A German Commander

Or, to the film fans world-wide, Wolfgang Petersen was also a blockbuster maker.  That he commanded big budget projects, handled masterfully, into "Air Force One", "Outbreak" both in one same year, 1997, with mega stars, Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood in "In the Line of Fire (1993)".

Born in Emden, Germany, a coastal northern town, 1941, his first success, an anti-war, German submarine U-96 epic, "Das Boot" came in 1981.  His major box office hit next must be the fantasy "Never Ending Story (1984)", and till "Troy (2004)" with Brad Pitt as Achilles.

He was 81 years old, passed away near his last residence near Los Angeles, with pancreatic cancer.  We're all missing one at the helm, directing, writing.