- Married his wife Dana Vávrová in the hospital while she was already in labor with their first daughter in order to have the child being born with German citizenship. Daughter Janina Vilsmaier was born only 10 minutes later.
- Daughters (with Vávrová): Janina Vilsmaier, Theresa Vilsmaier and Josefina Vilsmaier. He had his daughters play Marlene Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva in his film Marlene (2000) at different ages.
- Filmed the birth of his second daughter Theresa Vilsmaier and cut the footage into his film Rama Dama (1991).
- Born in Munich. Vilsmaier attended a boarding school near Augsburg. He then trained as a technician to make film cameras, and studied piano at the Musikhochschule München.
- He is internationally known for films such as Comedian Harmonists (1997) and Stalingrad (1993).
- His debut film as director, Herbstmilch in 1988, starring his wife, Dana Vávrová, was a huge success.
- After working as a technician, he moved into film, first as a material and camera assistant, then from 1961 as a cameraman.
- While filming Der Letzte Zug in 2005, probably the last film produced by Artur Brauner, he was injured when he fell off a camera tower.[2] Subsequently, his ability to work was limited, and his wife took over directing the film. The couple was awarded the special jury prize at the 2006 Bavarian Film Awards for Der letzte Zug.
- He was a member of a jazz group.
- For the films he directed, Vilsmaier was also the producer and first cameraman.
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