Karl August Devrient Explained

Karl August Devrient (5 April 17973 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, 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.

Notes and References

1. "Karl August Devrient", Encyclopædia Britannica 2010. vol. 4, p. 50
2. Web site: International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts . 26 March 2010 . 27 June 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100627124028/http://www.sibmas.org/idpac/europe/atv001.html#47 . dead .
3. Book: Grange, William. William Grange

   . https://books.google.com/books?id=WetnNgbRXDoC&pg=PA77. Devrient, Carl August. 77. Historical Dictionary of German Theater. William Grange. Scarecrow Press. 2006. 9780810864894.

4. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=ltYXAQAAIAAJ&dq=Karl+August+Devrient&pg=PA59. Devrient. The American Cyclopaedia. 6. George Ripley. Charles A. Dana. 59. Appleton. New York. 1874.
5. Devrient . Devrient s.v. Karl August Devrient . 8 . 135.