Carl Weber, who became Bertolt Brecht's protégé and later brought the experimental theatre of Germany to the United States, died Christmas night at the age of 91, according to bookhaven.stanford.edu.

Although he studied chemistry at the University of Heidelberg, Mr. Weber traveled to Berlin in 1949 to pursue a career in the theatre. While studying at the Heidelberg City Theater, he began his career as an actor, later co-founding the Heidelberg Zimmertheater.

Catching a production of Brecht's Mother Courage would change Mr. Weber's life; in fact, in 1952 he was invited to join Brecht's Berliner Ensemble in several roles, including one as assistant director to Brecht. He would work with the famed playwright and director on productions of Katzgraben, Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Galileo. Following the death of Brecht in 1956, Mr. Weber became a director at the Berliner Ensemble, where his credits included productions of The Day of the Great Scholar Wu (which he co-wrote), Mother Courage, and Fear and Misery of the Third Reich.

In the 60s he directed at theatres around the world, including those in Scandinavia, West Germany, the United States, and elsewhere. Mr. Weber, who relocated to New York in 1966 to teach acting and directing at the NYU School of the Arts, had two Broadway credits, directing the 1968 revival of Cyrano de Bergerac and the 1969 revival of The Miser.

He joined the staff of Stanford University in 1984, heading Ph.D. Directing Studies. One of his students was Tony Kushner, who would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for his epic work, Angels in America. At the time of his death Mr. Weber was a drama professor, emeritus, at Stanford.

Mr. Weber, who was born August 7, 1925, in Dortmund, is survived by his daughter, actor and educator Sabine Gewinner-Feucht; his son Dr. Stefan Heym; and three grandchildren. His third wife, German actor Marianne Rossi, predeceased him a decade ago.