Profile Text
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, screenwriter, and producer. 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-Petersen, 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.