William Friedkin: The Life and Films of a Cinematic Risk-Taker

by Christopher Heard

The first biography of acclaimed American film director known as “Hurricane Billy.”William Friedkin―"Hurricane Billy"―was a fearless, trailblazing filmmaker of the 1970s American New Wave. Born a streetwise kid in Chicago, he burst onto the scene with The People vs. Paul Crump, a documentary that helped commute a death row inmate’s sentence. His eclectic early work included a film with Sonny and Cher and an adaptation of Harold Pinter’s first play.Friedkin soared to fame with The French Connection, winning an Oscar for Best Director, then shattered box-office records with The Exorcist. He risked everything for Sorcerer, his audacious masterpiece, and was vilified for Cruising. Reinventing himself yet again, he crafted the slick neo-noir To Live and Die in L.A. in the 1980s.Loved, loathed, admired, and imitated, Friedkin was a cinematic risk-taker and master storyteller, known for his contradictions, sharp wit, and relentless pursuit of visceral, uncompromising cinema. His legacy remains as bold and unpredictable as his films.

248 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[John Schorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be accurate, this is the first biography that offers a complete look at the career of director William Friedkin... I do recall a book called Hurricane Billy that came out when Friedkin was still plying his trade.

This is a terse, no nonsense account of the director's career, and it doesn't fart around... his childhood and early years are disposed of within less than 5 pages, and we're off to the races.

Before long, we're reading about the highs of The French Connection and The Exorcist, the downfall that began with Sorcerer (which has earned its rightful place as a classic in recent years) and the wildly uneven later career, with Cruising, To Live and Die in LA, Rules of Engagement, The Hunted, and Killer Joe.

All are detailed quickly and efficiently, and the author doesn't shy away from talking about how Friedkin's own big mouth and surly personality hurt him.

There are some odd spots... Linda Blair was nominated for an Oscar for The Exorcist, despite what is claimed here, and there's a place where the name of one of Friedkin's ex-wives is spelled two different ways in the same paragraph.

But you cannot write the history of one of Hollywood's most creative periods... the 1970s... without talking about William Friedkin, and he is given his just reward here.

[Jake Tibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Friedkin's wild career in film is effectively explored in Christopher Heard's biography, though I do have complaints. Firstly, the "Life and Films" subtitle is misleading since the emphasis is 97% on the latter. Friedkin's personal life is addressed on a minimal basis, with almost no mention of half his marriages or any of his children. Secondly, there are quite a few typos peppered throughout, some of which had me wondering how the editor could have overlooked them. Lastly, Heard spends most of the book on the first two decades of Friedkin's film career before breezing through the rest of it; the director's last two films get no more than a paragraph each for some reason. I am a huge Friedkin fan and certainly enjoyed Heard's account of his legendary work, but this book is far from perfect. The definitive biography on William Friedkin has yet to be written.