Cologne – November 01, 2026 -- Regina Ziegler, the German film producer behind more than 500 film and television productions, died on November 1 in Berlin at the age of 82, public broadcaster WDR announced.
Ziegler founded her own production company in 1973
Born in 1944 in Quedlinburg, Ziegler worked as a production manager before launching her company in 1973. Over the following decades it produced titles including "Solo für Klarinette" with Corinna Harfouch and Götz George, "Der Verleger" with Heiner Lauterbach, and "Die große Flatter" with Richy Müller.
WDR co-productions covered socially relevant themes
WDR Director General Dr. Katrin Vernau said German film has lost one of its most influential figures of recent decades. She cited the WDR co-productions "Der Verleger" and "Jenseits der Mauer" as examples of Ziegler's socially relevant approach. The WDR series "Die Anrheiner", shot in Cologne, was a strong audience draw.
Emmy, Grimme Preis and German Film Award recognized her output
Ziegler's work won national and international honors, including an Emmy Award, the Grimme Preis and the Deutscher Filmpreis. Personal distinctions included the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) and a retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.