Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows With William Friedkin

1. The Simpsons (1989– )

TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy

The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.

Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner

Votes: 436,511

2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–2015)

TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

In Las Vegas, a squad of forensic investigators are trained to solve crimes by meticulously examining the evidence. They employ advanced technology and their rationality to detect the perpetrators.

Stars: William Petersen, Laurence Fishburne, Ted Danson, George Eads

Votes: 89,232

3. The Exorcist (1973)

R | 122 min | Horror

When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb

Votes: 455,623 | Gross: $232.91M

4. The French Connection (1971)

R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco

Votes: 135,880 | Gross: $15.63M

5. Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)

TV-MA | 25 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy

"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series based on the gruesome E.C. comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary "Crypt Keeper", a sinister ghoul obsessed with gallows humor and horrific puns.

Stars: John Kassir, Roy Brocksmith, Miguel Ferrer, Cam Clarke

Votes: 27,126

6. Sorcerer (1977)

PG | 121 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou

Votes: 27,799 | Gross: $12.00M

7. Cruising (1980)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A police officer goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox

Votes: 28,107 | Gross: $19.80M

8. Killer Joe (2011)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church

Votes: 83,395 | Gross: $1.99M

9. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

R | 116 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, Jane Leeves, Cherise Bates

Votes: 39,443 | Gross: $17.31M

10. 12 Angry Men (1997 TV Movie)

PG-13 | 117 min | Crime, Drama

Twelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Hume Cronyn, Ossie Davis

Votes: 17,146

11. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)

TV-14 | 108 min | Drama, War

Follows a naval officer who stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he felt was acting in an unstable way, putting both the ship and its crew in danger.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund

Votes: 4,221

12. Paper Moon (1973)

PG | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman

Votes: 52,510 | Gross: $30.93M

13. The Twilight Zone (1985–1989)

TV-PG | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A collection of tales which range from comic to tragic, but often have a wicked sense of humor and an unexpected twist.

Stars: Robin Ward, Charles Aidman, Richard Mulligan, William Atherton

Votes: 12,274

14. Arbitrage (2012)

R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller

A troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help.

Director: Nicholas Jarecki | Stars: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling, Tim Roth

Votes: 54,881 | Gross: $7.92M

15. Jade (1995)

R | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A bright assistant D.A. investigates a gruesome hatchet murder and hides a clue he found at the crime scene. Under professional threats and an attempt on his life, he goes on heartbroken because evidence point to the woman he still loves.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna

Votes: 14,266 | Gross: $9.80M

16. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–1965)

TV-14 | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" was a continuation of the dramatic anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) hosted by the Master of Suspense and Mystery.

Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Hinton Pope, Jimmy Joyce, Lew Brown

Votes: 5,162

17. Bug (2006)

R | 102 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

An unhinged war veteran holes up with a lonely woman in a spooky Oklahoma motel room. The line between reality and delusion is blurred as they discover a bug infestation.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr., Lynn Collins

Votes: 37,861 | Gross: $7.01M

18. The Hunted (2003)

R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama

An FBI deep-woods tracker attempts to capture a trained assassin who has made a sport of hunting humans.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen, Leslie Stefanson

Votes: 51,481 | Gross: $34.24M

19. Blue Chips (1994)

PG-13 | 108 min | Drama, Sport

A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, J.T. Walsh, Ed O'Neill

Votes: 15,195 | Gross: $22.36M

20. Deal of the Century (1983)

PG | 99 min | Comedy, Crime

A small-time arms dealer in South America to sell weapons to the revolutionaries winds up negotiating the sale of an experimental plane to the nation's dictator.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, Gregory Hines, Vince Edwards

Votes: 4,434 | Gross: $10.37M

21. The Boys in the Band (1970)

R | 118 min | Drama

Tempers fray and true selves are revealed when a heterosexual accidentally intrudes on a homosexual party.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Kenneth Nelson, Peter White, Leonard Frey, Frederick Combs

Votes: 5,901 | Gross: $7.63M

22. The Guardian (1990)

R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A young couple with a newborn baby don't realize that the nanny they hired is a magical nymph who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown, Carey Lowell, Brad Hall

Votes: 6,406 | Gross: $17.04M

23. Without Limits (1998)

PG-13 | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

The life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.

Director: Robert Towne | Stars: Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Jeremy Sisto

Votes: 7,537 | Gross: $0.78M

24. Rules of Engagement (2000)

R | 128 min | Drama, Thriller, War

An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a Middle Eastern country.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley

Votes: 50,355 | Gross: $61.34M

25. American Masters (1985– )

TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.

Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett

Votes: 1,175

26. This Is Your Life (1955–2003)

30 min | Documentary, Biography

The UK version of the popular US show. Eamonn Andrews (later Michael Aspel) surprises celebrities by presenting them with the Big Red Book before taking them into the studio to tell viewers... See full summary »

Stars: Eamonn Andrews, Michael Aspel, Elizabeth Dawn, June Whitfield

Votes: 324

27. Rampage (1987)

R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller

Alex is an outwardly normal man who goes on killing and mutilating sprees. When he is finally captured and brought to trial, the district attorney is torn between his own liberal ideals on guilt and the crimes the accused is being tried.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, Nicholas Campbell, Deborah Van Valkenburgh

Votes: 2,586 | Gross: $0.80M

28. The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)

PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy

A naive young Amish woman runs away from her home in Pennsylvania to New York City, where she hopes to act in religious stage plays but ends up performing in Burlesque theatre.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Jason Robards, Britt Ekland, Norman Wisdom, Forrest Tucker

Votes: 1,814

29. The Brink's Job (1978)

PG | 104 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A fictional retelling of the infamous Boston Brink's Company robbery on January 17th, 1950, of $2.7M, and cost the American taxpayers $29M to apprehend the culprits with only $58,000 recovered.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Allen Garfield, Warren Oates

Votes: 3,517 | Gross: $9.40M

30. Rebel Highway (1994)

TV-MA | Drama

A series of made-for-television movies inspired by B-movies of the 1950s.

Stars: John Hawkes, Christian Klemash, Dick Miller, Wendy Schaal

Votes: 164

31. The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)

Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary

Father Gabriele Amorth performs his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: William Friedkin, Jeffrey Burton Russell, Christina, Gabriele Amorth

Votes: 2,664 | Gross: $0.02M

32. The Merv Griffin Show (1962–1986)

TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Family, Music

Merv Griffin invites a series of actors, actresses, writers, and directors to discuss the progressive work they have done and current culture, arts, and entertainment surrounding the numerous projects.

Stars: Merv Griffin, Mort Lindsey, Mort Lindsey Orchestra, Arthur Treacher

Votes: 608

33. Intimate Portrait (1990–2005)

TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Biography

Find out more about the women you love and admire who have made their mark in movies, music, politics, sports, and more in these "Intimate Portraits."

Stars: Linda Emond, Laurent Lederer, Lisa Friedman, Meredith Vieira

Votes: 421

34. The Birthday Party (1968)

G | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

The down-at-heel lodger in a seaside boarding house is menaced by two mysterious strangers, who eventually take him away.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Robert Shaw, Patrick Magee, Sydney Tafler, Dandy Nichols

Votes: 1,166

35. The Cleansing Hour (2016)

19 min | Short, Horror

Two failed filmmakers have found success running a webcast that streams LIVE exorcisms. However, every episode is an elaborately staged hoax, created to dupe their global audience. But, ... See full summary »

Director: Damien LeVeck | Stars: Sam Jaeger, Heather Elizabeth Morris, Neil Grayston, Jonny Radtke

Votes: 343

36. Good Times (1967)

Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Musical, Western

Sonny and Cher spoof many Hollywood classic movie scenes.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Sonny Bono, Cher, Sonny & Cher, George Sanders

Votes: 737

37. Good Day L.A. (1993–2024)

180 min | News, Talk-Show

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Stars: Maria Quiban, Steve Edwards, Rick Dickert, Lisa Breckenridge

Votes: 159

38. Friedkin Uncut (2018)

Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, History

In this documentary, the hotshot director of The Exorcist (1973) and The French Connection (1971), now 83 years old, is interviewed about his career, and a number of his colleagues and admirers weigh in with reminiscences and tributes.

Director: Francesco Zippel | Stars: William Friedkin, Wes Anderson, Dario Argento, Samuel Blumenfeld

Votes: 1,146

39. A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

R | 138 min | Documentary

A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.

Directors: Ted Demme, Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Robert Altman, John G. Avildsen

Votes: 2,805 | Gross: $0.03M

40. Henri Langlois vu par... (2014)

31 min | Documentary, Short

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Directors: Bernardo Bertolucci, Souleymane Cissé, Francis Ford Coppola, Costa-Gavras, Manoel de Oliveira, Stephen Frears, William Friedkin, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Roman Polanski, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Volker Schlöndorff, Agnès Varda, Wim Wenders | Stars: Bernardo Bertolucci, Souleymane Cissé, Francis Ford Coppola, Costa-Gavras

41. The Thin Blue Line (1966 TV Movie)

60 min | Documentary

This early film by William Friedkin is a documentary about the American police force and the difficulties they face in combating escalating crime throughout the country.

Director: William Friedkin | Star: Van Heflin

Votes: 37

42. Hollywood Insider (2018– )

Talk-Show

A show focused on substance and meaningful entertainment while staying away from gossip and scandal.

Stars: Pritan Ambroase, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Holland, Margot Robbie

Votes: 1,413

43. Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist (2019)

Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary

A lyrical and spiritual cinematic essay on The Exorcist, exploring the depths of William Friedkin's mind's eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography.

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe | Stars: William Friedkin, Hikaru Baba, Yuka Niwa, Adolf Hitler

Votes: 1,017

44. TCM Guest Programmer (2005– )

Talk-Show

Actors, Writers, Directors and other celebrities share their favorite movies alongside Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz.

Stars: Robert Osborne, Ben Mankiewicz, Alicia Malone, Dave Karger

Votes: 44

45. The Day of the Living Dead (2014)

TV-MA | 90 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery

For fans who love The Walking Dead, THE DAY OF THE LIVING DEAD is another great zombie origin story. Set in Hollywood 1957, a time of glitz and glamour, a time of brains and blood. This ... See full summary »

Director: Thomas J. Churchill | Stars: Natalie Victoria, Ray Capuana, Kevin Eugene Franklin, James Duval

Votes: 1,891

46. The David Frost Show (1969–1972)

90 min | Talk-Show

American show featuring the popular British talk show host.

Stars: David Frost, Gerri Granger, Tiny Tim, Dana Valery

Votes: 248

47. WTF with Marc Maron (2009 Podcast Series)

Talk-Show

Marc Maron welcomes comedians, actors, directors, writers, authors, musicians and folks from all walks of life to his home for amazingly revealing conversations.

Stars: Marc Maron, Eddie Pepitone, Jim Earl, Matthew L. Weiss

Votes: 176

48. Jay Sebring.... Cutting to the Truth (2020)

Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Biography

Follows the life of artist, designer, and entrepreneur Jay Sebring, who was murdered alongside Sharon Tate by followers of Charles Manson.

Director: Anthony DiMaria | Stars: Steve Allen, Paul Anka, Michael Baden, Max Baer Jr.

Votes: 136

49. On Tour (2010)

111 min | Comedy, Drama

With a group of American strip-tease performers, the veteran impresario Joachim attempts to make his comeback touring a Burlesque show around France. But once on tour, Joachim has to keep his wits if he wants to be paid.

Director: Mathieu Amalric | Stars: Miranda Colclasure, Suzanne Ramsey, Dirty Martini, Julie Atlas Muz

Votes: 2,676

50. Laura Branigan: Self Control (1984 Music Video)

5 min | Short, Music, Mystery

Music video for Laura Branigan's song "Self Control" finds her wandering in the night.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Laura Branigan, Russell Clark

Votes: 368