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Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog

40 movies on Netflix

Biography

Werner Herzog is a German filmmaker, documentarian, actor, author, and opera director. Born in Munich in 1942, he started making films as a teenager, beginning Herakles in 1961. He became a leading figure of New German Cinema. His collaboration with Klaus Kinski produced Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre and Woyzeck (both 1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and Cobra Verde (1987), which he later chronicled in My Best Fiend (1999). Other films include The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, plus documentaries such as Lessons of Darkness (1992), Grizzly Man (2005), Into the Abyss (2011), Encounters at the End of the World (2007), and Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010). He won a Silver Bear, a Cannes directing award for Fitzcarraldo, and a Venice Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, and Encounters at the End of the World earned him an Academy Award nomination. He has also directed operas and acted in Jack Reacher and Penguins of Madagascar.

84years old

Turns 85 on September 5in 323 days

  • Born Munich
  • Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
  • Werner Herzog Stipetić (birth name)

Movie Career

Films
40
Career span
46 years1980 to 2026

Genres

Photos

  • Werner Herzog, photo 1 of 3
  • Werner Herzog, photo 2 of 3
  • Werner Herzog, photo 3 of 3

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  1. Early training

    Herzog knew he would become a filmmaker and picked up the basics from an encyclopedia's few pages, which gave him what he needed to get started. He also took a 35 mm camera from the Munich Film School.

  2. A first

    Herzog entered the Venice Film Festival's competition in 2009 with two films, making him the only filmmaker in recent history to do so. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans was in the official competition, while My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? came in as a surprise film.

Werner Herzog movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. Jack Reacher2012 Action, Thrilleras The Zec

    IMDb rating 7.0396K votes

  2. Grizzly Man2005 Biography, Documentaryas Himself / Narrator / Interviewervoice

    IMDb rating 7.768K votes

  3. Encounters at the End of the World2007as Narrator

    IMDb rating 7.721K votes

  4. Cave of Forgotten Dreams2010as Himself

    IMDb rating 7.419K votes

  5. Into the Abyss2011as Narratorvoice

    IMDb rating 7.318K votes

  6. Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World2016as Self - Interviewer and Narrator

    IMDb rating 7.014K votes

  7. My Best Fiend1999as Self - Narrator

    IMDb rating 7.813K votes

  8. Into the Inferno2016as Himself

    IMDb rating 7.211K votes

Most often with

Harmony Korine directed two of these films, Zak Penn two and Les Blank two. Three actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Films together

Box office

What Werner Herzog's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$675 million

11 of the 40 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 40 films: 11 worldwide figure; 5 us gross only; 8 never in cinemas; 1 streaming, short cinema run; 15 figure not found.

  • 11Worldwide figure
  • 5US gross only
  • 8Never in cinemas
  • 1Streaming, short cinema run
  • 15Figure not found

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Penguins of Madagascar2014as Documentary Filmmaker (voice)
    $374M55.3% of the total
  2. 2
    Jack Reacher2012as The Zec
    $218M32.3% of the total
  3. 3
    $71M10.6% of the total
  4. 4
    $6.5M1.0% of the total
  5. 5
    Grizzly Man2005as Himself / Narrator / Interviewer (voice)
    $4.1M0.6% of the total
  6. 6
    Mister Lonely2007as Father Umbrillo
    $408K0.1% of the total
  7. 7
    Into the Abyss2011as Narrator (voice)
    $394K0.1% of the total
  8. 8
    Meeting Gorbachev2019as Himself
    $156K0.0% of the total
My Best Fiend (1999), $95,612Julien Donkey-Boy (1999), $80,226Freaks of Nature (2015), $70,958

$246,796from the other 3 films with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total

Awards

Seven awards and honors from 1979 to 2025, one of them major.

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Werner Herzog's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Venice Film Festival
2025Golden LionWon
Other honors
2019European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement AwardWon
2012Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyWon
2005Alfred P. Sloan PrizeGrizzly ManWon
2000Bayerischer PoetentalerWon
1979Rauriser LiteraturpreisWon
Directors Guild of America AwardWon

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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