German actor who excelled in tragic roles, particularly in the plays of Goethe, Schiller, and Shakespeare, but who was also much admired in comedy, especially as Petruchio in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

Grandnephew of the great Romantic actor Ludwig Devrient (Devrient, Ludwig) and son of the noted character actor Karl August Devrient (Devrient, Karl August), Max made his debut in 1878 in Dresden as Bertrand in Friedrich von Schiller's play Die Jungfrau von Orleans (The Maid of Orleans). Subsequently he toured extensively throughout Germany. In 1882 he made his first appearance with the famed Vienna Burgtheater in Schiller's drama Die Räuber (The Robbers) and remained with the company for many years. From 1920 he directed.