Otto Sander

Biography

Otto Sander (German: [ˈɔtoː ˈzandɐ]; June 30, 1941 – September 12, 2013) was a German film, theater, and voice actor. Sander grew up in Kassel, where he graduated in 1961 from the Friedrichgymnasium. After leaving school he spent his military service in 1961/62 with the Bundesmarine and left as reserve fenrik. Sander then studied theatre science, history of art and philosophy. In 1965 he made his acting debut at the Düsseldorfer chamber plays. After his first film work in the same year he abandoned his studies in 1967, and went to Munich to become a full-time actor. His career is closely connected with the Schaubühne theatre in Berlin under the direction of Peter Stein. From 1980 onwards Sander appeared on several of Berlin's theatre stages, among others at the Schillertheater in 1981, at the Freie Volksbühne in 1985 and in 1989 at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm. More recently he starred in Hauptmann von Köpenick at the Schauspielhaus Bochum (2004). In 1990, he was a member of the Jury at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival. Among his best-known film roles are the angel Cassiel in Wings of Desire and its sequel Faraway, So Close! by Wim Wenders, and a shell-shocked U-boa…

Movies & TV Shows

1. Das Boot (1981) — Phillip Thomsen
2. Wings of Desire (1987) — Cassiel
3. The Tin Drum (1979) — Meyn
4. Krabat (2008) — Narrator (voice)
5. Werner and the Wizard of Booze (1990) — Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
6. Faraway, So Close! (1993) — Cassiel
7. Das Boot (1985) — Kapitänleutnant Philipp
8. Scene of the Crime (1970) — Manfred Enders
9. Les Misérables (2000) — Monseigneur Bienvenu
10. The Killer Condom (1996) — Mr. Higgins
11. Werner - Gekotzt wird später! (2003) — Erzähler (voice)
12. The Marquise of O (1976) — Brother, Forstmeister
13. Lumière & Company (1995) — Cassiel (segment "Wim Wenders")
14. The Harmonists (1997)
15. Rosa Luxemburg (1986) — Karl Liebknecht
16. Polizeiruf 110 (1971) — Ludwig Stolze
17. Am I Beautiful? (1998) — David
18. Wetten, dass..? (1981) — Self
19. Marlene (2000) — Bühnenmanager
20. The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld (2000) — Professor Steinach
21. The Promise (1995) — Professor Lorenz
22. Die Harald Schmidt Show (1995) — Self
23. Das Traumschiff (1981) — James Korthals
24. Palermo or Wolfsburg (1980) — Staatsanwalt
25. The Heart Is a Dark Forest (2007) — Helmut
26. Sass (2001) — Vater Sass
27. Movie Days (1994) — Maður á hesti
28. Zimmer frei! (1996) — Self
29. One or the Other of Us (1974) — Rulle Ruhlsdorff
30. Der Fahnder (1984) — Bähr
31. Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst (1967) — Kunsträuber
32. A Love in Germany (1983) — Narrator
33. Strike Back (1981) — Kowalski
34. Wolffs Revier (1992) — Schenk
35. Vienna Crime Squad (2005) — Conrad Ribarski
36. Das Boot Revisited: An Underwater Success Story (2021) — Self
37. Boundaries of Time - Caspar David Friedrich (1986) — Gerichtsgehilfe
38. DAS! (1991) — Self
39. Fly Away (2012) — Eckehardt Tiedgen
40. Roland Klick: The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter (2013) — Himself

Directed

1. Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois (1982) — Director