Rüdiger Vogler (born May 14, 1942 in Warthausen near Biberach an der Riß) is a German film and stage actor.
Rüdiger Vogler attended acting school in Heidelberg from 1963 to 1965. Later he played for six years at "Theater am Turm" in Frankfurt am Main, often in the plays by Peter Handke.
His film debut was in 1970 in a TV film "Chronik der laufenden Ereignisse" ("Chronicle of Current Events") by Peter Handke. But Vogler's greater film career really started with The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (1972) and Alice in the Cities (1974), both directed by Wim Wenders. The creative partnership of Vogler and Wenders lasted for nearly 20 years. Rüdiger Vogler also played in various German TV series, such as Tatort, Derrick and Der Alte. Vogler lives in Paris and in Mittelbuch near Biberach an der Riß.
Vogler is most often recognized for his collaboration with director Wim Wenders. In several Wenders films Vogler's character name is Philip Winter, although Winter's occupation changes from film to film. Such films include Alice in the Cities, Kings of the Road, Faraway, So Close!, Until the End of the World and Lisbon Story. The Wrong Move is the only Wenders film starring Rüdiger Vogler where Vogler's character has a different last name, Wilhelm. Interestingly, Wenders' own birth name is Ernst Wilhelm, suggesting Vogler represents an alter ego of the director. Most of the Winter characters, as well as the Wilhelm character in The Wrong Move, are film technicians, including a photographer (Alice in the Cities), a writer (The Wrong Move), a movie theater repairman (Kings of the Road), and a motion picture sound engineer (Lisbon Story).
