Born to Dr. Theodor Friedrichs and his wife Ilse,[2] Rolf escaped Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport in May 1939 and fled to England where he attended the City of Bath Boys' School.
On Broadway he was featured as the Inquisitor to Uta Hagen’s Saint Joan and in Time Remembered with Helen Hayes and Richard Burton and as Capt.
He appeared as 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 hit production of Tamara.
He has directed many plays Off-Broadway – including Hogan's Goat, starring Faye Dunaway and Ralph Waite as well as Steve Tesich's Lake of the Woods with Hal Holbrook and Armand Assante.
He has been a guest director for the Juilliard Drama Department in New York, for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting.