Born on June 30. 1941 in Hannover, Germany

Otto Sander grows up in Reine by Hannover.
He attends school in Hannover and Kassel and after graduation joins the merchant marines from 1961/62. His studies during the years of 1962 - 67 include theater, germanistik, literature, art history and philosophy.

Otto Sander takes acting at the Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich and in addition performs n the stage of the 'Rationaltheater' - a renowned cabaret. Here he is truly at home - eloquent and funny, spontaneous and always making use of his 'Sprachgewalt" (force of the language).

His love belongs to the theater: He debuts in 1965 at the Duesseldorfer Kammerspiele, goes to the theater to Heidelberg in 1967/68, and then joins Claus Peyman at the 'Freie Volksbuehne Berlin'. Starting in 1970 he works with Peter Stein at the Schaubuehne in Berlin, where he acts and produces. There he also works with renowned directors Klaus-Michael Grüber, Wilfried Minks and Luc Bondy.

He achieves nationwide acknowledgment for TV productions and also movie versions of the plays: "Prinz Friedrich von Homburg" (1972), the "Optimistische Komödie" (1973) and "Die Bakchen" (1974) by Kleist. For the title role in Hartmut Schmiege and Christian Rateukes "Der Mann im Pyjama" (1981) he receives the Ernst Lubitsch Price.

Well known parts in the movies include: the musician Meyn in Volker Schlöndorffs "Die Blechtrommel" ('The Tin Drum', 1979), the character of Capt. Lt. Philipp Thomsen in Wolfgang Petersens "Das Boot" ('The Boat', 1981) - which gained him international recognition - and then, of course, Cassiel in 'Wings of Desire' and 'Far Away, So Close'.

During the 80's Otto Sander increasingly got into film-, voiceover-, radio- and tv work, and in the 90's he started a series of 'Lesereisen' (reading tours) with poems by Ringelnatz and Ballads by Uhland, Mörike and Fontane.

 

For a detailed filmography, visit the IMDB

with Wim Wenders:

Faraway, So Close! 1993

Wings of Desire 1987

 

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