In 1929 Gustav Neidlinger made his operatic debut in Mainz, where he was a member of the Opera from 1931 to 1934. After singing with the Plauen Opera from 1934 to 1935, he was a member of the Hamburg Opera from 1936 to 1950. In 1950 he became a member of the Stuttgart Opera. In 1952 he made his first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival, where he won renown as Alberich; among his other distinguished roles there were Kurwenal, Telramund, Klingsor, and Hans Sachs. Gustav Neidlinger was made a German Kammersänger in 1952. In 1953 he sang at Milan's La Scala, and from 1956 he appered with the Vienna State Opera. In 1963 he made his debut at London's Covent Garden as Telramund. In November 1972, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in New York as Alberich in Segfried, but remained on the roster for only one season (4 performances). He continued to sing in Europe until his retirement in 1977.