Gustave Gilbert

"The definition of evil is the total lack of empathy."

- Gilbert defining evil.

Gustave Gilbert was a character in the 2000 television mini-series Nuremberg.

Gilbert was portrayed by Matt Craven.

A member of the Jewish faith, Gilbert became a psychologist. In the days following the Second World War, Gilbert was stationed in occupied Germany. After POW Hans Frank attempted suicide, Gilbert rode in the ambulance with him to the prison in Nuremberg, where he was housed with the other prisoners. There Gilbert met Col. Burton C. Andrus, who was disappointed to learn he was a psychologist.

After Nazi war criminal Robert Ley successfully committed suicide Col. Andrus approached Gilbert to ensure that the Nazis he was responsible for did not go insane or commit suicide. Gilbert told Andrus that the current conditions were perfect for inducing men to commit suicide. He made a deal with Andrus, that if the prisoners were given an exercise yard and library he would be their liaison and report back to Andrus about what the Nazis were thinking and feeling.

Over the next year Gilbert worked as a liaison to the prisoners, doing his best to control his feelings when the full depravity of the prisoners was revealed in court. Even though he was Jewish he was able to get the prisoners to open up to him. This helped him craft and recommend a strategy to Robert Jackson for dealing with Herman Goering to reduce his influence among the other prisoners. He also provided some advice to Jackson on how to question Goering during the trial, however Jackson initially botched the questioning. Gilbert's studies of the prisoners also revealed a possible reason why the Germans so eagerly followed Hitler during his rise to power, and helped him gain a greater understanding of evil.

At the conclusion of the trials Gilbert helped prepare the German prisoners to face their fates before leaving for the final time.