Karl August Devrient (5 April 1797 – 3 August 1872) was a German stage actor best known for performances of Schiller and Shakespeare.1 He was related to other notable German actors, including:
- his uncle Ludwig;
- his brothers Philipp Eduard and Gustav Emil;
- his wife, operatic soprano Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient;
- his sons, Friedrich and Max;
- his nephew, Otto.
There is a collection relating to his life at the Österreichisches Theatermuseum.2
Biography
Born Carl De Vrient in Berlin, prior to his acting life, he was a cavalry officer.3 He fought with the Hussars against Napoleon at Waterloo.4 He died in Bad Lauterberg in 1872, aged 75.
Devrient had his acting debut in 1819 in Braunschweig. In 1821, he received an engagement at the court theatre in Dresden, where, in 1823, he married Wilhelmine. In 1835 he joined the company at Karlsruhe, and in 1839 that at Hanover.5 His best-known roles were Schiller's Wallenstein, Goethe's Faust, and Shakespeare's King Lear.
References
References
- "Karl August Devrient", Encyclopædia Britannica 2010. vol. 4, p. 50 (subscription required)
- "International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts". Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- Grange, William (2006). "Devrient, Carl August". Historical Dictionary of German Theater. Scarecrow Press. p. 77. ISBN 9780810864894.
- George Ripley; Charles A. Dana, eds. (1874). "Devrient". The American Cyclopaedia. Vol. 6. New York: Appleton. p. 59.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 135.