Birth name

Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende is recorded in German biographical authorities and LOC (Ende, Michael) (Deutsche Biographie; LOC). He published as Michael Ende; the longer form is his full birth name, not a separate alias.

Son of surrealist painter Edgar Ende, he became Germany's most internationally famous modern children's/fantasy author.

The Neverending Story and Momo

Ende wrote Jim Button novels, Momo (1973), and Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story, 1979), adapted into the 1984 Wolfgang Petersen film (which Ende criticized). His fantasies mix fairy-tale invention with critiques of consumerism and the theft of time (Deutsche Biographie).

He died of stomach cancer in 1995. Translations made him a global name in children's literature.

The Neverending Story paperback Momo by Michael Ende Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver

Why the "real name" question matters

Search interest in a celebrity's "real name" usually means a shortened everyday form, a middle name used as a handle, or a true stage/legal change. This page states which case applies and cites sources rather than gossip.

Readers comparing credits across IMDb, Wikipedia, and national filmographies sometimes find spelling variants (accents, hyphenation, maternal surnames). Where two reliable sources disagree on a middle name or exact birthplace wording, this draft notes both rather than inventing a single form.