It’s sadly been revealed that director Wolfgang Petersen has died at age 81. Film fans will recognize his work for including such classics as The NeverEnding Story, Das Boot, Air Force One, and The Perfect Storm to name only a few.
As noted via Deadline, the beloved filmmaker “died peacefully Friday at his Brentwood residence from pancreatic cancer, in the arms of his wife of 50 years, Maria Antoinette.” It’s certainly a sad announcement, but Wolfgang Petersen left behind an incredible filmography. This included a number of films that he created in Germany where he started his career before moving to Hollywood following the success of Das Boot.
This particular film is known for having been released with a number of different versions. For example, the original release of the film included a 149-minute runtime. This was later followed with a three-part, 300-minute miniseries released by The BBC in the 1980s. Furthermore, in 1997, a director’s cut of the film was released. This version of Das Boot was a total of 208 minutes.
Of course, Das Boot is only one of example of many great film projects that he directed throughout his career. With such films as The NeverEnding Story, which continue to have an impact on pop culture today, it’s safe to say that he was a truly incredible filmmaker. A few of his other projects included Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Instinct, Bicentennial Man, and Red Corner. And, with each of these projects, he worked with some of the industry’s biggest stars. They all added to his reputation as being a well-received and well-liked filmmaker.
Wolfgang Petersen is survived by his second wife Maria Antoinette Borgel and his son Daniel Petersen who he had with ex-wife Ursula Sieg. It’s been stated that funeral services for Wolfgang Petersen will be held privately.