Otto Sander
Known for
Otto Sander is a working actor recognizable to viewers well beyond any single title. He has worked in drama more often than in any other register. He has been working on screen for more than 62 years. The role of Phillip Thomsen in 'Das Boot' is the one that keeps being brought up. The list also holds 'Wings of Desire'.
Otto Sander
40 Movies
9 Series
Otto Sander is a working actor recognizable to viewers well beyond any single title. He has worked in drama more often than in any other register. He has been working on screen for more than 62 years. The role of Phillip Thomsen in 'Das Boot' is the one that keeps being brought up. The list also holds 'Wings of Desire'.
Movies
Plays Phillip Thomsen
Das Boot
1981
Plays Meyn
The Tin Drum
1979
Plays Cassiel
Wings of Desire
1987
Plays Adolf Hitler Double
Conversation with the Beast
1997
Plays Mr. Higgins
The Killer Condom
1996
Plays Karl Liebknecht
Rosa Luxemburg
1986
Plays Pjotr Suslov
Summer Guests
1976
Plays Erzähler (voice)
Werner - Gekotzt wird später!
2003
Plays Brother, Forstmeister
The Marquise of O
1976
Plays Loan officer Grop
Miko: From the Gutter to the Stars
1986
Plays Helmut
The Heart Is a Dark Forest
2007
Plays David
Am I Beautiful?
1998
Plays Staatsanwalt
Palermo or Wolfsburg
1980
Plays Bühnenmanager
Marlene
2000
Plays Richard Wagner
Wahnfried
1986
Plays Professor Steinach
The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld
2000
Plays Professor Lorenz
The Promise
1995
Plays Der Mann
Das Loch
1995
Plays Erwin Lubowitz
The Break
1989
Plays Eckehardt Tiedgen
Fly Away
2012
Plays Rulle Ruhlsdorff
One or the Other of Us
1974
Plays Franz
The Danube
2003
Plays Vater Sass
Sass
2001
Plays kirchlicher Superintendent
Nikolaikirche
1995
Plays Kowalski
Strike Back
1981
Plays Maður á hesti
Movie Days
1994
Plays Prof. Hinzelmann
The White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang
1994
Plays Sprecher
The Olympic Summer
1993
Plays Nummer Sieben
Who's Going Crazy Here, Doctor?
1981
Plays Rudi
Der Mann im Pyjama
1981
Plays Otto Spalt
The Case of Mr. Spalt
1988
TV Shows
Plays Kapitänleutnant Philipp
Das Boot
1985
Plays Monseigneur Bienvenu
Les Misérables
2000
Plays Lansky
Polizeiruf 110
1971
Plays Manfred Enders
Scene of the Crime
1970
Plays Schenk
Wolffs Revier
1992
Plays Bähr
Der Fahnder
1984
Plays Freddy Klinke
A.S. Gefahr ist sein Geschäft
1995
Plays Conrad Ribarski
Vienna Crime Squad
2005
Plays James Korthals
Das Traumschiff
1981
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Krabat
Full Filmography
Polizeiruf 110
Ludwig Stolze · 1 episode
2013
TV
Vienna Crime Squad
Conrad Ribarski · 1 episode
2013
TV
Fly Away
Eckehardt Tiedgen
2012
Film
The Heart Is a Dark Forest
Helmut
2007
Film
Little King Macius
Erasmus (voice)
2007
Film
Das Traumschiff
James Korthals · 1 episode
1981–2004
TV
The Danube
Franz
2003
Film
Werner - Gekotzt wird später!
Erzähler (voice)
2003
Film
Sass
Vater Sass
2001
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Otto Sander still alive?
Otto Sander passed away on September 12, 2013 at age 72.
What are the most famous roles of Otto Sander?
Otto Sander is best known for roles in Das Boot, Wings of Desire, The Tin Drum.
How many movies has Otto Sander been in?
Over a 49-year career (since 1964), Otto Sander has appeared in 40 movies and 9 TV shows.
What was Otto Sander's first movie?
The career of Otto Sander began with Ludwig (1964).
What is Otto Sander's most recent movie or series?
Otto Sander's most recent release is Roland Klick: The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter, which premiered on February 8, 2013.
What TV shows has Otto Sander appeared in?
On television, Otto Sander has appeared in Das Boot, Scene of the Crime, Les Misérables, Polizeiruf 110.
Otto Sander
1941-06-30 · Hanover, Germany
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.