Wolfgang Petersen: 1941 - 2022

Director Wolfgang Petersen has passed away at the age of 81. 

 

Born in 1941 in Emden, Germany, he attended the Film and Television Academy in Berlin after spending years directing plays. His first film productions were for German television. 

 

He made his theatrical debut in 1974 with the psychological thriller ONE OR THE OTHER OF US. His second feature, DIE KONSSEQUENZ (1977), earned controversy over its subject matter; the homosexual lifestyle of Swiss actor Alexander Ziegler. 

 

In 1982 he had his breakout film with the WWII epic DAS BOOT; a film that is often to be considered one of the finest war films and the definitive submarine warfare film. The film would be nominated for six Oscars, with Petersen winning two: Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. 

 

His first English language film would come in 1984 with the beloved fantasy THE NEVERENDING STORY. He would follow that up with the sci-fi cult hit ENEMY MINE (1985). In the 1990’s, he would have a string of hits starting with IN THE LINE OF FIRE (1993), with Clint Eastwood, the suspense thriller OUTBREAK (1995), with Dustin Hoffman, and AIR FORCE ONE (1997), with Harrison Ford. In the new millennium he would direct Summer blockbusters such as THE PERFECT STORM (2000), and the historical epic TROY (2004). He would return to the sea in 2006 with the disaster film POSEIDON. 

 

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Wolfgang Petersen leaves us with a total of 14 feature films, and of those 14, many have become imbedded in our culture. From Harrison Ford playing a U.S. President kicking terrorists off his plane, to epic wide-scale horse-and-chariot battles, to large flying creatures, to U-boat warfare…Peterson seemed to have an excellent knack for it all. The surroundings changed from film to film, but his talent for rising tension and keeping the story moving was always there. He was a true storyteller, filmmaker, and today Hollywood action films are still following in his footsteps.