Wolfgang Petersen, whose films include Das Boot and The NeverEnding Story, has passed away after a battle with cancer. The news of his death was confirmed by Deadline, which said that he died peacefully with his wife. The man was 81 years old.
He began working in German television in the 60s. His first theatrical film was 1974's One Or The Other, where he met actor Jrgen Prochnow, who would later star in the most highly regarded German film of all time. The film about the crew of a German U-boat in World War II was nominated for six Academy Awards.
The international success of Das Boot made Petersen an in-demand filmmaker in Hollywood, and he followed it up a few years later with The NeverEnding Story, based on the book of the same name. After directing big-budget, high-stakes, star-driven action thrillers like Enemy Mine, In The Line of Fire, Outbreak, and Air Force One, he became known in Hollywood for directing narrow, genre-specific films.
The Perfect Storm was a big hit when it was released in 2000, even though it wasn't a huge hit with reviewers. Troy and Poseidon both got mixed reviews but made good money, even though the latter had a big budget and lost money. His last movie was a comedy about a bank robbery.
He is survived by his family.
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