Bernd Eichinger
A powerhouse German producer who fused Hollywood spectacle with European sensibility, creating some of the continent's most successful and daring films.
1949–2011 (age 62)·German film producer, screenwriter, and director (1949– 2011)·Birthday: April 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bernd Eichinger was the driving engine behind modern German cinema, a producer with a gambler's instinct and a showman's flair. After studying at the University of Television and Film Munich, he quickly took the reins of the struggling studio Neue Constantin Film and transformed it into a production juggernaut. Eichinger had a dual vision: he championed ambitious, director-driven projects that tackled difficult national history, while also possessing a keen commercial eye for crowd-pleasing entertainment. This resulted in a staggering filmography that swung from the harrowing realism of 'The Baader Meinhof Complex' to the global fantasy phenomenon of 'The NeverEnding Story.' He was a hands-on creator, often serving as screenwriter or co-writer on his productions, from the stylish vampire noir 'The Hunger' to the poignant East German drama 'The Lives of Others.' Eichinger’s work proved that European films could achieve both critical prestige and box-office success, reshaping the industry's ambitions in the process.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bernd was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernd Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Bernd's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2011Died at 62
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Produced 'The NeverEnding Story' (1984), which became a worldwide fantasy classic and a landmark of German cinema.
- Oversaw the production of 'Downfall,' a definitive historical drama about Hitler's final days that was nominated for an Oscar.
- Produced and co-wrote 'The Baader Meinhof Complex,' which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
- Built Neue Constantin Film into one of Germany's most successful and influential production companies.
Did You Know?
He personally purchased the film rights to Michael Ende's 'The NeverEnding Story' after a single meeting with the author.
He produced the cult classic 'The Name of the Rose,' starring Sean Connery.
Eichinger was known for his intense, round-the-clock work habits during film productions.
He initially wanted to be a director and directed his first feature, 'The Wild Fifties,' in 1983.
“A film must first entertain; if it also makes you think, that's a bonus.”
