
One of the greatest directors of our lifetime has passed away. Academy Award nominated German Director Wolfgang Petersen has passed away at age 81.
Petersen died Friday at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood after a battle with pancreatic cancer, said, representative Michelle Bega.
Petersen is known for films such as Das Boot, The Neverending Story, Enemy Mine, Troy, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, Poseidon, The Perfect Storm, and Air Force One.
Wolfgang Petersen was born on 14 March 1941 in Emden, Germany and by the 1960s he was directing plays at Hamburg’s Ernst Deutsch Theater. His first film productions were for German television, and it was during his work on the popular German Tatort (which translates to “Crime Scene”), a TV series where he first met and worked with the actor Jürgen Prochnow, who would later appear as the U-boat captain in Petersen’s famous anti-war film Das Boot which was exhibited both as a theatrical release and a TV miniseries.
Das Boot was nominated for six Academy Awards, two of which to Petersen for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for his adaptation of Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s best-selling 1973 novel. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award and DGA Award.
Das Boot was produced in Germany and Petersen’s first foray in American filmmaking was the classic child fantasy, The Neverending Story adapted from Michael Ende’s novel of the same name. The film was about a magical book that transports its young reader into the world of Fantasia, where a dark force known as the Nothing rampages.
Petersen continued to churn out incredible films, following up The Neverending Story with Enemy Mine which starred Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., and Brion James and Shattered which starred Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins and Greta Scacchi.
Shortly thereafter, Petersen kicked it up a notch with blockbusters like In the Line of Fire with Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, and Rene Russo, Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo again, and Morgan Freeman, and Air Force One with Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close.
In the Line of Fire was a major hit, grossing $177 million worldwide and earned three Oscar nominations.
In 2000, Peterson helmed the George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg mega-hit and the groundbreaking true-life tale of a Massachusetts swordfish boat lost at sea we know as the movie, The Perfect Storm, which featured a mindblowing 100-foot computer-generated wave and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Linda Greenlaw, the very first woman swordfish boat captain ever.
Continuing his trend to work with the very top Hollywood A-listers, Peterson followed up The Perfect Storm with Troy, a sprawling epic film based on Homer’s Iliad that starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom and earned its own Academy Award nomination.
Two years after Troy, came Poseidon about a capsized luxury ocean liner named Poseidon, and the survivors who were left to fight for their lives as they attempted to escape the sinking ship. The film, a remake of the 1972 classic, starred Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, and Emmy Rossum and earned an Academy Award nomination for Visual Effects.
His final film was 2016′s Four Against the Bank, a German film that remade Petersen’s own 1976 German TV movie, almost bringing his career around full circle.
REELated:
Hollywood Reacts
As news of his passing hit the internet, many flocked to social media to pay their respects:
Beautifully composed SPLIT DIOPTER shot in Wolfgang Petersen's masterpiece DAS BOOT (1981). The man could tell a story in so many ways…#RIP pic.twitter.com/x0QZzDOiGs
— Vashi Nedomansky, ACE (@vashikoo) August 16, 2022
RIP to a cinematic legend who traumatized an entire generation. May the story of Wolfgang Petersen’s directing never-end. pic.twitter.com/OxxhQMkoIq
— Joe Russo (@joerussotweets) August 16, 2022
RIP & Thank you Wolfgang Petersen. Sure, you broke all of our hearts in The Swamps of Sadness (Artax! ????) but you also gifted us one of the most triumphant scenes of all time. THE NEVERENDING STORY ('84) 4EVER! pic.twitter.com/PGbCxawwn0
— kindertrauma® (@kindertrauma) August 17, 2022
“Enemy Mine” (1985) was simply awesome. RIP Wolfgang Petersen… pic.twitter.com/59AuRAg4Rn
— SpongeBill NoPants (@WilliamScurry) August 16, 2022
Wolfgang Petersen has died – director of a bunch of great movies, but I always had a soft spot for Enemy Mine. RIP, sir. pic.twitter.com/M5PCWkEhbd
— Leo McBride at Altered Instinct (@AlteredInstinct) August 16, 2022
PSA: Wolfgang Petersen’s best American movie, Shattered, is streaming free on Tubi right now. Don’t read a word about this one before you see it. Trust me, this one’s a blast. pic.twitter.com/B84a8KL7lA
— William Friedkin Truths (@LazlosGhost) August 16, 2022
I will never forget watching shots like this at the cinema and having my mind blown away! Let's hear from the great man himself about the amazing VFX created by @ILMVFX. Thank you so much #WolfgangPetersen for so many great films. Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/TpDfo5ssZT
— Hugo Guerra (@HugoCGuerra) August 17, 2022
NEVERENDING STORY, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, OUTBREAK, AIR FORCE ONE just to name my favorites. Talk about a blockbuster director with craft.
— Gilbert Martinez (@GilPYM) August 16, 2022
RIP Wolfgang Petersen pic.twitter.com/EM94dm4ChH
Sad to hear that Wolfgang Petersen has passed away.
— Matt (@nosoupforgeorge) August 16, 2022
'Das Boot' was his masterpiece, but Die Hard On A Plane (aka 'Air Force One') was definitely the most fun. pic.twitter.com/SYsO46BEjo
RIP Wolfgang Petersen
— Tom Reagan’s Hat (@RufusTSuperfly) August 16, 2022
In the Line of Fire was a great thriller.
‘You wouldn’t be interested in selling them, would ya?’
‘No, I need them.’
‘For what?’
‘To assassinate the President.’
‘What you wanna do that for, mister?’
‘Why did you kill that bird, asshole?’ pic.twitter.com/bQHGlDgdNB
The director of "Troy" Wolfgang Petersen has died at 81. #RIPWolfgangPetersen pic.twitter.com/tiYxkCJhnr
— Orlando Bloom movies (@bloom_movies) August 16, 2022
A few of my favorites: Das Boot. The NeverEnding Story. In the Line of Fire. Outbreak. Air Force One. Die Konsequenz. Enemy Mine. The Perfect Storm.
— gary graham (@thegarygraham) August 16, 2022
An incredible talent.
Rest in Power, Wolfgang Petersen. pic.twitter.com/vLuECcVKtf
Sad to hear of director #WolfgangPetersen s passing. He made some great action films that influenced the way I shoot action. You made your mark. RIP dear sir. pic.twitter.com/ajI6IzpPgc
— Jon Cassar (@joncassar) August 17, 2022
If you haven’t watched “In The Line of Fire” lately, do. A great thriller than does the impossible: It’s so much better then you remember. #wolfgangpetersen pic.twitter.com/XWj7oHlJzy
— Annie (@BadgrGrl21) August 16, 2022
#RIP WOLFGANG PETERSEN (1941–2022)
— Alt Film Guide (@altfilmguide) August 16, 2022
Best Director #Oscar nominee (also for Adapt Scr) for DAS BOOT, the 1st (& to date only) German film nominated in that category.
Other credits incl THE PERFECT STORM w George Clooney, TROY w Brad Pitt & AIR FORCE ONE w Harrison Ford. pic.twitter.com/0oGAznDpF0
Petersen was first married to German actress Ursula Sieg with whom he shared his son, Daniel. When they divorced in 1978, he married Maria-Antoinette Borgel, a German script supervisor and assistant director. He’s survived by Borgel, son Daniel Petersen and two grandchildren.
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