William Friedkin (born August 29, 1935) is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter  closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is perhaps best known for directing the action thriller film The French Connection (1971) and the supernatural horror film The Exorcist (1973), the former of which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. The latter also earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. His other films include the pioneering queer drama The Boys in the Band (1970), the suspense thriller  Sorcerer (1977), the controversial crime film Cruising (1980), the action thriller To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), the psychological horror film Bug (2006), and the dark comedy Killer Joe (2011). Friedkin has had an array of unrealized projects over the years, ranging from The Ripper Diaries about the manhunt of Jack the Ripper. A film about the account of the Florence Maybrick murder trial. Battle Grease, to an adaptation of the Frank De Felitta suspense novel Sea Trial. A film about the murder of Gianni Versace and the killing spree of his murderer, Andrew Cunanan  entitled, The Man Who Killed Versace which was written by Frederic Raphael and to be produced by Cruising producer Jerry Weintraub and was to have Sergio Castellitto as Versace and Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the lead role as Cunanan. A horror thriller A Safe Darkness, the cop thriller Bump City and the UFO thriller The Devil's Triangle. It was also reported that Friedkin is to direct an HBO movie about the life of the provocative entertainer, Mae West starring Bette Midler entitled Mae West in Sex as West based on her memoirs written by Harvey Fierstein. Also, Friedkin is in talks to direct Don Winslow's crime novel, The Winter of Frankie Machine. Friedkin was also slated to direct a film adaptation of Robin Cook's novel Brain.

For more information press the link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Friedkin