Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter and producer. His international breakthrough was the war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. He subsequently directed the blockbuster fantasy film The Never Ending Story (1984), based on the 1979 novel of the same name.

After moving to the United States in the mid-1980s, Petersen directed his first American production, the science-fiction film Enemy Mine (1985). He directed a variety of major studio productions through the mid-2000s, including In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Troy (2004) and Poseidon (2006).

In addition to his Oscar nominations, Petersen won three Bambi Awards, a Bavarian Film Award and a German Film Award. He was also a founding member of the Deutsche Filmakademie.

Early life

Petersen was born on 14 March 1941 in the northern harbour city, just a few miles from the Netherlands, Emden,

thumb|Petersen, Boulevard der Stars, Berlin

Petersen's $160 million epic film Poseidon, a re-telling of the 1969 Paul Gallico novel The Poseidon Adventure (previously adapted for the 1972 disaster film), was released by Warner Bros. in May 2006. The film performed poorly in the U.S., barely exceeding $60 million in domestic box office receipts by early August, but international sales surpassed $121 million.

  • Wolfgang Petersen at Find a Grave