Karl August Devrient

Karl August Devrient, actually De Devrient, Carl ( born April 5, 1797 in Berlin, † August 3, 1872 in Lauterberg ) was a German stage actor.

Devrient is the eldest son of the Berlin silk merchant Tobias Philipp De Devrient. His father provided for a commercial career for him as for his two brothers. His brothers were the two actors Eduard Devrient and Gustav Emil Devrient. The actor Ludwig Devrient was his uncle. After visiting the school to the Grey monastery Devrient announced as a volunteer in Colomb's Hussars. He fought in 1815 the age of seventeen at the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon's troops. Devrient took over in 1817 an operation of another uncle in Zwickau and worked for a time in Berlin. With the help of his uncle, he received his first appointment in Brunswick, on July 28, 1819 debuted Devrient in Friedrich Schiller's " William Tell ". His career took him from Braunschweig to Dresden. Here Devrient married in 1823 the then eighteen- year-old opera singer Wilhelmine Schröder- Devrient. His son Frederick was born in 1827 in Dresden, with him playing Devrient often together. In 1828 he was divorced Wilhelmine; but they worked together until 1834 continued.

Further stations Devrient's career were Paris, Karlsruhe and Hannover in 1839. Here the hero performer had 33 years at the court theater. Early in his career he played juvenile heroes and lovers, and later character roles like King Lear or Wallenstein. In 1855 he married the singer and actress Johanna block. From this marriage comes his son Max Devrient, the actor was also. In 1869 he received the honorary citizenship of the city of Hannover. Devrient died in 1872 during a spa stay in Lauterbrunnen in the Harz Mountains; his grave is located at the city cemetery Engesohde in Hanover.