Otto Sander
Born: 1941-06-30 in Hanover, Germany
Died: 2013-09-12
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2025
2021
2013
- Roland Klick: The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter as Himself
2012
- Die Schuld der Erben as Leonhard Asmussen
- Fly Away as Eckehardt Tiedgen
2010
2008
- Krabat as Narrator (voice)
2007
- The Heart Is a Dark Forest as Helmut
- Little King Macius as Erasmus (voice)
2006
- Unter kaiserlicher Flagge as Erzähler / Narrator
2005
- Vienna Crime Squad as Conrad Ribarski
2004
- Kaluoka'hina: The Enchanted Reef as Narrator (voice)
- Leute am Donnerstag as himself
2003
- Wings of Desire: The Angels Among Us as Self
- Werner - Gekotzt wird später! as Erzähler (voice)
- The Danube as Franz
- Aus Liebe zu Deutschland - Eine Spendenaffäre as Voice
2002
- Through the Night with... as Self
- Tödliches Vertrauen as Bernd Kortens
- Happy Too as Himself / Gert Bastian
- Gero von Boehm begegnet... as Self
- Ein roter Teppich für.... as Self
- Das Jahrhundert des Theaters as Narrator
- Atlantic Affairs as Maitre de Plaisir on Stage
2000
- Les Misérables as Monseigneur Bienvenu
- Marlene as Bühnenmanager
- The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld as Professor Steinach
- Preußen – Chronik eines deutschen Staates as Self (Narrator)
1999
- Girls under investigation as Staatsanwalt Baldur Meixner
- Majestät brauchen Sonne as Kaiser Wilhelm II (voice)
- Der Kuß des Vergessens as Herr Jelke
- Männer sind wie Schokolade as Vater Lano
- E-m@il an Gott as Petrus
1998
- The Johannes B. Kerner Show as Self
- Am I Beautiful? as David
- Stan Becker - Auf eigene Faust as Walker
- The Shop
1997
- Tietjen und Bommes as Self
- Das Boot - The Director's Cut as Kapitätleutnant Phlilipp
- Conversation with the Beast as Adolf Hitler Double
- Liebe Lügen as Vater
- The Harmonists
1996
- Zimmer frei! as Self
- The Killer Condom as Mr. Higgins
- Friedemann Brix - Eine Schwäche für Mord as Rainer Kleinhundert
1995
- Die Harald Schmidt Show as Self
- Kulturzeit as self
- Lumière & Company as Cassiel (segment "Wim Wenders")
- Bauernschach as Dr. Gerold Stadler
- A.S. Gefahr ist sein Geschäft as Freddy Klinke
- Matulla und Busch as Korte
- Das Loch as Der Mann
- The Promise as Professor Lorenz
- Nikolaikirche as kirchlicher Superintendent
1994
- Hölderlin-Comics
- Movie Days as Maður á hesti
- Three Sisters as Vershinin
- The White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang as Prof. Hinzelmann
1993
- The Film Narrator as Salzmann
- Schlusschor
- Inge, April und Mai
- Faraway, So Close! as Cassiel
- The Olympic Summer as Sprecher
1992
- Wolffs Revier as Schenk
- Bescheiß kein Kind! as Vater
- Lyrische Suite. Das untergehende Vaterland
1991
- DAS! as Self
1990
- Werner and the Wizard of Booze as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- Vorwärts
- Time of Vengeance as Robert
1989
- Wie du mir.. as Markus Petarka
- The Break as Erwin Lubowitz
1988
- The Case of Mr. Spalt as Otto Spalt
1987
- Wings of Desire as Cassiel
- Close Up as Professor Spalt
1986
- Rosa Luxemburg as Karl Liebknecht
- Boundaries of Time - Caspar David Friedrich as Gerichtsgehilfe
- Wahnfried as Richard Wagner
- Eine Reise wert… Der Dichter Günter Kunert (be)sucht Berlin as Rezitation
- Miko: From the Gutter to the Stars as Loan officer Grop
- Drei Schwestern as Alexander Ignatjewitsch Werschinin
1985
- Das Boot as Kapitänleutnant Philipp
1984
- Der Fahnder as Bähr
- Der Mord mit der Schere as Inspector Spalt
1983
- A Love in Germany as Narrator
1982
- Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois as Self
1981
- Das Traumschiff as James Korthals
- Wetten, dass..? as Self
- Das Boot as Phillip Thomsen
- Strike Back as Kowalski
- Im Schlaraffenland. Ein Roman unter feinen Leuten as Kalfisch
- Gesucht wird... Drei Geschichten um nicht ganz ehrenwerte Herren
- Der Mann im Pyjama as Rudi
- Who's Going Crazy Here, Doctor? as Nummer Sieben
1980
- Die Ursache
- Palermo or Wolfsburg as Staatsanwalt
- Der Mond scheint auf Kylenamoe
1979
- NDR Talk Show as Self
- The Tin Drum as Meyn
- Phantom
- Plastikfieber as Wilfried
- Trilogie des Wiedersehens as Richard
1977
1976
- Summer Guests as Pjotr Suslov
- The Marquise of O as Brother, Forstmeister
- Four Against the Bank as Eberhard Winter
1975
- Berlin 10. 11. 74 - 28. 1. 75: Exercises in 9 Pieces as Himself
- Meine Sorgen möcht' ich haben as Harald Bornemann
- Lehmanns Erzählungen as Lehmann
1974
- Die Bakchen as Tiresias
- Ermittlungen gegen Unbekannt
- One or the Other of Us as Rulle Ruhlsdorff
1973
- Prinz Friedrich von Homburg as Obrist Kottwitz
1971
- Polizeiruf 110 as Ludwig Stolze
- Die Mutter
1970
- Scene of the Crime as Manfred Enders
- Sonntags am Meer as Fritzchen
- Sonnabend, der 1.
- No Pawing, Darling
1967
- Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst as Kunsträuber
- Titel, Thesen, Temperamente as Self
1964
- Grimme Award as Self
- Ludwig as Ludwig