German conductor and composer (born Gera, 21 September 1902 – died Hamburg, 7 September 1972) active from the late 1920's to the late 1960's. His body of work ranged from classical concerts and film music to Schlager. He grew up in Konstanz and after finishing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Stuttgart became conductor at the Komische Oper, Berlin in 1925 (aged 23). In the late 30ies he got a film music contract with the Ufa but only composed the music for six films before he was drafted into the Wehrmacht. After WWII he lived in Hamburg and composed some of his most successful Schlager.

He was a great-grandson of the 18th century composer of the same name, Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739-1796). The grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, the musicologist and Bach researcher Wilhelm Rust (1822-1892), was his uncle.