DEVRIENT, MAX

(1857-1929)

   Actor. The son of Carl Devrient by his second marriage, Max differed from his cousins by taking acting lessons from a teacher other than one of his relatives. He made his debut in Dresden during the 1878-1879 season. By 1882 he had established himself at the Burgtheater in Vienna, playing well-known character parts, even though he was only in his mid-20s at the time. Among his notable successes in the 1880s and 1890s were Gessler in Wilhelm Tell (William Tell), Mephisto in Faust, Brakenburg in Egmont, the devious Zawisch von Rosenberg in Franz Grillparzer's König Ottokars Glück und Ende (King Ottokar's Rise and Fall), and Gloucester in Shakespeare's Richard III. Devrient remained at the Burg for the remainder of his career and in 1920 became its chief director.