Wolfgang Petersen, the German director  has died. He was 81.

His Oscar-nominated submarine  film “Das Boot” propelled him to directing Hollywood projects such as Brad Pitt in “Troy," George Clooney in "The Perfect Storm" and Harrison Ford in "Air Force One,"

Petersen's searing  portrayal of a WWII U-boat in 1981's "Das Boot" ("The Boat")  earned six Oscar nominations two for Petersen: best  director and best adapted screenplay.It also caught Hollywood’s attention.

Petersen went on to direct Clint Eastwood as a secret service agent in  the 1993 thriller "In the Line of Fire" and Dustin Hoffman in the 1995  global pandemic virus thriller "Outbreak."

Ford portrayed President James Marshall, whose plane is hijacked by  terrorists in Peterson's 1997 thriller "Air Force One," one of the most  popular action films of the 1990s.

Glenn Close, who played Vice President Kathryn Bennett, recalls that  even though the action set was intense, Petersen brought levity,  especially filming a scene at a huge table in the War Room.

In 2000, Petersen helmed the box office hit "The  Perfect Storm," the tale of doomed Gloucester fishermen starring George  Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

In 2004, Petersen  directed "Troy,"  a Hollywood version of Homer's epic, showcasing a  bulked-up Brad Pitt as the hero Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando  Bloom as Paris