---
name: "Wolfgang Petersen"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/wolfgang-petersen"
fi1m_id: "wolfgang-petersen"
imdb_id: "nm0000583"
tmdb_id: 5231
wikidata_id: "Q65321"
roles: ["Director","Producer","Writer"]
born: "14 March 1941"
died: "12 August 2022"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "director"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-07T10:49:11.139899+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Wolfgang Petersen

## Identity

Wolfgang Petersen

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/wolfgang-petersen
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** wolfgang-petersen
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000583
- **TMDB ID:** 5231
- **Wikidata ID:** Q65321
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Petersen, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65321, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000583/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5231

Director and producer. Born 14 March 1941 in Emden, Germany. Died 12 August 2022.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer, Writer
- **Born:** 14 March 1941, Emden, Germany
- **Died:** 12 August 2022
- **Active:** 1981–2006
- **Also known as:** فولفغانغ بيترسن
- **Frequently works with:** [Gail Katz](https://film.one/person/gail-katz.md), [Dean Riesner](https://film.one/person/dean-riesner.md), [Herbert Grönemeyer](https://film.one/person/herbert-gronemeyer.md), [Hubertus Bengsch](https://film.one/person/hubertus-bengsch.md), [Jürgen Prochnow](https://film.one/person/jurgen-prochnow.md), [Klaus Wennemann](https://film.one/person/klaus-wennemann.md), [Martin Semmelrogge](https://film.one/person/martin-semmelrogge.md), [Rene Russo](https://film.one/person/rene-russo.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as director, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 86 (2), 1990s 68 (4), 2000s 59 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 65 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Thriller 6, Action 5, Adventure 2, Mystery 2, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 14 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,289m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Petersen, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65321, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000583/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5231

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Air Force One*](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md) (72), [*Outbreak*](https://film.one/film/outbreak.md) (66)
- **Apple TV:** [*Shattered*](https://film.one/film/shattered.md) (58)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Wolfgang Petersen

> Wolfgang Petersen made danger frightening by showing how little room people had to deal with it. We rate him most highly when the machinery, the waiting and the work of staying calm matter more than the size of the spectacle.

In *Das Boot* (1981), equipment takes up space the men could badly use, and the camera never grants them a larger submarine for our convenience. Wolfgang Petersen lets waiting and routine continue long enough for the confinement to become oppressive. We felt trapped during those stretches, because there is so little room to move and so much time to notice it. This is Petersen at his most persuasive: he makes the physical conditions of a job frightening before asking us to care about the people doing it.

Jost Vacano’s cinematography keeps the cramped interior legible, while Rolf Zehetbauer’s production design makes it a convincing place to work. Jürgen Prochnow’s captain supplies the human centre through concentration rather than speeches; the other men’s need for him to know what to do gives his restraint weight. Klaus Doldinger’s music is effective, although it sometimes urges on fear that the sounds outside the boat have already established. Petersen’s patience with the crew makes their distress matter, but several remain frightened faces, and sympathy does not quite make up for how little we learn about them.

The move from German television and small-scale features in the 1970s to *Das Boot* brought an international breakthrough. His first English-language film, the fantasy *The NeverEnding Story* (1984), came before his move to Hollywood in the mid-1980s. *In the Line of Fire* (1993) and *Air Force One* (1997) put his handling of suspense to work around Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford respectively. With *The Perfect Storm* (2000), he kept human stories prominent within a large-scale disaster film. He could still keep the people in view when the action grew larger.

That skill could also serve conventional material too obediently, as in *Troy* (2004) and *Poseidon* (2006), where the spectacle lacks the earlier intensity. We would still start with *Das Boot*, accepting its thinly drawn supporting men for the sustained attention it gives their discomfort and fear. Petersen is worth watching when he trusts us to stay with people who are waiting, listening and trying to do their jobs. Do not choose it for a relaxing evening.

## Biography

Wolfgang Petersen was a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Born in Emden in 1941, he trained at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin after beginning in theatre in Hamburg. His early work included television productions in West Germany, notably episodes of the series *Tatort*.

Petersen achieved international prominence with *Das Boot* (1981), which he directed and for which he wrote the screenplay. The film received six Academy Award nominations. He subsequently directed English-language features including *The NeverEnding Story* (1984), *Enemy Mine* (1985), *In the Line of Fire* (1993), *Outbreak* (1995), *Air Force One* (1997), *The Perfect Storm* (2000), *Troy* (2004) and *Poseidon* (2006). His final film was the German comedy *Vier gegen die Bank* (2016). Petersen died in Los Angeles in 2022.

*Sources: nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, filmportal.de.*

## On Fi1m (8)

- *Poseidon* (2006), Fi1m 55, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md)
- *The Perfect Storm* (2000), Fi1m 63, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-perfect-storm.md)
- *Air Force One* (1997), Fi1m 72, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md)
- *Outbreak* (1995), Fi1m 66, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/outbreak.md)
- *In the Line of Fire* (1993), Fi1m 78, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-line-of-fire.md)
- *Shattered* (1991), Fi1m 58, Director, Producer, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/shattered.md)
- *Das Boot* (1985), Fi1m 84, Creator, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/das-boot-1985.md)
- *Das Boot* (1981), Fi1m 89, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/das-boot.md)

## Complete filmography (39)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Open Wounds – A Journey through German Genre Films* (2017), Actor
- *Four Against the Bank* (2016), Director
- *Poseidon* (2006), Director, Producer — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md)
- *Troy* (2004), Director, Producer
- *The Agency* (2003), Executive Producer
- *The Agency* (2001), series, Creator
- *The Perfect Storm* (2000), Director, Producer — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/the-perfect-storm.md)
- *Bicentennial Man* (1999), Producer
- *Instinct* (1999), Executive Producer
- *Red Corner* (1997), Executive Producer
- *Air Force One* (1997), Director, Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md)
- *Outbreak* (1995), Director, Producer — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/outbreak.md)
- *In the Line of Fire* (1993), Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-line-of-fire.md)
- *HBO First Look* (1992), series, Actor
- *Shattered* (1991), Director, Screenplay, Producer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/shattered.md)
- *Enemy Mine* (1985), Director
- *Das Boot* (1985), series, Screenplay, Director, Creator — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/das-boot-1985.md)
- *EL SUBMARINO Mini Serie TV* (1985), series, Creator
- *The NeverEnding Story* (1984), as Man Who Drops Milk (uncredited) · Director, Screenplay
- *Das Boot* (1981), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/das-boot.md)
- *Black and White Like Day and Night* (1978), Director
- *The Consequence* (1977), Director, Screenplay
- *Planübung* (1977), Director, Writer
- *Four Against the Bank* (1976), Director
- *Hans in Luck* (1976), Director
- *Stellenweise Glatteis* (1975), series, Director
- *Die Stadt im Tal* (1975), series, Director
- *Pinned to the Ground* (1974), Director
- *One or the Other of Us* (1974), Director
- *Van der Valk and the Rich* (1973), Director
- *Smog* (1973), Director, Author
- *Anna and Totó* (1972), Director
- *I Will Kill You, Wolf* (1971), Director, Writer
- *Scene of the Crime* (1970), series, Director
- *Ich Nicht* (1969), Director, Writer
- *The Cuckoo Years* (1967), Assistant Director
- *The Foundling* (1967), Assistant Director
- *Der Eine - der Andere* (1967), Director, Writer
- *Stadt auf Stelzen* (1965), Director

## Gallery

- ![Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984.](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-6d1f7811eeb6.jpg) Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984. — D3v1anc33, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Stanley_O%27Toole%2C_Dennis_Quaid%2C_Wolfgang_Petersen.jpg/1280px-Stanley_O%27Toole%2C_Dennis_Quaid%2C_Wolfgang_Petersen.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984.](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-e7e036e00a88.jpg) Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984. — D3v1anc33, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Stanley_O%27Toole%2C_Dennis_Quaid%2C_Wolfgang_Petersen_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Stanley_O%27Toole%2C_Dennis_Quaid%2C_Wolfgang_Petersen_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984.](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-ec607012b82d.jpg) Stanley O'Toole, Dennis Quaid, Wolfgang Petersen whilst working on Enemy Mine in 1984. — D3v1anc33, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Stanley_O%27Toole%2C_Dennis_Quaid%2C_Wolfgang_Petersen_%28cropped2%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Wolfgang Petersen](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-93f197e4e847.jpg) Wolfgang Petersen — S Pakhrin from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Wolfgang_Petersen_-_Poseidon_Premiere.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Wolfgang Petersen](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-f19fa75e6c9f.jpg) Wolfgang Petersen — Image via TMDB
- ![Wolfgang Petersen](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-8dd06a707acf.jpg) Wolfgang Petersen — Image via TMDB
- ![P1090730 (2006)](https://film.one/media/person/103066/gallery-1426f713d7c8.jpg) P1090730 (2006) — S Pakhrin from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Wolfgang_Petersen_-_Poseidon_Premiere_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1983: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Das Boot*
- 1983: Best Director (nominated), for *Das Boot*

### Other awards — 12 won, 1 nominated

- Goldene Kamera 2007: Goldene Kamera (won)
- Bavarian Order of Merit 2003: Bavarian Order of Merit (won)
- Bambi Award 1997: Bambi Award (won), for *Air Force One*
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1987: Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (won)
- Goldener Gong 1985: Goldener Gong (won), for *Das Boot*
- Goldene Leinwand 1984: Goldene Leinwand (won), for *The NeverEnding Story*
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 1982: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (nominated), for *Das Boot*
- Goldene Leinwand 1982: Goldene Leinwand (won), for *Das Boot*
- Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director) 1981: Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director) (won), for *Das Boot*
- German Critics' Prize 1978: German Critics' Prize (won), for *Die Konsequenz*
- Grimme-Preis 1978: Grimme-Preis (won), for *Die Konsequenz*
- German Film Award 1974: German Film Award (won), for *One or the Other of Us*
- Prix Italia 1973: Prix Italia (won), for *Smog*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/wolfgang-petersen