Wolfgang Petersen

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. May 10, 2006. Petersen at the Los Angeles Premiere of “Poseidon” held at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. Starfrenzy/bigstock.com

Date of Birth: 14 March, 1941

Place of Birth: Emden, Germany

Date of Death: August 12, 2022

Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: German

Wolfgang Petersen was a German-American director. He directed the films One or the Other of Us, Das Boot, which he wrote; The NeverEnding Story, which he co-wrote; Enemy Mine, Shattered (1991), which he also wrote; In the Line of Fire, Outbreak (1995), Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy (2004), Poseidon (2006), and Vier gegen die Bank (2016); and the made-for-tv movies Vier gegen die Bank (1976), Die Konsequenz, and Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte, the latter two of which he also co-wrote. He also directed episodes of, and wrote for, the show Tatort.

His father was a naval officer. Wolfgang was married to Maria Borgel, until his death. He had a son with his former wife, actress Ursula Sieg. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1986, and later became a U.S. citizen.