Wolfgang Petersen (1941-2022)
Wolfgang Petersen, the German director who was known for such films as "Das Boot", "Air Force One", and "The Perfect Storm", died of pancreatic cancer on August 14, 2022. He was 81 years old.
He was born in Emden, Germany, on March 14, 1941. Petersen began his career in Germany, directing short films and TV movies in the 1960s and the 1970s. In 1971, he made his first theatrical movie, "One or the Other". In 1977, he followed that with "The Consequence", for which he wrote the adapted screenplay. Petersen would answer the call of Hollywood when his claustrophobic submarine WWII epic "Das Boot" launched him into the world in 1981. Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Directing and Best Adapted Screenplay, of which two went to Petersen. The film was released in multiple versions, starting with the 149-minute original theatrical cut and ending with a 1997 director's cut in 208 minutes.
This success would propel Petersen into American filmmaking, beginning with the 1984 fantasy movie "The NeverEnding Story", which was a box office hit. He would later direct more films such as "Enemy Mine", "Shattered", which he also wrote, "In the Line of Fire", "Outbreak", "Air Force One", "The Perfect Storm", "Troy", and "Poseidon", which the latter proved to be the last movie he ever made for Hollywood.
Outside of his directing, Petersen also produced and exec produced several features he helmed, like "In the Line of Fire", "The Perfect Storm", and "Outbreak". He even co-produced such movies as "Red Corner", "Instinct", and "Bicentennial Man".
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