William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director best known for “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist,” has passed away.

He was 87.

Variety reports Friedkin died Monday in Los Angeles.

Born in Chicago, Friedkin made his directing debut with an episode of “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” in 1965. Other television credits include “The Twilight Zone” in 1985, “Tales from the Crypt” in 1992 and a pair of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” episodes in the late 2000s.

But Friedkin found great fame as a film director, debuting with 1967′s “Good Times,” followed by lesser-known films like 1968′s “The Birthday Party” and “The Night They Raided Minsky’s,” followed by 1970′s “The Boys in the Band.”

He reached Hollywood superstar status in 1971 when he made “The French Connection,” still widely regarded as one of the greatest crime movies ever made. It stars Gene Hackman as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Roy Scheider as Buddy “Cloudy” Russo” as New York cops on the trail of a French heroin smuggler. The gritty cop drama has a car chase hailed as one of the best ever put on film. It won five Academy Awards, including best picture, director (Friedkin) and actor (Hackman).

Two years later, Friedkin directed “The Exorcist,” an instant horror classic that scored big at the box office. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair, the film the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests. While the production was plagued with difficulties, it had 10 Oscar nominations including best picture and director, and it made $428 million at the worldwide box office.

Other notable Friedkin films include “Sorcerer” (1977) starring Roy Scheider, “Cruising” (1980) starring Al Pacino, “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985) starring William Petersen, “Blue Chips” (1994) starring Nick Nolte, “Jade” (1995) starring Davis Caruso and “Killer Joe” (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey.

Friedkin’s final film “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a legal drama starring Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke, will premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in September. The film follows a naval officer who stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he felt put his crew in danger.

Watch his impassioned appearance in The Criterion Collection closet in the video below.