German film director Wolfgang Petersen has died at age 81. He died peacefully Friday at his Brentwood residence from pancreatic cancer, in the arms of his wife of 50 years, Maria Antoinette.Petersen began his career in Germany but answered the call of Hollywood after his 1981 breakout film, the claustrophobic submarine WWII epic Das Boot was nominated for six Academy Awards.
Two of those went to Petersen for adapted screenplay and directing, and he was also nominated for a BAFTA Award and DGA Award.
The film starred Jürgen Prochnow as the U-boat Captain, who became a good example of Petersen’s action characters.He quickly became one of the most in demand directors of technically complex star-driven studio action films, a run that included Enemy Mine, Shattered, In The Line of Fire, Outbreak, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Poseidon and Troy.Born on March 14, 1941, in Emden, Germany, Petersen began his directing career in the 1960s.
Petersen was well-liked amongst his peers, and admired by the talent he worked with including Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Renee Russo, Glenn Close, Mark Wahlberg, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman.
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