German film director Wolfgang Petersen has died in Brentwood, west of Los Angeles, California, aged 81. As reported on Tuesday, August 16, the dpa agency, citing his assistant, the cause of death was the consequences of pancreatic cancer.
The creator of such films as “Submarine”, “Troy”, “The Perfect Storm”, until the last moment was surrounded by relatives, his wife Marie Antoinette (Borgel) was by his side.
Born in Emden (Lower Saxony) in 1941, Petersen grew up in Hamburg and studied at the German Film and Television Academy (DFFB) in Berlin.
From working on a crime series to the cult “The Neverending Story”
Since 1971, the director, hired by the public broadcaster NDR, has been working for several years on the releases of the popular TV series “Tatort” (“Crime Scene”).
In 1977, he adapted Alexander Ziegler’s autobiographical novel about same-sex love, then the tape “Consequences” appeared, which caused great resonance among the public.
In 1981, the film “Submarine” was released, based on the novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, based on real events and becoming a world bestseller. The tape gained huge popularity from the public, received several prestigious awards and was nominated for six Oscars. German actor Jürgen Prochnow starred in the title role, and the film is still considered one of the best films about World War II, experts say.
In 1984, Wolfgang Petersen became the director of the cult “The Neverending Story”, based on the novel of the same name by writer Michael Ende (Michael Ende).
Moving to Hollywood
In the same year, the director moved to Hollywood. There he worked on the film adaptation of the novel “Paprika” by Yasutaka Tsutsui, which was based on the anime of the same name, filmed by Clint Eastwood, released the blockbusters “The Perfect Storm” (2000) and “Troy” (2004).
The latest remake of Fours Against the Bank was released in 2016, and Petersen returned to his homeland to work on it and rethink his 1976 television comedy. The film — like “Submarine” — was released in German.
Source: DW
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