Bernd Eichinger

Bernd Eichinger (; 11 April 194924 January 2011) was a German film producer, screenwriter, and director.

Life and career Eichinger 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).

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.

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.

Death Eichinger died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on 24 January 2011 during dinner with family and friends. He was 61.

Awards 1984 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing 1986 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing 1993 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing

Selected filmography Bernd Eichinger's best known films include: