author
August Wilhelm Iffland
1759–1814
Drawn to the stage despite plans for a church career, this influential German actor and dramatist helped shape theatrical life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His work and reputation were strong enough to leave a lasting mark on German-speaking theater through the famous Iffland-Ring.
2 Audiobooks
The Lawyers, A Drama in Five Acts
by August Wilhelm Iffland
The Nephews: A Play, in Five Acts.
by August Wilhelm Iffland
About the author
Born in Hanover on April 19, 1759, August Wilhelm Iffland became one of the best-known figures in German theater of his time. Reliable reference sources describe him as an actor, dramatist, and theater manager, and note that he turned away from the clerical path his family had planned for him in order to pursue the stage.
He trained in Gotha under the influential actor-manager Konrad Ekhof, and his career later became closely tied to major theatrical centers including Mannheim and Berlin. Sources also credit him with wide influence on German stage practice, both through his performances and through his leadership in the theater.
Iffland died in Berlin on September 22, 1814. Although many of his plays are less widely read today, his name remains familiar in theater history, especially through the Iffland-Ring, a long-standing honor associated with outstanding actors in the German-speaking world.