Although studying drama, germanistics, art history and philosophy, he made his stage debut at the Düsseldorf Kammerspiele in 1965. Two years later, he decided to abandon his studies and attended acting lessons.
Enjoys sailing and owns a boat in Ireland.
German dubbing voice of Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman (1985) (TV) and Ian McKellen in Richard III (1995).
He lives in Berlin.
In addition to film, TV and theater, he does poetry readings. His brother, Chris Sander, is a well-known scientist using human genome information to help solve the cancer problem, working in New York City.
Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival 1990
Stepfather of Meret Becker and Ben Becker.