Wolfgang Petersen Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Wolfgang Petersen, the Oscar-nominated director of Das Boot, Air Force One, and The Perfect Storm, has passed away at 81 due to pancreatic cancer.

John Bailey, a seasoned Hollywood cinematographer who served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2017 to 2019, died Friday in Los Angeles. He was 81. Bailey’s death was announced by his wife, Carol Littleton, in a statement released by the Academy on Friday evening.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor John Travolta introduced the Oscars In Memoriam segment, tearing up while remembering his “Grease” co-star Olivia Newton-John. “They’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” a visibly emotional Travolta said before the video montage began. The Oscars recognized the actors and filmmakers we lost over the past year in the annual In Memoriam segment, which this year unfurled to the sound of Lenny Kravitz playing “Calling All Angels.” The emotional segment is a viewer favorite, but omissions of high-profile Hollywood figures spark annual debate.

Deadline confirmed the news last October that Harrison Ford would be taking over the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross — previously played by the late, great William Hurt — beginning with Phase 5 title Captain America: New World Order. At the time, details about the character and the film’s plot were being kept tightly under wraps.

Edward R. Pressman, the prolific Hollywood indie producer behind Wall Street, Badlands and The Crow, among dozens of others, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 79.

Wolfgang Petersen, the Oscar-nominated director of "In The Line Of Fire", "Air Force One" and "The Perfect Storm," has died due to pancreatic cancer, his representative confirmed to Fox News Digital. He was 81. The German filmmaker died peacefully on Friday at his Brentwood, California home in the arms of his wife of 50 years, Maria Antoinette.  In 1981, Petersen made his breakthrough with the German-language WWII film "Das Boot", which he wrote and directed.The submarine epic received six Academy Award nominations, with Petersen scoring nods for best director and best adapted screenplay.

and, has died. He was 81.The filmmaker died Friday at his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Petersen’s publicist, Michelle Bega.

The Perfect Storm star Diane Lane paid tribute today to its director Wolfgang Petersen, who died Friday at 81.

Das Boot, Air Force One and others, has died aged 81.Petersen died on Friday (August 12) at his home in Brentwood, California from pancreatic cancer, his publicist confirmed (via The Hollywood Reporter).The German director, producer and writer had his breakthrough film with World War II epic Das Boot, released in 1982. The film was nominated for six Oscars, including two for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.His first English-language project was 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story, which received two sequels in 1990 and 1994 respectively.Petersen achieved Hollywood success with his later works, including 1993’s In The Line Of Fire with Clint Eastwood, 1995’s Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman, and action thriller Air Force One in 1997 with Harrison Ford as the US president.In 2000, he also directed disaster film The Perfect Storm, based on a true story about a commercial fishing vessel that becomes lost at sea.

Director Wolfgang Petersen has passed away.

Wolfgang Petersen, whose German-language film “Das Boot” launched a successful Hollywood filmmaking career including “Air Force One” and “The Perfect Storm,” has died, a representative told TheWrap. He was 81.Petersen died peacefully Friday from pancreatic cancer with his wife Maria Antoinette by his side.Petersen’s film “Das Boot” or “The Boat” (1981) launched his career in Hollywood after the submarine WWII film received six Academy Award nominations.

Carmel Dagan Staff WriterWolfgang Petersen, who rode his acclaimed German-language film “Das Boot” into a career directing Hollywood blockbusters such as “In the Line of Fire,” “Air Force One,” “The Perfect Storm” and “Troy,” has died. He was 81.The news was confirmed by his production company.“Das Boot” (1981) was the harrowing story of life aboard a German U-boat during World War II; the genius of the film was that Petersen accomplished the unlikely feat of making audiences feel for the ordinary men serving on the submarine, who were all at least nominally in service to the Nazi cause — even the captain, played by Jurgen Prochnow, who himself parlayed the role in the film into a career as a character actor in Hollywood.

German film director Wolfgang Petersen has died at age 81. He died peacefully Friday at his Brentwood residence from pancreatic cancer, in the arms of his wife of 50 years, Maria Antoinette.

Brad Pitt is known for many things — his winning smile, handsome face, acting range and ability to disappear into a character, and as seen once again in, his ability to pull off some epic action scenes.While Pitt has said this is one of his first forays into high-octane action comedy, he has no shortage of experience in delivering some exciting moments of pulse-pounding action.With rocketing into theaters this weekend, ET is taking a look back at Pitt's legacy of action movies and his history playing battle-hardened characters — beginning with The powerful social commentary of director David Fincher's has become a beloved classic, despite disappointing at the box office upon its release. However, the siren call the film has had for many in the years since hitting theaters seems to be the same it had for Pitt when he first read the script.«It just spoke to me, I was really drawn to the thing,» Pitt told ET at the Venice Film Festival in 1999, ahead of the movie's wide release, adding that the film really showed how «art feeds off life and life feeds off art.»Pitt showed off his chiseled torso and flawless fighting figure when he donned some armor, a shield and a sword for Wolfgang Petersen's epic period piece,.

In the 2000s, the critical, financial, and Oscar success of Ridley Scott’s ancient Rome actioner “Gladiator” led to studios chasing the same highs. A string of high-budget period action films were greenlit in its wake such as Wolfgang Petersen’s Greek epic “Troy” (loosely based on the Iliad), Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven,” and Oliver Stone’s ambitious but ultimately messy “Alexander.” Stone wasn’t the only established filmmaker that attempted to tell the story of the ancient Macedonian general and king, Alexander The Great.

Duncan Henderson, the Oscar-nominated producer of Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, a longtime DGA national board member and recipient of the guild’s Frank Capra Achievement Award, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 72.

Hollywood can be a living nightmare for young actresses trying to make their mark in the studio system. Some of that has improved in the age of #MeToo and accountability; however, only a few short years ago, actresses were still having encounters with predatory monsters like Harvey Weinstein.

Troy, specifically his admiration for “stunningly beautiful” co-star Brad Pitt.Speaking to Vanity Fair in a video covering the actor’s entire career, from Braveheart to Succession, Cox explained that the role of Agamemnon in the historical epic was “the only part I’ve ever pursued”.“I’ve never pursued anything,” Cox said. “I’ve always allowed it to fall out the way it fell out.

Brian Cox has nothing but nice things to say about his Troy co-star Brad Pitt!

Brian Cox was a big fan of his “Troy” co-star Brad Pitt’s work.

Will Tizard ContributorJost Vacano, honored with a lifetime achievement award this year at the EnergaCamerimage cinematography fest, had his career breakthrough working with director Wolfgang Petersen on the 1981 hit film “Das Boot,” which signified a major success for German cinema. International critics praised the extraordinary innovations of Vacano’s filming, which faithfully recreated the claustrophobic confines of U-boat combat in World War II.