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German-born film director and producer Wolfgang Petersen, who directed blockbusters like Air Force One, Troy, and The Perfect Storm, died Monday from pancreatic cancer. The 81-year-old passed away at his home in California in the arms of his wife of 50 years, Deadline reported. Peterson was nominated for two Academy Awards for the WWII submarine warfare flick Das Boot that shot him to fame in 1981. His first English-language film was The NeverEnding Story in 1984. He went on to direct hits starring the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood, including 1993’s In the Line of Fire and 1995’s Outbreak. In a 2016 interview, Petersen said his love of film began when he was a child in 1950s Germany. “All these American films came to Germany after the war, and I was mesmerized by American film,” he said.