William Friedkin - Milestones

• 2002: Staged two productions for the Los Angeles Opera
• 2002: Directed "The Hunted"; film was forced to shut down in June 2001 when star Benicio Del Toro was injured days before principal photography was due to end; completed several months later
• 2000: Helmed "Rules of Engagement"; produced by Richard D Zanuck, the 20th Century-Fox executive who greenlit "The French Connection"
• 1998: Directed Alban Berg's opera "Wozzeck" in Florence, Italy with Zubin Mehta conducting
• 1997: Directed the acclaimed small screen remake of "12 Angry Men" (Showtime)
• 1997: Received star number 2,093 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (August 14)
• 1995: Helmed third film in Joe Eszterhas' "sleaze" trilogy, "Jade"
• 1994: Returned to features as director of the sports-themed "Blue Chips", scripted by Ron Shelton
• 1994: Helmed "Jailbreakers" segment of Showtime's "Rebel Highway" series
• 1992: Continued in the horror vein directing "On a Dead Man's Chest" episode of HBO's "Tales From the Crypt"
• 1990: Returned to horror with "The Guardian"; also co-scripted
• 1987: Completed "Rampage", which dealt with the death penalty and the complexity of the insanity plea; release delayed when De Laurentis Entertainment went bankrupt; released in 1992; also underwent change in ending; the original was more blatantly anti capital punishment; final version proved more favorable to the victims
• 1986: Executive produced, created and directed the NBC pilot "C.A.T. Squad" and its 1988 TV-movie sequel
• 1986: Returned to TV to direct Barbra Streisand's HBO special, "Putting It Together--The Making of 'The Broadway Album'"
• 1985: Helmed and co-scripted "To Live and Die in L.A."
• 1983: Attempted satire of international weapons merchants in "Deal of the Century", starring Chevy Chase
• 1980: Wrote first screenplay, "Cruising"; also directed; film engendered controversy over its depiction of aspects of the gay community in NYC
• 1978: Helmed comic period piece, "The Brink's Job", about the infamous 1950 Boston heist
• 1977: Suffered career setback with the box-office failure of "Sorcerer", a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's "The Wages of Fear"
• 1973: Had box-office hit with screen version of "The Exorcist"
• 1973: Formed partnership with Peter Bogdanovich and Francis Ford Coppola called the Directors Company; organization disbanded after one year
• 1971: Won the Best Director Oscar for "The French Connection"
• 1970: Helmed "The Boys in the Band", adapted from the Mart Crowley play
• 1968: Filmed a somewhat static feature adaptation of Harold Pinter's stage play "The Birthday Party"
• 1968: Helmed "The Night They Raided Minsky's", an affectionate look at burlesque; production was slightly hampered by death of co-star Bert Lahr during filming
• 1967: Directed first feature, "Good Times", starring Sonny and Cher
• 1965: Moved to L.A.
• 1965: Hired to direct episodes of NBC's "Alfred Hitchcok Presents", including the final broadcast
• 1962: Directed first TV film, "The People vs. Paul Crump", a 16mm documentary; received funding for project from rival Chicago station WBKB-TV, and though film never aired on the station, was subsequently hired to head a documentary unit established at WBKB; picture won Golden Gate award at San Francisco Film Festival; producer David Wolper offered him jobn which he declined at the time
• Eventually went to work for Wolper, reportedly working on the TV documentaries "The Thin Blue Line" (about law enforcement), "Mayhem on Sunday Afternoon" (a report on professional football) and "The Bold Men" (which dealt with people who risk their lives for money, adventure or science)
• Began career in mailroom of WGN-TV, Chicago after finishing high school; eventually graduated to floor manager, then director