Most Famous Fredericks in the World

From golden-age movie stars to groundbreaking composers and filmmakers, plenty of well-known figures share the first name Frederick (including international variants like Frédéric). Below is a friendly, information-packed tour of notable Fredericks across film, television, music, and dance, highlighting the roles they played and the works they’re best known for.

Frédéric Chopin

The Polish-born composer and piano virtuoso Frédéric Chopin transformed 19th-century keyboard music with works like the ‘Nocturnes’, ‘Études’, ‘Ballades’, and ‘Polonaises’. He spent much of his professional life in Paris, performing in salons and composing pieces that expanded piano technique and harmonic language. His music, frequently inspired by Polish dance forms, is central to the concert repertoire worldwide. Chopin’s legacy also includes influential pedagogical editions and performance traditions followed by pianists to this day.

Frederick Wiseman

An influential American documentary filmmaker, Frederick Wiseman is known for observational portraits of institutions and communities. His landmark films include ‘Titicut Follies’, ‘High School’, ‘Welfare’, ‘At Berkeley’, and many others, typically made without narration or interviews. Wiseman’s long-form editing style builds nuanced pictures of social systems and daily life. His body of work has been honored by major festivals and academies, including an Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Frederick Loewe

Frederick Loewe was the composer half of the celebrated Lerner and Loewe songwriting team behind Broadway and Hollywood classics. With lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, he wrote the scores for ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Camelot’, ‘Gigi’, and ‘Brigadoon’. Their stage successes led to film adaptations that helped define mid-century musical cinema. Loewe’s melodies, combining European lyricism with American theater sensibilities, became standards recorded by leading vocalists.

Frederick Ashton

Sir Frederick Ashton was a founding choreographic voice of The Royal Ballet and helped shape 20th-century British dance. His signature works include ‘La Fille mal gardée’, ‘Symphonic Variations’, ‘Cinderella’, and ‘Ondine’. Ashton’s style blended musicality, épaulement, and understated wit, creating roles for dancers such as Margot Fonteyn. He served as director of The Royal Ballet and was knighted for his services to dance.

Frederick Delius

English composer Frederick Delius created orchestral and vocal works that evoke pastoral and impressionistic sound worlds. Notable pieces include ‘On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring’, ‘Brigg Fair’, ‘A Village Romeo and Juliet’, and the ‘Florida Suite’. After early years in the United States and Germany, he settled in France, where he developed his mature style. His music is frequently performed by British and European orchestras and remains a staple of late-Romantic programming.

Frederick Weller

Frederick Weller is an American actor with prominent credits on stage, film, and television. He co-starred in the series ‘In Plain Sight’ and appeared in films such as ‘The Business of Strangers’ and ‘Stonewall’. On Broadway, he originated roles in productions including ‘Take Me Out’, which garnered major theater awards for the play and ensemble. Weller continues to work across mediums, balancing screen roles with recurring engagements in New York theater.

Frederick Lau

German actor Frederick Lau has built a wide-ranging screen career in both mainstream and arthouse cinema. He starred in the single-take crime drama ‘Victoria’ and appeared in films such as ‘The Wave’ and ‘The Captain’. Beginning as a child and teen performer, he transitioned to leading roles in his twenties. Lau frequently works in television as well, contributing to Germany’s contemporary crime and drama series landscape.

Share your favorite Fredericks—and the roles or albums that put them on your radar—in the comments!