Wolfgang Petersen

Biography

Wolfgang Petersen was a German-born screenwriter, producer and film director who spent most of his career in the United States. In the 1960s he began working directing plays at the Ernst Deutsch Theater in Hamburg. After becoming interested in theater in Berlin and Hamburg, Petersen attended the Berlin Film and Television Academy (1966-70). His first productions were for German state television, and it was during his work on the popular crime series Crime Scene that he met actor Jürgen Prochnow, who would later appear in his iconic film Das Boot (1981). His other films include The NeverEnding Story (1984), cult film Enemy Mine (1985), Shattered (1991), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Troy (2004), Poseidon (2006) and Four Against the Bank (2016), his latest film.

Awards & recognition

• ★Bavarian Order of Merit
• ★Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• ☆Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1983 · nominated
• ☆Academy Award — Best Director · 1983 · nominated
• ☆Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1982 · nominated