Wolfgang Petersen

Wolfgang Petersen was born in Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany. He studied theater in Berlin and Hamburg and graduated from the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) in 1970, directing groundbreaking episodes of the German television crime drama Tatort, including the controversial "Reifezeugnis" starring Nastassja Kinski.

In 1981, Petersen directed Das Boot (The Boat), an unrelenting, claustrophobic drama following the crew of a German U-boat in the Battle of the Atlantic. The film became an international sensation, earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Petersen—a record for a German-language production. Transitioning to international fantasy, he directed the beloved 1984 classic The NeverEnding Story. Moving to Hollywood, Petersen directed a string of massive box-office blockbusters: Clint Eastwood's Secret Service thriller In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Harrison Ford's Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), and the epic historical spectacle Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt.