William Friedkin, a filmmaker whose gritty, visceral style and fascination with characters on the edge helped make The French Connection and The Exorcist two of the biggest box-office hits of the 1970s, died on Monday at his home in the Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles. He was 87.

The cause was heart failure and pneumonia, said his wife, Sherry Lansing, the former head of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood.

Friedkin was a promising but not well-known director with a background in documentary film when he teamed up with the producer Philip D’Antoni to make The French Connection, based on the true story of two swashbuckling New York City police officers, Sonny Grosso and Eddie Egan, who broke up an international heroin-trafficking ring in 1961. The script was adapted from a book by Robin Moore.

Working with a modest budget, Friedkin and D’Antoni relied on a cast of unknowns. Roy Scheider, an Off-Broadway actor, took the role of Grosso, called Buddy Russo in the film. Gene Hackman was hired to play his partner, Popeye Doyle, based on Egan.

The French Connection was released in 1971 and dominated the Academy Awards the next year, winning the Oscar for best picture and earning Friedkin the best director award. Hackman won for best actor in a leading role.

Friedkin followed up a year later with The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s best-selling horror novel about the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl.

New York Times News Service