---
name: "David Friedkin"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-friedkin"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "8 March 1912"
died: "15 October 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T16:48:35.552256+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Friedkin

Director. Born 8 March 1912 in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Died 15 October 1976.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 8 March 1912, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- **Died:** 15 October 1976

## Biography

David Friedkin (1912–1976) was an American writer, producer and director who worked in radio, film and television. He began in radio, collaborating with Morton Fine on series including Gunsmoke, before moving into television and film. He studied violin at the Juilliard School and served in the US Army Signal Corps during the Second World War.

Friedkin is known for writing the screenplay for *The Pawnbroker* (1964) with Fine, and for his work on the series *I Spy* (1965–1968), where he contributed as writer and producer. He directed episodes of numerous television programmes, including *Kojak* (1973), *Hawaii Five-O* (1968), *Ironside* (1967) and *The Rifleman* (1958). He received six Primetime Emmy nominations and won Directors Guild of America awards for his directing.

He was married to actress and dancer Audrey Westphal.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, televisionacademy.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)

## Also known for

- *I Spy* (2002), Characters
- *The Pawnbroker* (1965), Screenplay
- *Hawaii Five-O* (1969), Director
- *The Streets of San Francisco* (1972), Writer
- *The Alfred Hitchcock Hour* (1962), Director
- *Ironside* (1967), Director
- *The Rifleman* (1958), Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-friedkin