Background
Roland Emmerich was born on November 10, 1955, in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. He is a son of Hans Emmerich. He has three siblings, Andreas Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, Wolfgang Emmerich.
2016
Los Angeles, California, United States
Actors from Cast of Independece Day: Resurgence Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, and Maika Monroe are photographed with filmmaker Roland Emmerich for 20th Century Fox on March 23, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by John Russo
2016
TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
(L-R) Actress Vivica A. Fox and Director Roland Emmerich attend hand and footprint ceremony for Roland Emmerich at the premiere of 20th Century Fox's' 'Independence Day: Resurgence' at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2016, in Hollywood, California. Photo by Barry King
2016
AOL Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Liam Hemsworth, and Roland Emmerich speak about "Independence Day: Resurgence" during the AOL Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios on June 14, 2016, in New York City. Photo by Kris Connor
2016
London, United Kingdom
Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum and Roland Emmerich took to Platform 16 at London Euston station on June 6, 2016, in London, United Kingdom as Virgin Trains unveiled its new complimentary on-board entertainment service, BEAM, enabling customers to enjoy over 200 hours of film, TV, magazines and games on their journeys. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson
2016
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Actor Jeff Goldblum (L) and Roland Emmerich of 'Independence Day: Resurgence ' attend CinemaCon 2016 as 20th Century Fox Invites You to a Special Presentation Highlighting Its Future Release Schedule at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 14, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Todd Williamson
2019
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shanghai, China
Director Roland Emmerich (C) and Visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin (R) attend 'SIF Forum: Cinema x Technolgy x Future - Sci-Fi Film beyond Reality and Imagination' during the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival at Crowne Plaza Hotel on June 17, 2019, in Shanghai, China. Photo by VCG
2019
Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, Germany
Roland Emmerich and his husband Omar de Soto Emmerich and Director Tim Fehlbaum during the 46th German Film Ball (Deutscher Filmball) party at Hotel Bayerischer Hof on January 26, 2019, in Munich, Germany. Photo by Gisela Schober
2013
Los Angeles, California, United States
Producer Roland Emmerich and Russell Simmons attend 'An Evening Under The Stars' benefiting The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center at a private residency on October 19, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Angela Weiss
2013
Madrid, Spain
(L-R) US actor Channing Tatum, German film director Roland Emmerich and US actor Jamie Foxx attend photocall for their film 'White House Down' on September 4, 2013, in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Europa Press
2013
Centre International de Deauville, Deauville, France
Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and Roland Emmerich attend the 'White House Down' Premiere at The 39th Deauville Film Festival at the CID on September 1, 2013, in Deauville, France. Photo by Foc Kan
2013
Centre International de Deauville, Deauville, France
Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, and Roland Emmerich attend the 'White House Down' Premiere at The 39th Deauville Film Festival at the CID on September 1, 2013, in Deauville, France. Photo by Foc Kan
2014
Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
Roland Emmerich attends the Lola - German Film Award 2014 at Tempodrom on May 09, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Franziska Krug
2015
Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada
Actor Jeremy Irvine, director Roland Emmerich and actor Jonny Beauchamp of 'Stonewall' poses for a portrait at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada on September 18, 2015. Photo by Emma McIntyre
2015
Berlin, Germany
Omar De Soto and Roland Emmerich attend the 'Stonewall' German Premiere on November 17, 2015, in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Franziska Krug
2016
Los Angeles, California, United States
Actors from Cast of Independece Day: Resurgence Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, and Maika Monroe are photographed with filmmaker Roland Emmerich for 20th Century Fox on March 23, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by John Russo
2016
Catalina Island, California, United States
Director Roland Emmerich attends the 2016 Catalina Film Festival on September 30, 2016, in Catalina Island, California. Photo by Jerod Harris
2016
TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
Roland Emmerich and his family attend the premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Independence Day: Resurgence' at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2016, in Hollywood, California. Photo by JB Lacroix
2016
TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
Director Roland Emmerich arrives at the premiere of 20th Century Fox's "Independence Day: Resurgence" at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2016, in Hollywood, California. Photo by Gregg DeGuire
2016
TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
(L-R) Actress Vivica A. Fox and Director Roland Emmerich attend hand and footprint ceremony for Roland Emmerich at the premiere of 20th Century Fox's' 'Independence Day: Resurgence' at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2016, in Hollywood, California. Photo by Barry King
2016
Berlin, Germany
Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Harald Kloser and Roland Emmerich (L-R) during the 'Independence Day' Berlin Photo Call on June 9, 2016, in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Matthias Nareyek
2016
AOL Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Liam Hemsworth, and Roland Emmerich speak about "Independence Day: Resurgence" during the AOL Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios on June 14, 2016, in New York City. Photo by Kris Connor
2016
Berlin, Germany
Roland Emmerich during the 'Independence Day' Berlin Photo Call on June 9, 2016, in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Matthias Nareyek
2016
London, United Kingdom
Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum and Roland Emmerich took to Platform 16 at London Euston station on June 6, 2016, in London, United Kingdom as Virgin Trains unveiled its new complimentary on-board entertainment service, BEAM, enabling customers to enjoy over 200 hours of film, TV, magazines and games on their journeys. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson
2016
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Actor Jeff Goldblum (L) and Roland Emmerich of 'Independence Day: Resurgence ' attend CinemaCon 2016 as 20th Century Fox Invites You to a Special Presentation Highlighting Its Future Release Schedule at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 14, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Todd Williamson
2019
Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, Germany
Roland Emmerich during the 46th German Film Ball (Deutscher Filmball) party at Hotel Bayerischer Hof on January 26, 2019, in Munich, Germany. Photo by Gisela Schober
2019
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shanghai, China
Director Roland Emmerich (C) and Visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin (R) attend 'SIF Forum: Cinema x Technolgy x Future - Sci-Fi Film beyond Reality and Imagination' during the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival at Crowne Plaza Hotel on June 17, 2019, in Shanghai, China. Photo by VCG
2019
Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, Germany
Roland Emmerich and his husband Omar de Soto Emmerich and Director Tim Fehlbaum during the 46th German Film Ball (Deutscher Filmball) party at Hotel Bayerischer Hof on January 26, 2019, in Munich, Germany. Photo by Gisela Schober
2019
Prinzregententheater, Munich, Germany
Markus Sder, Governor of Bavaria and Roland Emmerich attend the Bayerischer Filmpreis 2018 at Prinzregententheater on January 25, 2019, in Munich, Germany. Photo by Hannes Magerstaedt
2019
Prinzregententheater, Munich, Germany
Roland Emmerich and Markus Söder attend the Bayerischer Filmpreis 2018 at Prinzregententheater on January 25, 2019, in Munich, Germany. Photo by Marc Mueller
University of Television and Film Munich, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
In 1977 Roland Emmerich attended the University of Television and Film Munich.
(Near the end of the 20th century, WMDs (weapons of mass d...)
Near the end of the 20th century, WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) are retired. However, certain factions plan to use a science space station as a weapon against each other. The astronauts inside will decide the world's fate.
https://www.amazon.com/Noahs-Principle-Anchor-Roland-Emmerich/dp/B01GWCR2MS/?tag=2022091-20
1984
(Believing to be able to communicate with his deceased fat...)
Believing to be able to communicate with his deceased father, a young boy develops psychic powers where he uses them to try to stop supernatural forces threatening his family and friends, especially a possessed ventriloquist dummy. This film is also known as Making Contact.
https://www.amazon.com/Joey-Joshua-Morrell/dp/B00QXYWBMC/?tag=2022091-20
1985
(In an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family ...)
In an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family retainer inhabits an old grandfather clock. When a movie company uses the mansion for a film, the spirit inhabits the body of an alien and persuades the two filmmakers to track down an old house that will resolve a family scandal.
https://www.amazon.de/Hollywood-Monster-Jason-Lively/dp/B001O0ZDI4
1987
(An agent turns criminals and technical wizards into a def...)
An agent turns criminals and technical wizards into a defense force assigned to protect mines on a remote moon. Directed by Roland Emmerich, starring screen icon Malcom McDowell, Michael Paré and Lisa Eichhorn.
https://www.amazon.com/Moon-44-Michael-Par%C3%A9/dp/B07M6S35PY/?tag=2022091-20
1990
(On the edge of the Mojave desert, a gas-stop motel, the E...)
On the edge of the Mojave desert, a gas-stop motel, the Easy Rest Inn, is owned and operated by the Glance brothers, Ray (Nightbreed's Craig Sheffer) and Steven (Stand by Me's Bradly Gregg). Eight years ago, their parents were killed by robbers. Since then, they've practiced their own brand of revenge: they murder innocent motel guests and bury them behind the inn. This insular world is thrown into disarray by the arrival of bickering couple Marvin (Blue Velvet's Dennis Hopper) and Sandra (The Practice's Lara Flynn Boyle), who are stranded until their Cadillac is repaired. Both brothers take an interest in the beautiful Sandra and decide to get rid of her significant other... with an impending storm about to isolate them from the rest of the world. Revenge, lust and madness reign supreme as an ordinary rest stop is transformed into the Eye of the Storm.
https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Storm-Adrian-Arnold/dp/B000BZN1O6/?tag=2022091-20
1991
(Luc Devreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Sgt. Andrew Scot...)
Luc Devreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Sgt. Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) are two soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam and are brought back to life 25 years later for a secret government program.
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Soldier-Jean-Claude-Van-Damme/dp/B07S5KB7ZT/?tag=2022091-20
1992
(Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla...)
Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla) brings you John Rhys-Davies in a Monty Pythonesque tale of a band of Crusaders who find themselves in possession of an Alien ship and the Alien to pilot it. Armed with the means to conquer the Holy Land, the naive Crusaders set off on a grand crusade, only to find themselves not in Jerusalem, but at the mercy of an entire alien world....heaven help the Aliens.
https://www.amazon.com/High-Crusade-Region-4/dp/B0013FX116/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(When Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader) innocently a...)
When Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader) innocently accepts the offer of a mysterious woman to decode an ancient Egyptian artifact know only as the Stargate, he unwittingly takes the first step on an epic adventure that will span the galaxies and decide the fate of an entire planet. Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) a true soldier with nerves of steel and a tragic past, is brought back to active duty to commandeer the first trip through the Stargate. On a desert planet on the far side of the universe, Jackson and O'Neil must battle the powerful alien Sun God, Ra (Jaye Davidson). At stake: the freedom of an ancient civilization from slavery and any chance of ever getting home!
https://www.amazon.com/Stargate-Kurt-Russell/dp/B000JCSPG0/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and des...)
The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.
https://www.amazon.com/Independence-Day-Bill-Pullman/dp/B000I9UA30/?tag=2022091-20
1996
(The enormous monster descends upon New York, and it's up ...)
The enormous monster descends upon New York, and it's up to the Army and an odd team of investigators to unravel the mystery behind the incredible creature before it's too late.
https://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Matthew-Broderick/dp/B008Y79HE6/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(A sci-fi thriller about an experiment gone awry, resultin...)
A sci-fi thriller about an experiment gone awry, resulting in a murder mystery that veers between 1937 Los Angeles and the present day. An intelligent look at reality versus manipulated perception, where one is forced to question everything.
https://www.amazon.com/Thirteenth-Floor-Armin-Mueller-Stahl/dp/B000I8ES2A/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(A reluctant South Carolina farmer (Mel Gibson) is forced ...)
A reluctant South Carolina farmer (Mel Gibson) is forced to fight the British in this epic adventure of the American Revolution. Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day). Screenplay by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan).
https://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Mel-Gibson/dp/B000O19EW0/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(The residents of a rural mining town discover that an unf...)
The residents of a rural mining town discover that an unfortunate chemical spill has caused hundreds of little spiders to mutate overnight to the size of SUVs!
https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Legged-Freaks-David-Arquette/dp/B002X4GJLK/?tag=2022091-20
2002
(A climatologist tries to alert the US government on the d...)
A climatologist tries to alert the US government on the dangerous long term effects of global warming, not realizing that those changes are going to happen in weeks, not in years, as originally predicted.
https://www.amazon.com/Day-After-Tomorrow-Dennis-Quaid/dp/B000NDMRCS/?tag=2022091-20
2004
(Adriana is a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City whose kidn...)
Adriana is a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City whose kidnapping by sex traffickers sets in motion a desperate mission by her 17-year-old brother, Jorge, to save her. Trapped and terrified by an underground network of international thugs who earn millions exploiting their human cargo.
https://www.amazon.com/Trade-Kevin-Kline/dp/B0010XXEHW
2007
(Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, An...)
Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds... who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare?
https://www.amazon.com/Rhys-Ifans/dp/B0076D20E8/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(The film tells the story of a small group of survivors in...)
The film tells the story of a small group of survivors in post-apocalyptic Germany in the year 2016. Solar flares have destroyed the earth's atmosphere and global temperatures have risen by 10°C. The sun is so hot that travel outside during daylight hours is dangerous. Crops have failed, little water or food is available and there is a breakdown of social order. The film tells the story of a young woman named Marie, her younger sister Leonie and Phillip, a young man who is also romantically connected with Marie. The trio is travelling through the dry wasteland in a Volvo station wagon with metal mesh on the windows. To avoid the sun's harsh rays, newspaper and cardboard have been taped over the inside of the windows, except for a narrow strip for the driver to see. They are heading for the mountains, where rumor has it that water can still be found. They scavenge wrecked cars and gas stations for extra gas, water (from heating pipes and toilets) and food, always alert for hostile survivors who might attack them.
2011
(While on a tour of the White House with his young daughte...)
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from an armed group of paramilitary invaders.
https://www.amazon.com/White-House-Down-Channing-Tatum/dp/B00EVW013E/?tag=2022091-20
2013
(Passions and politics make a volatile mix in this dynamic...)
Passions and politics make a volatile mix in this dynamic drama directed by Roland Emmerich that follows the events that led to the birth of the modern Gay Rights movement.
https://www.amazon.com/Stonewall-Jeremy-Irvine/dp/B019PAVZJK/?tag=2022091-20
2015
(Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Ea...)
Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?
https://www.amazon.com/Independence-Day-Resurgence-Liam-Hemsworth/dp/B01HDR3658/?tag=2022091-20
2016
director producer screenwriter
Roland Emmerich was born on November 10, 1955, in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. He is a son of Hans Emmerich. He has three siblings, Andreas Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, Wolfgang Emmerich.
In 1977 Roland Emmerich began attending the University of Television and Film Munich with the intention of studying to become a production designer. After watching Star Wars, he instead decided to enroll in the school's film director program.
As a young filmmaker in Germany, Roland Emmerich was inspired by Hollywood’s escapist, visually spectacular science-fiction fare, an orientation that put him out of step with most of his peers in the European cinema. While they produced esoteric meditations on the human condition, Emmerich spent the 1980s churning out a series of uncomplicated mainstream diversions: The Noah's Ark Principle (1984), Making Contact (also known as Joey, 1985), Hollywood Monster (also known as Ghost Chase, 1987), and Moon 44 (1990).
The Noah's Ark Principle (known as Das Arche Noah Prinzip in its original German) was Emmerich’s student film. It opened the Berlin International Film Festival in 1983 where it earned a nomination for the Golden Bear Award. It was also the most expensive student film ever produced in Germany, costing roughly a million Deutsche marks to make. It was an excellent springboard for his career as the rights for this student film eventually were sold to over twenty countries.
In 1991 Moon 44 was released in the United States direct-to-video by Live Home Entertainment. This sci-fi film involved a group of prisoners and an undercover agent defending the mining operations of a large mining company on a moon, known as Moon 44. However, in Moon 44 he cast American Dean Devlin, the son of a Hollywood producer. The two quickly became a creative team, and with Devlin’s insider knowledge they made the transition to American studios.
Universal Soldier (1992), written by Devlin (with Richard Rothstein and Christopher Leitch) and directed by Emmerich, deals with a government project in which soldiers killed in the Vietnam War are brought back from the dead to combat terrorism. One of them starts to remember his past life and breaks with the group, thus becoming a marked man. Though hammered by critics for its premise, and lacking the budget to stand out in the special effects category, the film gained Emmerich a larger audience among American science fiction/adventure devotees.
From there Emmerich and Devlin went on to bigger, more expensive projects, typically with the former directing, the latter handling production, and the two collaborating on scripts. In 1994’s Stargate, a scholar of ancient Egypt, Daniel Jackson, succeeds in opening an interstellar portal; he and military man Jack O’Neil pass through, emerging in a world where the sun god Ra rules over an enslaved race. The heroes face an array of supernatural challenges as they strive to overthrow the despot and return home intact. Reviewers were not impressed with the film, although it grossed $70 million at the box office.
In 1996 Emmerich would strike gold with the box office phenomenon Independence Day, which he directed, executive produced and co-wrote. He also directed, executive produced and co-wrote the big budget ($125 million) Godzilla (1998), which earned over $135 million at the domestic box office.
With The Patriot (2000), Emmerich took on a completely different genre. Starring Mel Gibson, the film was a period piece, depicting the American Revolution. It grossed over $130 million domestically and was shown worldwide as well. Emmerich returned to sci-fi for his next screenplay, The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which he also directed. Starring Dennis Quaid, the story revolves around a scientist who tries to save his son when the world is subjected to a new ice age.
The next one was "10,000 BC", a film about ancient tribesmen of mammoth hunters which although was a box office hit, was poorly received by the critics and known, to this date as his worst film. In 2009 came "2012", a disaster film about the world coming to an end in the year 2012, which was again, a commercial success but a critical dud. Roland followed the success with "Anonymous" and "White House Down", both the films were made on big budgets and made ample money for the producers. And in June 2016, came "Independence Day: Resurgence", Roland’s sequel to ‘Independence Day’ and proved to be a commercially successful film. Roland’s next venture is slated to be about the Battle of Midway, which occurred during the Second World War.
(When Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader) innocently a...)
1994(Believing to be able to communicate with his deceased fat...)
1985(Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla...)
1994(A climatologist tries to alert the US government on the d...)
2004(On the edge of the Mojave desert, a gas-stop motel, the E...)
1991(While on a tour of the White House with his young daughte...)
2013(The enormous monster descends upon New York, and it's up ...)
1998(Passions and politics make a volatile mix in this dynamic...)
2015(Adriana is a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City whose kidn...)
2007(The residents of a rural mining town discover that an unf...)
2002(Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, An...)
2011(A sci-fi thriller about an experiment gone awry, resultin...)
1999(A reluctant South Carolina farmer (Mel Gibson) is forced ...)
2000(A frustrated writer struggles to keep his family alive wh...)
2009(An agent turns criminals and technical wizards into a def...)
1990(In an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family ...)
1987Hell
(The film tells the story of a small group of survivors in...)
2011(Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Ea...)
2016(Near the end of the 20th century, WMDs (weapons of mass d...)
1984(The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and des...)
1996(Luc Devreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Sgt. Andrew Scot...)
1992(In the year 10, 000 B.C., a hunter loses his woman to an ...)
2008Roland Emmerich supported Hillary Clinton's 2008 electoral campaign.
Roland Emmerich is an active campaigner for awareness of global warming and equal rights as well as the LGBT community, anti-smoking campaigns, and women empowerment.
He is strongly against racism and exposed Hollywood’s mindset during the making of his film "Independence Day". Will Smith, although a great actor now and one of the biggest Hollywood superstars, was not supposed to be playing one of the lead characters in the film, due to the fact that he was black, despite being the first choice of Roland. The studios and executive producers locked horns with Roland and asked him to cast a white actor for the role, but Roland refused. The same happened with "The Day after Tomorrow", where he portrayed an interracial couple. Miffed from this discrimination, Roland once said that if it wasn’t for the love he has towards cinema, he would have left Hollywood already.
Quotations:
"Nobody makes movies bad on purpose."
"I try to put in every one of my movies some sort of message. I don't want to overdo it, because I don't want people to get annoyed by it, but it's good to have a message."
"Do not fear. Some things will never change."
"Everybody knows that the industrialized nations are the worst offenders."
Roland Emmerich is one of the very few celebrities who have claimed to be openly gay. He is fond of decorating his homes and has an extensive collection of artwork including paintings, prints, sculptures. Emmerich also lists The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Earthquake (1974) as his favorite films. Emmerich has been nicknamed Das Spielbergle aus Sindelfingen which is German for "Little Spielberg from Sindelfingen."
In 2017 Roland Emmerich is married to Omar De Soto.