Gustav Fröhlich

Fröhlich began his acting career in German theater before moving into silent film in the early 1920s, building a modest reputation before his casting in one of the era's most ambitious and grueling productions.

He played Freder, the industrialist's son whose journey into the workers' underworld drives the film's plot — a role he reportedly fought physically hard to land. Accounts from the production describe him being genuinely struck by director Fritz Lang during a heated dispute over his performance.

He continued acting in German cinema for decades afterward, though never in a role as internationally famous as this one, which remains the single work most associated with his career.