Place of birth: Emden, Lower Saxony (Germany)
Biography:
He began directing theater productions at the young age of 21. Meanwhile he was studying acting at the Ernst Deutsch Theater in Hamburg.
After a while, he decides to focus all his work basically on film and television direction. To do this, Petersen entered the Berlin Film and Television Academy, where for four long years, he “interned” to finally complete his training as a director.
As soon as the 1970s began, his television directorial debut would come with “I Will Kill You, Wolf.” After that job he directed six television films of two hours each, for the series “Tatort (Crime Scene)”.
“Reifezeugnis” (in Spanish: “Final Notes”), was one of the films that were part of this series. Thanks to her, the almost unknown actress, Nastassja Kinski, became a star from one moment to the next. To this day, it remains the most successful TV movie on German television in history.
Wolfgang started his career as a filmmaker on the right foot, by becoming the winner of the German National Film Award under the name of Best New Director, due to the directive work he did on the film “The One or the Other” in the year 1973.
Filmography:
- Poseidon (2006, director and producer)
- Troya (2004, direct and executive producer)
- The Perfect Storm (2000, director)
- The Bicentennial Man (1999, producer)
- Air force one (1997, director)
- Outbreak (1995, director)
- In the line of fire (1993, director)
- The night of the broken glass (1991, director and screenwriter)
- Enemy of Mine (1985, director)
- The endless story (1984, director and screenwriter)