Wolfgang Petersen, the German director whose Oscar-nominated submarine movie “Das Boot” propelled him to directing Hollywood initiatives reminiscent of Brad Pitt in “Troy,” George Clooney in “The Perfect Storm” and Harrison Ford in “Air Force One,” has died. He was once 81.

Petersen’s consultant Michelle Bega instructed USA TODAY the director died Friday at his house within the Los Angeles community of Brentwood after a fight with pancreatic most cancers.

Born in Emden, Germany, Petersen’s searing portrayal of a WWII German U-boat in 1981’s “Das Boot” (“The Boat”) earned six Oscar nominations, with two nominations for Petersen: easiest director and easiest tailored screenplay.

The anti-war movie additionally stuck Hollywood’s consideration.

Brad Pitt talks ‘Troy’ stunt on ATV:“We got in trouble for that.”

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Petersen went directly to direct Clint Eastwood as a secret provider agent within the 1993 mystery “In the Line of Fire” and Dustin Hoffman within the 1995 world pandemic virus mystery “Outbreak.”

Ford portrayed President James Marshall, whose airplane is hijacked through terrorists in Peterson’s 1997 mystery “Air Force One,” one of the crucial widespread motion motion pictures of the Nineties.

Glenn Close, who performed Vice President Kathryn Bennett, recollects that even supposing the motion set was once intense, Petersen introduced levity, particularly filming a scene at an enormous desk within the War Room.

“Wolfgang set a far flung managed digicam that might rotate in position, seamlessly overlaying all people, one after every other,” Close instructed USA TODAY in a commentary. “You knew the digicam would pause on you through his hilarious path whilst putting in place the shot. He would level to us in flip and say, ‘Acting … performing … NO performing … NO performing … ACTING … aaaacting!’ He did not waste any person’s time. My reminiscence is of a person filled with joie de vivre who was once doing what he maximum liked to do. “

In 2000, Petersen helmed the field place of business hit “The Perfect Storm,” the story of doomed Gloucester fishermen starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

In 2004, Petersen directed “Troy,”  a Hollywood model of Homer’s epic, showcasing a bulked-up Brad Pitt because the hero Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris and “Succession” star Brian Cox as Agamemnon.

Petersen was once shocked sooner than filming to peer Pitt, who was once set to play the Greek warrior hero who leads the struggle towards Troy. Pitt had lengthy darkish hair, a beard and had misplaced weight for every other function.

“I used to be stunned once I noticed him,” Petersen instructed Vanity Fair in 2019. “I mentioned, ‘Jesus Christ, that’s no longer how Achilles seems.’ “

Over beers at a German eating place, Pitt promised Petersen that he would seem like the Hollywood model of Achilles. The megastar adopted via, pulling off his greatest, bodily transformation as Achilles. As Pitt instructed USA TODAY this 12 months. “I labored my (butt) off for that function.”

With the cheap of just about $185 million, “Troy” was once one of the crucial pricey films produced on the time. Though significantly maligned, it turned into some of the highest-grossing motion pictures of 2004, with a global field place of business of just about $500 million.

Petersen is survived through 2nd spouse Maria-Antoinette Borgel, a German script manager and assistant director he wed in 1978, son Daniel Petersen and two grandchildren.

Contributing: Jake Coyle, The Associated Press