I was traveling Monday when word came down that the great action director William Friedkin died.

I only interviewed him once, about one of his lesser titles, “Blue Chips,” which brought him to Orlando where he and Shaquille O’Neal held forth about the state of college hoops and the film.

But a couple of revealing documentaries I’ve reviewed in recent years paint a great picture of this Oscar winner, art lover and all-around colorful figure, director of “The French Connection,” “The Exorcist,” “To Live and Die in LA” and “Killer Joe.”

My favorite among the two docs is “Leap of Faith,” his deconstruction of how he made “The Exorcist.” But this one, “Friedkin Uncut,” is worth tracking down on this or that streamer if you want a feel for the man.

“Leap of Faith” is on Youtube subscription, Vudu and Amazon. “Friedkin Uncut” is on free streamers Tubi and Pluto and elsewhere.

“Sorceror,” his Roy Scheider remake of “Wages of Fear,” is a favorite among his fans, and I’ve watched “The French Connection” so many times I’ve memorized the damned license plates from that movie’s epic, on the fly, “guerilla filmmaking” (to hear Friedkin tell it) chase scene.

He was adept at turning stage plays into movies, too — “The Boys in the Band,” “Bug” and “Killer” Joe.”

His style was that he had a LOT of styles. Actors turned in great performances in his films, largely due to his refusal to rehearse and love of “accidents” and tricks he’d play on his actors — live (blank, we trust) gunshots to get a jolt or moment of shock, etc.

Raconteur, epicurean. iconoclast, Old School Director as Emperor. RIP, Billy Friedkin.