Actor Otto Sander dies

German actor Otto Sander has died at the age of 72. He passed away in Berlin on Thursday (12Sep13). A cause of death has yet to be released, but the star was known to have endured a long battle with cancer.
Sander rose to fame as a star of the German theatre in the mid-1960s, before establishing himself on the big screen.
His most prominent films included Tin Drum, Wolfgang Petersen’s 1981 World War II epic Das Boot, playing a shellshocked submarine captain, and Wim Wenders’ drama Wings of Desire, in which he portrayed angst-ridden angel Cassiel. He also featured in the 1993 sequel, Faraway, So Close!
The actor’s deep baritone made him a popular choice for voice work too, and he narrated the German release of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
He filmed his final acting gig earlier this year (13), in an epsiode of German TV crime drama Polizeiruf 110, marking his fourth guest appearance on the series since 1994.
Paying tribute to Sander, Berlin’s Mayor Klaus Wowereit says, “We have lost one of our greatest artistic personalities and an unforgettable speaking voice.”