Acting

Paul Bateson

Born 1940-08-24 · Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA

Paul Bateson (born August 24, 1940) is an American convicted murderer and former radiographer. He appeared as a radiologic technologist in a scene from the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, which was inspired when the film's director, William Friedkin, watched him perform a cerebral angiography the previous year. The scene, with a considerable amount of blood onscreen, was, for many viewers, the film's most disturbing scene; medical professionals have praised it for its realism.

Acting credits

7.7

When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

The Exorcist

1973

7.7

Part one of the making of William Friedkin’s 1980 thriller "Cruising" and the controversies it created.

The History of 'Cruising'

2007

“Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders" peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of the 1980 thriller, "Cruising." Directed by William Friedkin, the film triggered fierce protests from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of a serial killer targeting gay men in New York's leather bars. Friedkin drew inspiration from the brutal murder of Variety reporter Addison Verrill, blurring the boundaries between cinematic fiction and real-life tragedy.

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

2026