German actor who achieved popularity in heroic and character roles such as the title roles of Friedrich von Schiller's Wallenstein, Goethe's Faust, and Shakespeare's King Lear.

Nephew of the great Romantic actor Ludwig Devrient (Devrient, Ludwig), he began his career in 1819 in Brunswick. From 1821 to 1835 he acted in Dresden, where he married his first wife, the singer Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient (Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine). His stay in Karlsruhe (1835–39) was the stepping-stone to Hanover, where he remained for the rest of his life, achieving his greatest triumphs.