Bernd Eichinger (German: [bɛʁnt ˈʔaɪçɪŋɐ] ; 11 April 1949 – 24 January 2011) was a German film producer, screenwriter, and director.
Bernd Eichinger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Eichinger in 1997 | |
| Born | 11 April 1949 |
| Died | 24 January 2011 (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1972–2010 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner(s) | Jane Seitz (1980s) Katja Flint (1990s) Corinna Harfouch (1999–2004) |
| Children | Nina Eichinger |
Life and career
editEichinger was born in Neuburg an der Donau. He attended the University of Television and Film Munich in the 1970s and bought a stake in the fledgling studio company Neue Constantin Film in 1979, becoming its executive director. Under his leadership, Constantin Film evolved into one of the most successful German film businesses. As of 2005, he was chairman of the supervisory board and still owned a substantial stake in the company. Eichinger also produced some movies independently (for example, Downfall).[1] One of Eichinger's last films was about the left-wing terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF) and based on the book Der Baader Meinhof Komplex ("The Baader-Meinhof Complex") by Stefan Aust.[2]
The range of genres of films, for television and the big screen, was unusually varied. He produced a 3D zombie movie, Resident Evil: Afterlife; to Atomised, a film adaptation of novel by French star writer and social critic Michel Houellebecq. He was an incredibly prolific film maker, with almost 100 films to his credit.[3]
Eichinger was known as tenacious. It took him 20 years to convince Patrick Süskind, the German author of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, to trust him with the rights to make the international bestseller into a film. In 2006, the film was released, grossing $135 million worldwide.[3]
In the 1980s, Eichinger obtained the film rights to the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer, decades before making movies based on Marvel comics was trending.[3]
In 1991, he was a co-founder of Summit, the Los Angeles-based production and film sales company. Due to the success of Twilight, Summit eventually became Summit Entertainment.[3]
Family
edit.jpg)
Eichinger was married to Katja Hofmann, a journalist. He had a daughter from a previous relationship, Nina Eichinger, an actress and TV presenter.[4]
Death
editEichinger died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on 24 January 2011 at the age of 61.[1][5]
Awards
edit- 1984 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing
- 1986 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing
- 1993 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing[6]
Selected filmography
editBernd Eichinger's best known films include:
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "German filmmaker Bernd Eichinger dies at 61". Reuters. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ (in German) "Der Eichinger-Komplex" in Jungle World, 22 February 2006. ISSN 1613-0766.
- ^ a b c d Roxborough, Scott (25 January 2011). "European Film World Reacts to Death of German Producer Bernd Eichinger". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ Bergan, Ronald (30 January 2011). "Bernd Eichinger". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ "Produzent Bernd Eichinger gestorben". Spiegel Online. 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Bayerischer Filmpreis - "Pierrot"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009.
- ^ Travers, Peter (4 May 1990). "Last Exit to Brooklyn". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 June 2017.