- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRoman Aloys Bohnen
- Nickname
- Bud
- Roman Bohnen, known as "Bud" to his family and friends was not only an excellent film actor but also a stage actor of note. As a member of the prestigious Group Theatre from 1934-40, he appeared in such classic productions as "Waiting for Lefty", "Golden Boy", "Awake and Sing" and "The Gentle People". He left for Hollywood in the late '30s to pursue a film career mainly as an effort to earn money for his family and ailing wife, Hilda.
In film, he is perhaps best known for his performances as Candy in Des souris et des hommes (1939) with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr., as Francois Soubirous in Le chant de Bernadette (1943), and as Pat Derry in William Wyler's classic Les Plus Belles Années de notre vie (1946). The latter role although a small one is beautifully played. It is a rare opportunity to see a full life artfully created in a few short scenes. Take a look in particular at the scene where "Bud" reads the citations awarded to his son, Fred Derry (ably played by Dana Andrews). It is rich with the feeling and pride of a father, helpless to provide for his son (with beautiful support by the great Gladys George as Hortense).
Roman was also an integral member of "The Actor's Laboratory Theatre" in Hollywood. He was stricken with a heart attack while performing on stage for the Lab Theatre and died shortly after at age 47. A rare talent, an underrated actor who left us too soon.- IMDb mini biography by: Al
- SpouseHildur Marion Ourse (October 7, 1930 - July 10, 1941) (her death, 1 child)
- Bohnen was blacklisted in 1949 during the "Red Scare"; some claim this contributed to his fatal heart attack that year.
- Was just 7 years older than Dana Andrews, who played his son in Les Plus Belles Années de notre vie (1946).
- 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.
- In Hollywood, particularly during the 1940s, character actor Bohnen often played men much older than his true age, due to his prematurely wizened features. He was a key stock actor for director Lewis Milestone, who cast him in four films: Des souris et des hommes (1939), L'ange des ténèbres (1943), L'Emprise du crime (1946), and Arc de triomphe (1948).
- Father: Carl Bohnen; Mother: Lottie Johnston.
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