who discovered method acting and why?

Answer 1

"The Method" was popularized by Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio and the Group Theatre, in New York City in the 1940s and 50s. It was derived from Stanislavski's 'system', created by Constantin Stanislavski, who pioneered similar ideas in his quest for "theatrical truth."

Uta Hagen did not invent method acting, but she was among one of the first, having studied and worked with Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler. Her two books, "Respect for Acting" and "Challenge for the Actor" are two of the most widely used acting books in print today.

The Group Theatre included Elia Kazan, Stella Adler, Robert Lewis, John Garfield (billed as Jules Garfield), Franchot Tone, Phoebe Brand, Ruth Nelson, Will Geer, Howard Da Silva, John Randolph, Joseph Bromberg, Michael Gordon, Paul Green, Clifford Odets, Paul Strand, Morris Carnovsky, Sanford Meisner and Lee J. Cobb, among many others.

Edit: Theatre doc's right, I got my decades mixed up ... I should have said 1930's. My apologies.

Answer 2

Who Invented Method Acting

Answer 3

Well you have been told who (Strasberg) but not why. Oh, the dates are a decade off, it was invented in the 30's and 40's and applied from then into the 50's and, unfortunately, to the present.
Now, WHY? Because the members of the group were so fascinated with Stanislavski that they tried to do everything like he did it. (Big error, they mis interpreted much of what Stanislavski did) The Group was an attempt to produce art out of a commune of artists working together. A commune is a Communist concept of a community of people who share everything equally. (The Israelis use the concept in the kibbutz). Anyway, these artists were so impressed with Stanislavski and Communism, that they tried to live that way in the US. (Russia was an ally then and we did not become afraid of Communism until the 1950's). The Group failed, because, like Communism, it could not survive the Capitalistic instincts of its members who abandoned it for Hollywood.
Staninslavksi and the Method and Stella Adler and Stanford
Meisner, and all the acting teachers who followed and who based their teaching on Stanislavski, or who work from any kind of text or character analysis, are passe' (out of date). Relics of a time past when actors acted. Nowadays, acting is out, and reacting is in. We have discovered that the playwright has done all the analysis and creating of a character that is necessary, and that truth in portaying the role comes from the actor giving an honest reaction to the stimuli in the play that make the character respond. Sorry, I got carried away. Write me at the aol address in my profle for more info.

Answer 4

Uta Hagen was the inventor of method acting. She invented a step-process to understanding and implementing a character.