"Devrient, who was born in Berlin, left a commercial career for the stage in 1804. He joined a travelling theatrical company, and made his first appearance ...
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on the stage at Gera as the messenger in Schiller´s Braut von Messina. By the interest of Count Brühl, he appeared at Rudolstadt as Franz Moor in Schiller´s Die Räuber, so successfully that he obtained a permanent engagement at the ducal theatre in Dessau, where he played until 1809. He then received a call to Breslau, where he remained for six years. Such was his success in the title-parts of several of Shakespeare´s plays, that the leading actor August Wilhelm Iffland began to fear for his own reputation; yet that artist was generous enough to recommend the young actor as his only possible successor. On Iffland´s death Devrient was summoned to Berlin, where he was for fifteen years the popular idol. He died there in December 1832." - (en.wikipedia.org 31.01.2020)
