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.
97 movies · 28 shows
About Narration
2025·8.0
Das Boot Revisited: An Underwater Success Story
2021·7.2
Roland Klick: The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter
2013·6.4
Fly Away
2012·5.7
Die Schuld der Erben
2012·2.0
Life Is Too Long
2010·5.0
Krabat
2008·5.9
The Heart Is a Dark Forest
2007·5.5
Little King Macius
2007·4.0
Kaluoka'hina: The Enchanted Reef
2004·8.0
Aus Liebe zu Deutschland - Eine Spendenaffäre
2003·8.0
The Danube
2003·6.3
Werner - Gekotzt wird später!
2003·5.9
Wings of Desire: The Angels Among Us
2003·8.3
Tödliches Vertrauen
2002·6.5
Atlantic Affairs
2002·8.0
Happy Too
2002·7.0
100 Pro
2001·5.0
Sass
2001·5.4
The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld
2000·5.5
Marlene
2000·5.7
E-m@il an Gott
1999·8.0
Majestät brauchen Sonne
1999·8.0
Girls under investigation
1999·7.0
Männer sind wie Schokolade
1999·7.0
Der Kuß des Vergessens
1999·9.0
Stan Becker - Auf eigene Faust
1998·8.0
Am I Beautiful?
1998·6.7
The Harmonists
1997·6.7
Conversation with the Beast
1997·10.0
Liebe Lügen
1997·7.0
The Killer Condom
1996·5.2
Matulla und Busch
1995·7.0
Lumière & Company
1995·6.3
Nikolaikirche
1995·4.5
The Promise
1995·6.6
Bauernschach
1995·5.5
Das Loch
1995·9.0
The White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang
1994·8.7
Hölderlin-Comics
1994·7.0
Movie Days
1994·6.1
Three Sisters
1994·4.0
The Film Narrator
1993·9.0
The Olympic Summer
1993·3.0
Faraway, So Close!
1993·6.9
Inge, April und Mai
1993·4.7
Schlusschor
1993·0.0
Lyrische Suite. Das untergehende Vaterland
1992·10.0
Bescheiß kein Kind!
1992·0.0
Werner and the Wizard of Booze
1990·6.6
Vorwärts
1990·8.0
Time of Vengeance
1990·7.0
The Break
1989·4.6
Wie du mir..
1989·10.0
The Case of Mr. Spalt
1988·9.0
Wings of Desire
1987·7.8
Close Up
1987·0.0
Boundaries of Time - Caspar David Friedrich
1986·7.2
Drei Schwestern
1986·8.0
Miko: From the Gutter to the Stars
1986·6.7
Wahnfried
1986·5.2
Rosa Luxemburg
1986·6.6
Eine Reise wert… Der Dichter Günter Kunert (be)sucht Berlin
1986·0.0
Der Mord mit der Schere
1984·9.0
A Love in Germany
1983·5.5
Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois
1982·4.0
Der Mann im Pyjama
1981·6.7
Who's Going Crazy Here, Doctor?
1981·8.7
Das Boot
1981·8.1
Strike Back
1981·5.6
Gesucht wird... Drei Geschichten um nicht ganz ehrenwerte Herren
1981·0.0
Im Schlaraffenland. Ein Roman unter feinen Leuten
1981·0.0
Die Ursache
1980·0.0
Der Mond scheint auf Kylenamoe
1980·9.0
Palermo or Wolfsburg
1980·5.5
The Tin Drum
1979·7.0
Trilogie des Wiedersehens
1979·7.0
Phantom
1979·0.0
Plastikfieber
1979·0.0
Die Ängste des Dr. Schenk
1978·10.0
Heinrich Zille
1977·7.0
Four Against the Bank
1976·6.3
The Marquise of O
1976·6.7
Summer Guests
1976·7.3
Lehmanns Erzählungen
1975·8.0
Berlin 10. 11. 74 - 28. 1. 75: Exercises in 9 Pieces
1975·0.0
Meine Sorgen möcht' ich haben
1975·8.0
Die Bakchen
1974·10.0
One or the Other of Us
1974·4.7
Ermittlungen gegen Unbekannt
1974·10.0
Prinz Friedrich von Homburg
1973·7.0
The Ignoramus and the Madman
1972·0.0
Die Mutter
1971·10.0
Sonntags am Meer
1970·0.0
No Pawing, Darling
1970·7.7
Sonnabend, der 1.
1970·0.0
Ludwig
1964·6.0