Wolfgang Petersen, director of The Neverending Story, is dead

German director Wolfgang Petersen, best known for his films Troy and The Neverending Story and for having directed world stars such as Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, died of pancreatic cancer at 81 The man who enjoyed success in 1983 with two Oscar nominations for Das Boot, a thriller whose plot takes place aboard a submarine during World War II, died at his home in Los Angeles in the arm of his wife, said a spokesperson. The following year released his first film in English, The Neverending Story, adaptation of a success of children’s literature telling the adventures of a young boy who steals a novel in a bookstore, before being propelled into the history of the book. He then directed action films and disaster films, notably In the line of sight, with Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich, and Alert, which recounts the struggle of the American authorities against a very virulent virus, with Dustin Hoffman. Actress Glenn Close, who had played alongside Harrison Ford in Air Force One, told AFP that having been directed by Wolfgang Petersen “rest[ait] a special memory”. “Even though the script was thrilling and incredibly intense, I remember lots of laughs, especially during the scenes around the huge table in the ‘War Room,'” she said. My memory is that of a man full of ‘goose to live’ [en français dans le communiqué, ndlr]who was doing what he loved doing the most.”