'Air Force One' Director Wolfgang Petersen Dead At 81

Director Wolfgang Petersen sadly passed away at the age of 81.

After struggling with pancreatic cancer for several years, he passed away peacefully in his Brentwood residence on Friday, according to Deadline. He leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Maria Antoinette, as well as his son, Daniel, and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be private.

The German director quickly gained fame for working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, directing films like 1997’s “Air Force One,” 2000’s “The Perfect Storm,” 1993’s “In The Line of Fire,” 1995’s “Outbreak,” 2004’s “Troy,” and 2006’s “Poseidon.”

The German director was born on March 14, 1941, in Emden, Germany. He began his career directing short films and TV movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Although his career started in Germany, his 1981 World War II breakout film “Das Boot” (The Boat) became an international sensation and was nominated for six Academy Awards. Two of those Oscar nominations went to Peterson for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. He was also nominated for a DGA Award and a BAFTA Award for the film.

As The Hollywood Reporter noted, Petersen had spent $18.5 million dollars on “Das Boot,” giving it the biggest movie budget in German history. Several submarines had to be built for the movie in order to mimic the interior of a real U-96.

In a 2000 interview, Petersen recalled, “You can really go into the characters and see how they react when there is no way to open the door.” He added, “I also like the element of water, because I think water is the most beautiful, almost mesmerizing element — and it’s most dangerous.”

In 2016, Peterson told THR that it was a “big ask” to ask an international audience to “identify with Nazis in a submarine.”

“When Das Boot first screened in Los Angeles and the title card came up: ‘Of 40,000 German submariners, 30,000 died,’ there was huge applause from the audience,” he recalled. “At the end of the film, they all rose and gave a standing ovation. The film shows war is war, and in war, young people die for horrible reasons.”

"Midnight Mass" director Mike Flanagan was one of the first to take to Twitter to offer his condolences. "Very sad to hear Wolfgang Petersen passed away," he tweeted. "I love DAS BOOT, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, THE PERFECT STORM, OUTBREAK... and I'll always have a very special place in my heart for THE NEVERENDING STORY. Rest In Peace."

"New Guy" director Bilge Ebiri tweeted, "No matter how good people think he was, Wolfgang Petersen was *better.* IN THE LINE OF FIRE is an eternal masterpiece. (Watch it again.) DAS BOOT revolutionized Hollywood action for a generation. ENEMY MINE, AIR FORCE ONE, TROY… All amazing movies."

Film and theater critic Alan Zilberman tweeted, "Wolfgang Petersen made some terrific thrillers, including In the Line of Fire and Das Boot, but I'll always associate him most with The Neverending Story. No children's film ever hit harder. Rest in power."

Many fans also took to Twitter to praise "The Neverending Story." As one fan tweeted, "R.I.P. Wolfgang Petersen, a terrific director who kept turning up in my life, from The NeverEnding Story on VHS to my first R-rated movie in the theater (Troy). Das Boot is his masterpiece, but I recommend his bizarro erotic amnesia thriller Shattered just as much."