How did Wolfgang Petersen die? Tributes pour in as 'Troy' and 'Air Force One' director passes away at 81

Famous director, producer, and screenwriter Wolfgang Petersen passed away on August 12, at the age of 81 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was well-known for his films like Poseidon, Outbreak and Air Force One, among others.

The news was revealed by his representative and detailed information about his funeral shall be disclosed soon.

What was Wolfgang Petersen’s cause of death?

Wolfgang Petersen died of pancreatic cancer and his wife Maria Borgel Petersen was with him at the time. It has been confirmed that Petersen died at his home and was not hospitalized.

However, there is no information available on how long Petersen was suffering from the disease. It remains unknown if he was suffering from any other health issues in the past.

Exploring Wolfgan Petersen's career

Born on March 14, 1941, Petersen enrolled at the Gelehrtenschule des Johannesums in Hamburg and started directing plays at the Ernst Deutsch Theater in 1960. He then attended Berlin’s Film and Television Academy and gained recognition for his work in the German TV series Tatort.

Petersen’s first feature film was a psychological thriller, One or the Other of Us, which came out in 1974. He was the director of the 1977 film, Die Konsequenz, which was an adaptation of an autobiographical novel by Alexander Ziegler.

His next film was the war film Das Boot, released in 1982 and was praised by critics alongside being nominated for six Academy Awards.

Wolfgang then directed the 1984 fantasy film, The NeverEnding Story, followed by his first English film, Enemy Mine, in 1985. However, the latter failed to become a critical and commercial success. His next English film, In the Line of Fire, had Clint Eastwood in the lead role and it was a box office success.

Petersen’s next two films, Outbreak and Air Force One, received a decent response among the audience and at the box office. He was joined by German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus for these two films.

Wolfgang became a familiar name in Hollywood in 1998. Although he was the first choice to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, he stepped down in 2000.

His next film, The Perfect Storm, was released in 2000 and was successful at the box office. This was followed by Troy in 2004 when Petersen signed a deal with Warner Bros. He directed Poseidon in 2006 which was a box office disaster and lost $69 million for Warner Bros.

Petersen was considered to direct a film adaptation of the military science fiction novel Ender’s Game. His unreleased projects include a live-action adaptation of the 2006 anime film, Paprika and the science fiction novel, Old Man’s War. His last film as a director was the 2016 heist comedy, Vier gegen die Bank.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Wolfgang Petersen was well-known for his flawless work as a film director. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his death.

His survivors include his wife and son, Maria and Daniel, and two grandchildren.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

Know More