Rochus Gliese was born in Berlin on January 6 1891. From 1909 to 1911, he studied at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbemuseum and subsequently worked as a costume designer. In 1913, he switched to set design and started working for several renowned theatres. His work first showed influences of expressionism, but in later years, Gliese favoured a stripped-down look and specialized in sparse and functional sets.

Along with his work for the theatre, Gliese started to work in film production in 1914. He became a frequent collaborator of director Paul Wegener, for whom he worked as set and costume designer. He also took over the director's chair when Wegener was acting in his films. Gliese also helmed short films like "Der papierne Peter" (1917) and "Apokalypse" (1917). He also worked with Lotte Reiniger on the animation film "Die schöne Prinzessin von China".

Gliese created the impressive sets for Murnau's masterpiece "Sunrise", and recived an Oscar nomination for his work on the film. Once in Hollywood, he was then hired as director, author and set designer by Cecil B. DeMille, though of many planned projects only the boxing drama "The Main Event" (1927) was eventually produced. In 1929, Gliese returned to Germany, and in 1930, "Die Jagd nach dem Glück" became his last film as director.

He continued to work primarily for the stage, and over the years, he held prestigious positions at theatres in Berlin, Vienna and Potsdam. In 1970, he retired, and three years later, he received a German Film Award for lifetime achievement.

On December 22nd 1978, Rochus Gliese passed away in Berlin.