Friedrich Wilhelm "F. W." Murnau (born
Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director. Murnau was greatly influenced by
Schopenhauer,
Nietzsche,
Shakespeare and
Ibsen plays he had seen at the age of 12, and became a friend of director
Max Reinhardt. During
World War I he served as a company commander at the eastern front and was in the
German air force, surviving several crashes without any severe injuries.