He initially studied medicine at the Universities of Tübingen and Berlin, but moved into theatre during the 1950s, during which he worked at the Staatstheater Stuttgart as actor and assistant stage director. 1958 he started directing himself at the Theater Ulm. During the 1960s, he became acclaimed through multiple movie and TV productions. His film "Trotta" was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. He was head of the jury at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival. His movie "Tattoo" was one of the first films to address the generational tensions during the early years of Germany's "student revolution".