Frederick Rolf

Frederick Rolf, born Rolf Günther Friedrichs on August 14, 1926, in Berlin, Germany, is an American actor and director whose work spans theater, film, television, and opera across both British and American stages.

Rolf was born to Dr. Theodor Friedrichs and his wife Ilse. In May 1939, he escaped Nazi Germany via Kindertransport, resettling in England where he attended the City of Bath Boys' School. During the war he worked for the BBC's European Service. He began his acting career in 1946, adopting the professional name Frederick Rolf, and made his stage debut at the West Riding Theatre in Halifax, Yorkshire, playing Capt. Frederic de Foenix in Trelawny of the Wells. Following two years of work in regional British theatres, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1953. He married actress Roni Dengel on October 3, 1971.

Rolf's Broadway career extended from 1951 to 1962 and included several notable productions. He portrayed the Inquisitor opposite Uta Hagen in Saint Joan and appeared alongside Helen Hayes and Richard Burton in Time Remembered. He also played Capt. Arago in The Strong Are Lonely and appeared in The Egg. Beyond Broadway, he took on the role of Dr. Edward Teller in The Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer at Lincoln Center and originated the starring role of Gabriele d'Annunzio in the New York production of Tamara.

His film work includes Witness with Harrison Ford, Street Smart with Morgan Freeman, and five films with Woody Allen. On television, he appeared regularly on programs including Law & Order and All My Children.

As a director, Rolf staged numerous Off-Broadway productions, among them Hogan's Goat with Faye Dunaway and Ralph Waite, and Steve Tesich's Lake of the Woods with Hal Holbrook and Armand Assante. His opera directing credits include Aida, Fidelio, and Die Walküre, and he also directed On The Town and The Great Waltz, in addition to productions at regional theatres. He served as a guest director for the Juilliard Drama Department, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, and spent nine years on the board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Rolf has also worked as a translator, rendering into English works including Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf, Max Frisch's Don Juan or the Love of Geometry, Friedrich Schiller's Love and Intrigue, published by Barron's, and Gutzkow's Uriel Acosta. He translated his father's memoir, Berlin – Shanghai – New York: My Family's Flight from Hitler by Dr. Theodor Friedrichs, published by Cold Tree Press. He is listed in Who's Who in the American Theatre.