Director. Writer. Producer. Has studied history, literature and theatre, but hasn't finished it. Founded his own production company in 1963. Has staged several operas, besides others in Bayreuth, Germany, and at the Milan Scala in Italy. Herzog has won numerous national and international awards for his films.


Herzog is being admired for being the only director who was able to work with the late and very eccentric Klaus Kinski. Worked nights in a steel factory in 1961 to raise money for his films. In 1966, he was employed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). . Has three children from three women: Rudolph Herzog (born in 1973), Hanna Mattes (born in 1980) and Simon Herzog (born in 1989). Was voted the 35th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945- 1985". Pages 422-429. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988. Joaquin Phoenix was in a car accident on a winding canyon road that flipped his car over. Shaken and confused, Phoenix heard a tapping on his window and a voice say, "Just relax." Unable to see the man, Phoenix replied, "I'm fine. I am relaxed." Then managed to see that the man was Werner Herzog, and Herzog replied, "No, you're not." After helping Phoenix out of the wreckage, Herzog phoned for an ambulance and vanished. Herzog claims in a 2006 Bloomberg interview that he had the chance to direct both Brokeback Mountain (2005) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Lives in Los Angeles. Studied at the University of Munich and later earned a scholarship to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, but dropped out after some days. Has two brothers, Tilbert and Lucki, and one sister, Sigrid. Mother, Elisabeth, and father, Dietrich, were biologists. When he was tested for an IQ test as a young boy he scored 124. He re-took this test years later and scored an average 101.