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.

Directed

1. Troy (2004) — Director
2. The NeverEnding Story (1984) — Director
3. Air Force One (1997) — Director
4. The Perfect Storm (2000) — Director
5. Das Boot (1981) — Director
6. Outbreak (1995) — Director
7. Poseidon (2006) — Director
8. In the Line of Fire (1993) — Director
9. Enemy Mine (1985) — Director
10. Shattered (1991) — Director
11. Four Against the Bank (2016) — Director
12. Das Boot (1985) — Director
13. Scene of the Crime (1970) — Director
14. The Consequence (1977) — Director
15. One or the Other of Us (1974) — Director
16. Black and White Like Day and Night (1978) — Director
17. Smog (1973) — Director
18. Four Against the Bank (1976) — Director
19. Hans in Luck (1976) — Director
20. Die Stadt im Tal (1975) — Director
21. Stellenweise Glatteis (1975) — Director
22. Der Eine - der Andere (1967) — Director
23. Van der Valk and the Rich (1973) — Director
24. Planübung (1977) — Director
25. Pinned to the Ground (1974) — Director
26. Ich Nicht (1969) — Director
27. I Will Kill You, Wolf (1971) — Director
28. Stadt auf Stelzen (1965) — Director
29. Anna and Totó (1972) — Director
30. Die Stadt im Tal (1975) — Director
31. Stellenweise Glatteis (1975) — Director

Also appeared in

1. The NeverEnding Story (1984) — Man Who Drops Milk (uncredited)
2. Wetten, dass..? (1981) — Self
3. HBO First Look (1992)
4. The Directors (1999) — Self
5. Das Boot Revisited: An Underwater Success Story (2021) — Self - Das Boot Screenwriter and Director
6. DAS! (1991) — Self
7. NDR Talk Show (1979) — Self
8. U-96, The True Story of 'Das Boot' (2023) — Self (archive footage)
9. Starbuck Holger Meins (2002) — Self
10. Goldene Kamera (1984) — Self
11. Das Boot: Behind The Scenes (1981) — Self
12. Na sowas! (1982) — Self
13. Der Bernd (2012) — Self
14. Open Wounds – A Journey through German Genre Films (2017)
15. Bio’s Bahnhof (1978) — Self
16. Bambi (1948) — Self
17. Filmlegenden. Deutsch (2006) — Self
18. Please Turn the Page (1977) — Self
19. Hollywood, Germany - Die amerikanische Herausforderung (1996) — Self
20. Stardust Hollywood - Sternenstaub und Götterwelten (2013) — Self
21. Wolfgang Petersen: Back to the Boat (2011) — Self
22. Gottschalk meets Petersen (2005) — Himself
23. Grimme Award (1964) — Self
24. Bavarian Film Awards (1979) — Self