Siegried was the son of Hans Breuer (opera singer) (1868 or 1870–1929), who was an opera singer and actor from Cologne. Performing was in the blood and he studied at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, some time in the early 1920s and made his stage debut at the Volkstheater, Vienna in 1924.

After some 15 years of stage acting he made his screen debut in a film called Eins zu Eins in 1939 where he went on to star in over 50 films between 1939 and 1954. In 1950 he directed, wrote and starred in the film Der Schuß durchs Fenster in which he worked with Curt Jurgens.

Breuer was married six times and died in 1954 at the age of 47, a heavy smoker.