He was one of the original members of the Group Theatre (1931-40), the acting ensemble that brought the
Konstantin Stanislavski system to the Broadway theater, changing the style of American acting. A few of its members became Hollywood stars--
Franchot Tone and
John Garfield--but, on the dissolution of the company, many of its members found work as well-paid character actors in Hollywood films. Bohnen was also one of the founders of the Actors Lab in Los Angeles, the place where
Marilyn Monroe first studied acting seriously.