He studied directing at the Film Academy in Potsdam-Babelsberg from 1954 to 1959. After his studies he directed feature films for the DEFA film studio. He first made his name with films for children based on books by East-German writers, and then gained wider attention is first films with such a topic was the drama Karla (1965) and it was banned by the government of that time as it was thought to be too nihilistic and hostile. It had its premiere in Germany in 1990 after the fall of the Wall. His first big success was the romantic drama Sieben Sommersprossen (1978). His drama Bürgschaft für ein Jahr (1981) was shown at the Berlin Film Festival (OCIC award and Silver Bear for the main actress). Some of his other films include the sci-fi Eolomea (1972), comedy Und nächstes Jahr am Balaton (1980), dramas Insel der Schwäne (1983) and Die Alleinseglerin (1987). From the 1990’s until the time of his retirement, he mostly directed TV films and series. He is also a writer and in 2002, he published the book entitled "Sieben Sommersprossen und andere Erinnerungen" about his experiences while working for the East-German film studios.