Marovitz to honor his lifelong friend, who passed away in 2023.

Friedkin’s fascination with movies began after watching Citizen Kane as a boy, leading him to work for WGN-TV after high school. He started directing live television shows and documentaries, including The People vs. Paul Crump, which won several awards and helped commute Crump’s death sentence.

In 1965, Friedkin moved to Hollywood, releasing his first feature film, Good Times, starring Sonny and Cher, two years later. Although he initially directed several “art” films like The Boys in the Band, Friedkin did not want to be typecast as an art-house director. His 1971 film The French Connection received widespread critical acclaim and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Friedkin followed this success with the 1973 film The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s best-selling novel. This film revolutionized the horror genre and is considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The Exorcist was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Following these successes, Friedkin was celebrated as one of Hollywood’s premier directors, alongside Francis Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich.

After The French Connection and The Exorcist, Friedkin directed the thriller Sorcerer, The Brink’s Job starring Peter Falk, Cruising with Al Pacino, Deal of the Century featuring Chevy Chase, and To Live and Die in L.A. starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe.

Friedkin’s later works included the television movies C.A.T. Squad (1986) and C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (1988). He directed the crime drama Rampage (1987) and found success with the basketball drama Blue Chips (1994) starring Nick Nolte and Shaquille O’Neal. He returned to television for a well-received remake of 12 Angry Men (1997).

Friedkin’s later films included Rules of Engagement (2000), a military thriller with Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ben Kingsley; The Hunted (2003), a crime drama starring Jones and Benicio Del Toro; and Bug (2006), an adaptation of Tracy Letts’ play. In 2011, he adapted another Letts play, Killer Joe, featuring Matthew McConaughey. He also returned to the subject of exorcism with the documentary The Devil and Father Amorth (2017), about the chief exorcist in Rome and one of his last cases. In 2013, Friedkin published his memoir, The Friedkin Connection, and his career was chronicled in the documentary Friedkin Uncut (2018).

The street naming ceremony took place in front of Senn High School, Friedkin’s alma mater, at 5900 N. Glenwood. You can see the sighn there.

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