Wolfgang Petersen was a German-born screenwriter, producer and film director who spent most of his career in the United States. In the 1960s he began working directing plays at the Ernst Deutsch Theater in Hamburg. After becoming interested in theater in Berlin and Hamburg, Petersen attended the Berlin Film and Television Academy (1966-70). His first productions were for German state television, and it was during his work on the popular crime series Crime Scene that he met actor Jürgen Prochnow, who would later appear in his iconic film Das Boot (1981). His other films include The NeverEnding Story (1984), cult film Enemy Mine (1985), Shattered (1991), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Troy (2004), Poseidon (2006) and Four Against the Bank (2016), his latest film.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- March 14, 1941
- August 12, 2022 (aged 81)
- Emden, Germany
- Director, producer, writer and actor
- 18 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
What are Wolfgang Petersen's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 17
Light 2 · Serious 4 · Dark 11
Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 11
Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 5
Casual 2 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 11
Resolved 14 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Wolfgang Petersen's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Wolfgang Petersen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
40 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Four Against the Bank(2016)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Poseidon(2006)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Avenger(2006)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Troy(2004)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Agency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
The Agency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Perfect Storm(2000)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Bicentennial Man(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Instinct(1999)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Red Corner(1997)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Air Force One(1997)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Outbreak(1995)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
In the Line of Fire(1993)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
HBO First Look (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Shattered(1991)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Enemy Mine(1985)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Das Boot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
EL SUBMARINO Mini Serie TV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
The NeverEnding Story(1984)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Das Boot(1981)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Black and White Like Day and Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Consequence(1977)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all filmsPlanübung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Four Against the Bank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Hans in Luck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Stellenweise Glatteis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Die Stadt im Tal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Pinned to the Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
One or the Other of Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Van der Valk and the Rich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Smog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Anna and Totó (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
I Will Kill You, Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Tatort(1970)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Ich Nicht (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Cuckoo Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Foundling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Der Eine - der Andere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Stadt auf Stelzen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Career shape
A full career of 39 titles from 1965 to 2017.
Film career
- 1984Screen debut· The NeverEnding Story
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Wolfgang Petersen's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th5
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 55/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Wolfgang Petersen's work okay for kids?
Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Wolfgang Petersen work with?
People who share at least 2 of Wolfgang Petersen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gail Katz shares the most, 8.
Actors
- Cuba Gooding Jr.Shared titles: Instinct (1999), Outbreak (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Donald SutherlandShared titles: Instinct (1999), Outbreak (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Donald Sutherland
- Wendy CrewsonShared titles: Bicentennial Man (1999), Air Force One (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Wendy Crewson
- Rene RussoShared titles: Outbreak (1995), In the Line of Fire (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Rene Russo
Composers and editors
- Hannes NikelShared titles: Shattered (1991), Enemy Mine (1985), Das Boot (1981), The Consequence (1977)See all 4 shared titles with Hannes Nikel
- James HornerShared titles: Troy (2004), The Perfect Storm (2000), Bicentennial Man (1999)See all 3 shared titles with James Horner
- Richard Francis-BruceShared titles: The Perfect Storm (2000), Instinct (1999), Air Force One (1997)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Francis-Bruce
- Klaus DoldingerShared titles: Offene Wunde deutscher Film (2017), The NeverEnding Story (1984), Das Boot (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Klaus Doldinger
Producers
- Gail KatzShared titles: The Perfect Storm (2000), Bicentennial Man (1999), Instinct (1999), Air Force One (1997), Red Corner (1997), Outbreak (1995), In the Line of Fire (1993), Shattered (1991)See all 8 shared titles with Gail Katz
- Barbara HuberShared titles: Four Against the Bank (2016), Poseidon (2006), Troy (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Barbara Huber
- Duncan HendersonShared titles: Poseidon (2006), The Perfect Storm (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Duncan Henderson
- Ortwin FreyermuthShared titles: Shattered (1991), Das Boot (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Ortwin Freyermuth
Mixed roles
- Dieter GeisslerShared titles: Offene Wunde deutscher Film (2017), The NeverEnding Story (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Dieter Geissler
