LUDWIG DEVRIENT 0784-1832), bOM in Berlin on Dec. 15. 1784, was the son of a silk merchant. He was apprenticed to an upholsterer, but joined a travelling theatrical company, and first appeared on the stage at Gera in 1804 as the messenger in Schil ler's Braut von Messina. Eventually he obtained a permanent engagement at the ducal theatre in Dessau, where he played till 1809. He then went to Breslau for six years. His success in Shakespeare was such that Iffland feared for his own reputation, but generously recommended Devrient as his successor. On Iff land's death Devrient was summoned to Berlin, where for 15 years he was the popular idol. He died there on Dec. 3o, 1832. He was equally good in comedy and tragedy. Falstaff, King Lear, Franz Moor, Shylock and Richard II. were among his best parts. Karl von Holtei in his Reminiscences has given a graphic picture of his acting.
Three of the nephews of L. Devrient played an important part in the history of the German stage :—KARL AUGUST DEVRIENT 7 2) , whose most famous parts were Wallenstein and King Lear; PHILIPP EDUARD DEVRIENT (1801-1877), director of the court theatre at Dresden (1844-46) and of the Karlsruhe theatre (1852-69) and author of Geschichte der deutschen Schauspielkunst (Leipzig, 1848-74) ; GUSTAV EMIL DEVRIENT (1803-1872), tragedian at the Dresden court theatre (1831-68), whose Hamlet was considered finer than Kemble's or Edmund Kean's. OTTO DEVRIENT (1838-1894), SOn of P. E. Devrient, translated some plays of Shakespeare into German.
See Eduard Devrient, Dramatische and dramaturgische Schri f ten (so vols., Leipzig, 1848-73) ; H. H. Houben, Emil Devrient (Frank furt, 1903) ; Briefwechsel zwischen Eduard and Therese Devrient, herausg. v. Hans Devrient, (Stuttgart 1903). R. K. Goldschmidt, Eduard Devrients Biihnenref orm am Karlsruher Theater (Theater gesch. Forschungen No. 32, 1921).