Editing Rainer Werner Fassbinder (section)

==Early life==
Fassbinder was born in the small town of [[Bad Wörishofen]] on 31 May 1945.<ref>{{harv|Hayman|1984|p=1}}</ref> He was born three weeks after [[Seventh United States Army|US Army]] occupied the town and the [[End of World War II in Europe|unconditional surrender of Germany]]. The aftermath of [[World War II]] deeply marked his childhood and the lives of his family.<ref>{{harv|Thomsen|2004|p=2}}</ref> In compliance with his mother's wishes, Fassbinder later claimed he was born on 31 May 1946, to more clearly establish himself as a child of the [[Post-war Germany|post-war period]]; his real age was revealed shortly before his death.<ref name="Thomsen 3">{{harv|Thomsen|2004|p=3}}</ref> He was the only child of Liselotte Pempeit (1922–93), a [[Literary translation|translator]], and Helmut Fassbinder, a [[Medical Doctor|doctor]] who worked from the couple's apartment in [[Sendlinger Straße]],<ref name="Hayman 2">{{harv|Hayman|1984|p=2}}</ref> near [[Munich]]'s [[red light district]].<ref name="Thomsen 3"/><ref name=" Thomsen 3"/><ref name="Watson 13">{{harv|Watson|1996|p=13}}</ref> When he was three months old, he was left with a paternal uncle and aunt in the country, since his parents feared he would not survive the winter with them. He was one year old when he was returned to his parents in Munich.<ref name="Thomsen 3"/> Fassbinder's mother came from the [[Free City of Danzig]] (now [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]]), whence many Germans had fled following World War II. As a result, a number of her relatives came to live with them in Munich.

Fassbinder's parents were cultured members of the [[bourgeoisie]]. His father [[Workaholic|concentrated on his career]], which he saw as a means to inspire his passion for writing poetry. His mother largely ignored him as well, spending the majority of her time with her husband working on his career. In 1951, Liselotte Pempeit and Helmut Fassbinder divorced. Helmut moved to [[Cologne]] while Liselotte raised her son as a single parent in Munich.<ref name="Watson 13"/> To support herself and her child, Pempeit took in boarders and found employment as a German to English translator. When she was working, she often sent her son to the cinema to pass time. Later in life, Fassbinder claimed that he saw at least one film a day, sometimes as many as four per day. During this period, Pempeit was often away from her son for long periods while she recuperated from [[tuberculosis]].<ref name="Hayman 3">{{harv|Hayman|1984|p=3}}</ref> In his mother's absence, Fassbinder was looked after by his mother's tenants and friends. As he was often left alone, he became used to the independence and later became a [[juvenile delinquent]]. He clashed with his mother's younger lover Siegfried, who lived with them when Fassbinder was around eight or nine years old. He had a similar difficult relationship with the much older journalist Wolff Eder (c.1905–71), who became his stepfather in 1959.<ref>{{harv|Watson|1996|pp=14–15}}</ref> Early in his adolescence, Fassbinder came out as bisexual.<ref>{{harv|Watson|1996|p=15}}</ref>

As a teen, Fassbinder was sent to boarding school. His time there was marred by his repeated escape attempts, and he eventually left school before any final examinations. At the age of 15, he moved to Cologne with his father.<ref>{{harv|Thomsen|2004|p=5}}</ref> Though they argued constantly, Fassbinder stayed with his father for a couple of years while attending night school. To earn money, he worked [[Part-time job|small jobs]]; he also helped his father, who rented apartments to [[Gastarbeiter|migrant workers]]. During this time, Fassbinder began to immerse himself in his father's world of culture, writing poems, short plays, and stories.<ref name="lorenz48">{{harv|Lorenz|Schmid|Gehr|1997|p=248}}</ref>