The German filmmaker Michael Verhoeven is dead. The husband of actress Senta Berger died last Monday at the age of 85 after a short, serious illness, as the family announced to the German Press Agency in Munich. "A world has been lost. It is unimaginably painful," said his son, the director and screenwriter Simon Verhoeven.

Michael Verhoeven dealt intensively with National Socialism in his work, for example with the film "The White Rose" from 1982 about the resistance of Sophie Scholl and like-minded people. The satire "The Terrible Girl" (1990), about attempts to cover up Nazi crimes, was nominated for an Oscar.

Verhoeven also filmed entertainment formats such as the ZDF series “The Fast Gerdi” (1989) with his wife Senta as a Munich taxi driver. In 2016 he was co-producer of the successful comedy "Welcome to the Hartmanns" from 2016, which was directed by his son Simon. His younger son Luca is also active in the film industry.

Verhoeven was born on July 13, 1938 in Berlin, the son of the actress Doris Kiesow and the director and actor Paul Verhoeven. The family later moved to Munich. He gained his first experience as an actor in small plays, then in the 1950s in films such as "The Flying Classroom" and "The Pauker" with Heinz Rühmann.

Verhoeven most recently lived with Senta Berger in the Munich suburb of Grünwald. He was to be buried on Friday in the closest circle.

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