He began as a fringe actor and founded his own "anti-theatre" before moving into films. His works are mainly stylized indictments of contemporary German society. He made more than 40 films, including Die bitteren Traenen der Petra von Kant/The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant 1972, Angst essen Seele auf/Fear Eats the Soul 1974, and Die Ehe von Maria Braun/The Marriage of Maria Braun 1979.