Name
Otto Sander
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1941-06-30
Deathday
2013-09-12 (72 years old)
Place of Birth
Hanover, Germany
Biography
Otto Sander (German: [ˈɔtoː ˈzandɐ]; June 30, 1941 – September 12, 2013) was a German film, theater, and voice actor.
Sander grew up in Kassel, where he graduated in 1961 from the Friedrichgymnasium. After leaving school he spent his military service in 1961/62 with the Bundesmarine and left as reserve fenrik. Sander then studied theatre science, history of art and philosophy. In 1965 he made his acting debut at the Düsseldorfer chamber plays. After his first film work in the same year he abandoned his studies in 1967, and went to Munich to become a full-time actor.
His career is closely connected with the Schaubühne theatre in Berlin under the direction of Peter Stein. From 1980 onwards Sander appeared on several of Berlin's theatre stages, among others at the Schillertheater in 1981, at the Freie Volksbühne in 1985 and in 1989 at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm. More recently he starred in Hauptmann von Köpenick at the Schauspielhaus Bochum (2004).
In 1990, he was a member of the Jury at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.
Among his best-known film roles are the angel Cassiel in Wings of Desire and its sequel Faraway, So Close! by Wim Wenders, and a shell-shocked U-boat commander, Kapitänleutnant Philipp Thomsen, in Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot. Sander also appeared in The Tin Drum (1979) as a trumpeter and in Comedian Harmonists, a biopic about the musical group of the same name. He also played a professor in the movie The Promise about the division of Berlin by the wall. In 1999 he played a role in Rosa von Praunheim's movie The Einstein of Sex.
Known For
6.952
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a...
7.8
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustlin...
6.336
40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematograp...
6.6
Polish socialist and Marxist Rosa Luxemburg works tirelessly in the service of revolution ...
5.2
In New York City, detective Luigi Mackeroni investigates a string of mysterious penile mut...
7
A group of angels look longingly upon the life of humans. Berlin now is a very different p...
6.6
Comic artist Brösel trades a magic pen that helps him come up with funny stories for the ...
- 1987 Wings of Desire as Cassiel
- 1979 The Tin Drum as Meyn
- 1983 A Love in Germany as Narrator
- 1993 The Film Narrator as Salzmann
- 1997 Conversation with the Beast as Adolf Hitler Double
- 1993 Faraway, So Close! as Cassiel
- 2003 Werner - Gekotzt wird später! as Erzähler (voice)
- 2007 The Heart Is a Dark Forest as Helmut
- 2001 Sass as Vater Sass
- 1990 Werner and the Wizard of Booze as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- 1982 Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois as Self
- 2002 Happy Too as Himself / Gert Bastian
- 1972 The Ignoramus and the Madman
- 2007 Little King Macius as Erasmus (voice)
- 1970 No Pawing, Darling
- 1994 Movie Days as Maður á hesti
- 1999 Girls under investigation as Staatsanwalt Baldur Meixner
- 1986 Rosa Luxemburg as Karl Liebknecht
- 2012 Fly Away as Eckehardt Tiedgen
- 1995 Bauernschach as Dr. Gerold Stadler
- 2012 Die Schuld der Erben as Leonhard Asmussen
- 2013 Roland Klick: The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter as Himself
- 1989 The Break as Erwin Lubowitz
- 1988 The Case of Mr. Spalt as Otto Spalt
- 1986 Eine Reise wert… Der Dichter Günter Kunert (be)sucht Berlin as Rezitation
- 2002 Atlantic Affairs as Maitre de Plaisir on Stage
- 1981 Das Boot as Phillip Thomsen
- 2021 Das Boot Revisited: An Underwater Success Story as Self
- 1986 Boundaries of Time - Caspar David Friedrich as Gerichtsgehilfe
- 1974 One or the Other of Us as Rulle Ruhlsdorff
- 2000 The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld as Professor Steinach
- 1996 The Killer Condom as Mr. Higgins
- 2000 Marlene as Bühnenmanager
- 1995 Matulla und Busch as Korte
- 1995 Nikolaikirche as kirchlicher Superintendent
- 1980 Palermo or Wolfsburg as Staatsanwalt
- 1995 The Promise as Professor Lorenz
- 1976 Four Against the Bank as Eberhard Winter
- 2001 100 Pro as Narrator
- 1977 Heinrich Zille
- 1981 Der Mann im Pyjama as Rudi
- 1976 The Marquise of O as Brother, Forstmeister
- 1980 Der Mond scheint auf Kylenamoe
- 1993 Inge, April und Mai
- 1981 Who's Going Crazy Here, Doctor? as Nummer Sieben
- 1979 Phantom
- 1981 Strike Back as Kowalski
- 1976 Summer Guests as Pjotr Suslov
- 1995 Das Loch as Der Mann
- 1999 Männer sind wie Schokolade as Vater Lano
- 1978 Die Ängste des Dr. Schenk
- 1981 Im Schlaraffenland. Ein Roman unter feinen Leuten as Kalfisch
- 1964 Ludwig as Ludwig
- 1999 E-m@il an Gott as Petrus
- 1979 Trilogie des Wiedersehens as Richard
- 1998 Stan Becker - Auf eigene Faust as Walker
- 1974 Die Bakchen as Tiresias
- 1971 Die Mutter
- 1979 Plastikfieber as Wilfried
- 1989 Wie du mir.. as Markus Petarka
- 1995 Lumière & Company as Cassiel (segment "Wim Wenders")
- 1975 Lehmanns Erzählungen as Lehmann
- 1986 Wahnfried as Richard Wagner
- 1994 The White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang as Prof. Hinzelmann
- 1993 Schlusschor
- 2002 Tödliches Vertrauen as Bernd Kortens
- 2003 Wings of Desire: The Angels Among Us as Self
- 2008 Krabat as Narrator (voice)
- 1997 Liebe Lügen as Vater
- 1973 Prinz Friedrich von Homburg as Obrist Kottwitz
- 1981 Gesucht wird... Drei Geschichten um nicht ganz ehrenwerte Herren
- 2003 The Danube as Franz
- 1984 Der Mord mit der Schere as Inspector Spalt
- 1980 Die Ursache
- 1970 Sonntags am Meer as Fritzchen
- 1999 Der Kuß des Vergessens as Herr Jelke
- 2003 Aus Liebe zu Deutschland - Eine Spendenaffäre as Voice
- 1998 Am I Beautiful? as David
- 1975 Berlin 10. 11. 74 - 28. 1. 75: Exercises in 9 Pieces as Himself
- 1990 Vorwärts
- 1986 Miko: From the Gutter to the Stars as Loan officer Grop
- 1974 Ermittlungen gegen Unbekannt
- 2010 Life Is Too Long
- 1975 Meine Sorgen möcht' ich haben as Harald Bornemann
- 1970 Sonnabend, der 1.
- 2025 About Narration
- 2004 Kaluoka'hina: The Enchanted Reef as Narrator (voice)
- 1997 The Harmonists
- 1993 The Olympic Summer as Sprecher
- 1990 Time of Vengeance as Robert
- 1992 Bescheiß kein Kind! as Vater
- 1994 Three Sisters as Vershinin
- 1992 Lyrische Suite. Das untergehende Vaterland
- 1987 Close Up as Professor Spalt
- 1994 Hölderlin-Comics
- 1986 Drei Schwestern as Alexander Ignatjewitsch Werschinin
- 1999 Majestät brauchen Sonne as Kaiser Wilhelm II (voice)
- 2002 Ein roter Teppich für.... ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1970 Scene of the Crime ( 1 episode ) as Manfred Enders
- 1971 Polizeiruf 110 ( 1 episode ) as Ludwig Stolze
- 1971 Polizeiruf 110 ( 2 episodes ) as Lansky
- 1992 Wolffs Revier ( 1 episode ) as Schenk
- 1984 Der Fahnder ( 1 episode ) as Bähr
- 1995 A.S. Gefahr ist sein Geschäft ( 1 episode ) as Freddy Klinke
- 1971 Polizeiruf 110 ( 1 episode ) as Richard Lansky
- 1995 Die Harald Schmidt Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1981 Wetten, dass..? ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1996 Friedemann Brix - Eine Schwäche für Mord ( 1 episode ) as Rainer Kleinhundert
- 1985 Das Boot ( 6 episodes ) as Kapitänleutnant Philipp
- 2005 Vienna Crime Squad ( 1 episode ) as Conrad Ribarski
- 2002 Through the Night with... ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1970 Scene of the Crime ( 1 episode ) as Otto Androsch
- 2000 Les Misérables ( 4 episodes ) as Monseigneur Bienvenu
- 1967 Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst ( 1 episode ) as Kunsträuber
- 2000 Preußen – Chronik eines deutschen Staates ( 6 episodes ) as Self (Narrator)
- 1964 Grimme Award ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1998 The Shop ( 3 episodes )
- 1996 Zimmer frei! ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1998 The Johannes B. Kerner Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1997 Tietjen und Bommes ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2002 Das Jahrhundert des Theaters ( 6 episodes ) as Narrator
- 1991 DAS! ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1979 NDR Talk Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2002 Gero von Boehm begegnet... ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2004 Leute am Donnerstag ( 1 episode ) as himself
- 2006 Unter kaiserlicher Flagge ( 2 episodes ) as Erzähler / Narrator
- 1981 Das Traumschiff ( 1 episode ) as James Korthals
- 1981 Das Traumschiff ( 1 episode ) as Johannes Lippelt
