J Lee Thompson (1914-2002) Jack  MacGowran,  The Exorcist, 1973. Director William Friedkin thought of fellow director Thompson  (ex-actor, playwright and Alfred Hitchcock assistant)  as Ellen Burstyn's rather hackneyed stage director. Copyright © 2023 Crawley's Casting Calls. All Rights Reserved. Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU General Public License.