Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog ( German: [ˈvɛʁnɐ ˈhɛʁtsoːk]; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, author and documentarian. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusual talents in obscure fields, or individuals in conflict with nature. His film-making process involves avoiding storyboards, emphasizing improvisation, and placing his cast and crew into real situations mirroring those in the film on which they are working. He has received numerous accolades including a Silver Bear Award and four Awards at the Cannes Film Festival in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award.

In 1961, when Herzog was 19, he started work on his first film, Herakles. He is known for his collaborations with the actor Klaus Kinski, whom he directed in the films Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre, Woyzeck (both 1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and Cobra Verde (1987) and chronicled their tumultuous relationship in the documentary film My Best Fiend (1999). Other films he has directed include The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974), Heart of Glass (1976), Stroszek (1977), Invincible (2001), and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) as well as the documentary films Lessons of Darkness (1992), Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997), Grizzly Man (2005), Encounters at the End of the World (2007), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010), and Into the Abyss (2011).