Career Timeline of Werner Herzog: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Werner Herzog made an impact.

Werner Herzog is a highly influential German filmmaker celebrated for his unique cinematic style and exploration of ambitious, often troubled, characters. A key figure in New German Cinema, Herzog's work frequently depicts individuals driven by impossible dreams, those with niche expertise, or those battling the forces of nature. His distinctive approach involves eschewing traditional storyboarding, fostering improvisation, and immersing his team in authentic environments reflective of the film's subject matter, resulting in raw and compelling narratives.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1961: First Film: Herakles

In 1961, at the age of 19, Herzog began work on his first film, Herakles.

1962: Began Directing Films

Since 1962, Werner Herzog has directed numerous films, including fiction and documentary features and shorts, and has also written and acted in various productions.

1972: Release of Aguirre, the Wrath of God

In 1972, Herzog released the feature film Aguirre, the Wrath of God.

1974: Release of The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

In 1974, Herzog released the feature film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser.

1975: Awards for The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

In 1975, Herzog's movie The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury (also known as the "Silver Palm") and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Festival.

1976: Release of Heart of Glass

In 1976, Herzog released the feature film Heart of Glass.

1977: Release of Stroszek

In 1977, Herzog released the feature film Stroszek.

1978: Ate His Shoe

In 1978, when the film Gates of Heaven premiered, Herzog cooked and publicly ate his shoe after promising to do so if Errol Morris completed a film project on pet cemeteries.

1979: Release of Nosferatu the Vampyre

In 1979, Herzog released the feature film Nosferatu the Vampyre.

1979: Golden Bear Nomination

In 1979, Herzog's film Nosferatu the Vampyre was nominated for the Golden Bear.

1980: Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe Documentary

In 1980, the event of Herzog eating his shoe was incorporated into a short documentary, Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, by Les Blank.

1982: Best Director at Cannes

Herzog won the Best Director award for Fitzcarraldo at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.

1982: Release of Fitzcarraldo

In 1982, Herzog released the feature film Fitzcarraldo.

1984: Golden Palm Nomination for Where the Green Ants Dream

In 1984, Herzog's film Where the Green Ants Dream was nominated for the Golden Palm.

1987: Bavarian Film Award for Cobra Verde

In 1987, Herzog and his half-brother Lucki Stipetić won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Producing for the film Cobra Verde.

1987: Release of Cobra Verde

In 1987, Herzog released the feature film Cobra Verde.

1990: Wodaabe - Herdsmen of the Sun Shown at SFIFF

In 1990, Herzog's film Wodaabe – Herdsmen of the Sun was shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

1992: Release of Lessons of Darkness

In 1992, Herzog released the documentary film Lessons of Darkness.

1993: Bells from the Deep and Lessons of Darkness Shown at SFIFF

In 1993, Herzog's films Bells from the Deep and Lessons of Darkness were shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

1997: Release of Little Dieter Needs to Fly

In 1997, Herzog released the documentary film Little Dieter Needs to Fly.

1998: Release of Wings of Hope

Nearly 30 years after narrowly avoiding the LANSA Flight 508 disaster, in 1998 Herzog released a documentary film, Wings of Hope, about the sole survivor, Juliane Koepcke.

1999: Release of My Best Fiend

In 1999, Herzog released the documentary film My Best Fiend.

1999: Herzog's Minnesota Declaration

In 1999, Werner Herzog presented his "Minnesota Declaration: Truth and Fact in Documentary Cinema" before a dialogue with Roger Ebert. The declaration outlined his theory of "ecstatic truth" in cinema, emphasizing the importance of fabrication and imagination.

2001: Release of Invincible

In 2001, Herzog released the feature film Invincible.

2002: Dragon of Dragons Honorary Award

In 2002, Herzog won the Dragon of Dragons Honorary Award at the Kraków Film Festival.

2005: Release of Grizzly Man

In 2005, Herzog released the documentary film Grizzly Man.

2005: Alfred P. Sloan Prize for Grizzly Man

In 2005, Herzog's documentary Grizzly Man was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

2006: San Francisco International Film Festival Directing Award

In 2006, Herzog was honored at the 49th San Francisco International Film Festival, receiving the Film Society Directing Award. His film The Wild Blue Yonder was also shown at the festival.

April 2007: Golden Thumb Award at Ebertfest

In April 2007, Herzog's appearance at the Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois, earned him the Golden Thumb Award and an engraved glockenspiel.

2007: Release of Encounters at the End of the World

In 2007, Herzog released the documentary film Encounters at the End of the World.

2008: Best Documentary at Edinburgh Film Festival

In 2008, Encounters at the End of the World won the award for Best Documentary at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

2008: Filming during 2008 Election

In 2010, Herzog performed a voiceover for the first time, appearing in The Boondocks episode "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman" as himself filming a documentary about the characters during the 2008 election of Barack Obama.

2009: Two Films in Competition at Venice Film Festival

In 2009, Herzog entered two films in competition at the Venice Film Festival: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?. He also narrated the short film Plastic Bag.

2009: Founded Rogue Film School

In 2009, Herzog founded his own Rogue Film School, expressing a preference for students with life experience outside of academia.

2009: Release of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

In 2009, Herzog released the feature film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

2009: Inauguration of Rogue Film School

In 2009, Werner Herzog began organizing the Rogue Film School, a cinema workshop where young directors spent a few days with him in evocative locations.

2010: Happy People: A Year in the Taiga Premiere

Also in 2010, Herzog co-directed Happy People: A Year in the Taiga with Dimitry Vasuykov, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.

2010: The Boondocks Voiceover

2010: Cave of Forgotten Dreams Premiere

In 2010, Herzog premiered his documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D at the Toronto International Film Festival.

2010: Release of Cave of Forgotten Dreams

In 2010, Herzog released the documentary film Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

2010: President of Jury at Berlin International Film Festival

In 2010, Herzog was selected to be the president of the jury at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

March 2011: The Simpsons Voice Acting

In March 2011, Herzog voiced Walter Hotenhoffer in The Simpsons episode "The Scorpion's Tale".

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2011: Competition to Film Gertrude Bell's Life

In 2011, Herzog competed with Ridley Scott to make a film based on the life of British explorer Gertrude Bell.

2011: Release of Into the Abyss

In 2011, Herzog released the documentary film Into the Abyss.

2011: European Premiere of Cave of Forgotten Dreams

In 2011, Herzog's documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams had its European premiere at the Berlinale.

2012: Appearance in Jack Reacher

In 2012, Herzog appeared opposite Tom Cruise as the villain Zec Chelovek in the action film Jack Reacher.

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2012: Production Start for Gertrude Bell Project

In 2012, it was confirmed that Herzog would start production on his long-in-development project in March 2013 in Morocco with Naomi Watts to play Gertrude Bell along with Robert Pattinson to play T. E. Lawrence and Jude Law to play Henry Cadogan.

March 2013: Production start for Gertrude Bell Project

Herzog started production on his long-in-development project in March 2013 in Morocco with Naomi Watts to play Gertrude Bell along with Robert Pattinson to play T. E. Lawrence and Jude Law to play Henry Cadogan.

July 2013: Contribution to 'Hearsay of the Soul'

In July 2013, Herzog contributed to an art installation entitled "Hearsay of the Soul" for the Whitney Biennial.

2014: Completion of Queen of the Desert Film

In 2014, Herzog's film about Gertrude Bell, Queen of the Desert, was completed with a cast including Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis, and Robert Pattinson.

2015: Shooting Salt and Fire

In 2015, Herzog shot a feature film, Salt and Fire, in Bolivia, starring Veronica Ferres, Michael Shannon, and Gael García Bernal.

2015: Rick and Morty Voice Acting

In 2015, Herzog voiced Old Reptile in Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.

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2015: Queen of the Desert Premiere

In 2015, Herzog's film Queen of the Desert had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.

2016: Final Session of Rogue Film School

Werner Herzog concluded the Rogue Film School in 2016, after several years of workshops for young directors.

2017: Herzog's Addendum to Minnesota Declaration

In 2017, Werner Herzog wrote a six-point addendum to his "Minnesota Declaration: Truth and Fact in Documentary Cinema", prompted by a question about "truth in an age of alt-facts".

2018: "Filming in Peru with Werner Herzog" Workshop

In 2018, Werner Herzog held "Filming in Peru with Werner Herzog", a 12-day workshop in the Amazonian rainforest for new filmmakers, where each made a short film under his supervision.

2019: Joined The Mandalorian Cast

In 2019, Herzog joined the cast of the Disney+ live-action Star Wars television series The Mandalorian, portraying The Client.

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June 2022: Publication of "The Twilight World"

In June 2022, Werner Herzog published his debut novel, "The Twilight World", which tells the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who refused to surrender for decades while hiding in the jungle. Herzog met Onoda in Tokyo more than two decades prior and the novel is a fictional account of Onoda's ordeal.