Powers Boothe | |
|---|---|
 Boothe in 2005 | |
| Born | Powers Allen Boothe[1] (1948-06-01)June 1, 1948 Snyder, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 2017(2017-05-14) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–2017 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor known for his commandingcharacter actor roles on film and television. He received aPrimetime Emmy Award and nominations for twoScreen Actors Guild Awards.
He won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his portrayal ofJim Jones inGuyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980). He also played saloon ownerCy Tolliver onDeadwood from 2004 to 2006, PresidentNoah Daniels on24 in 2007, and Lamar Wyatt inNashville from 2012 to 2014. He also appeared in the limited seriesHatfields & McCoys (2012).
He is also known for his performances as"Curly Bill" Brocius in thewesternTombstone (1993) andAlexander Haig in historical dramaNixon (1995). Other notable film roles includeSouthern Comfort (1981),Red Dawn (1984),Blue Sky (1994),Sudden Death (1995),Frailty (2001), andSin City (2005). He also played GeneralVasily Chuikov, a Soviet general in World War II above Stalingrad's operation against Nazi's Wehrmacht under Gen. Friedrich von Paulus, inStalingrad (1990).
He portrayedGideon Malick in theMarvel Cinematic Universe'sThe Avengers (2012), and in theABC seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2015 to 2016. He was also the voice ofGorilla Grodd inJustice League andJustice League Unlimited.
Boothe, the youngest of three boys, was born June 1, 1948, at home on a cotton farm inSnyder, Texas, to Merrill Vestal Boothe, arancher, and his wife Emily (née Reeves) Boothe. His father named him after his best friend, who had been killed inWorld War II.[2]
Boothe attendedSnyder High School, where he playedfootball and appeared in school plays. He was the first in his family to go beyond high school, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree fromSouthwest Texas State University inSan Marcos, and earning aMaster of Fine Arts degree in Drama fromSouthern Methodist University inUniversity Park, Texas.[3][4]
After graduating fromSouthwest Texas State University inSan Marcos, Texas, Boothe joined therepertory company of theOregon Shakespeare Festival, with roles inHenry IV, Part 2 (portrayingHenry IV of England),Troilus and Cressida, and others. His New York City stage debut was in the 1974Lincoln Center production ofRichard III. Five years later, hisBroadway theater debut came in a starring role in the one-act playLone Star, written byJames McLure.[citation needed]
Boothe first came to national attention in 1980, playingJim Jones in theCBS TV filmGuyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. Boothe's portrayal of the crazedcult leader received critical acclaim. InTime's story on the production, Boothe was praised: "There is one extraordinary performance. A young actor named Powers Boothe captures all the charisma and evil of 'Dad', Jim Jones." Boothe won theEmmy Award for his role, beating out veteransHenry Fonda andJason Robards. As theScreen Actors Guild were onstrike in the fall of 1980, he was the only actor to cross picket lines to attendthe ceremonies and accept his award, saying at the time, "This may be either the bravest moment of my career or the dumbest."[5]
Boothe portrayedPhilip Marlowe in aTV series based on Raymond Chandler's short stories forHBO in the 1980s. He appeared in such films asSouthern Comfort,A Breed Apart,Red Dawn,The Emerald Forest,Rapid Fire andExtreme Prejudice, as well as the HBO filmsInto the Homeland andBy Dawn's Early Light. In 1989, Boothe appeared in the Mosfilm production of "Stalingrad", in which he played the role of General Chuikov, commander of the Soviet 62nd Army. Additionally, he appeared in the 1990 CBS-TV filmFamily of Spies, in which he played traitor Navy OfficerJohn Walker. Boothe portrayedCurly Bill Brocius in the hit 1993 WesternTombstone, the disloyal senior Army officer inBlue Sky (oppositeJessica Lange'sOscar-winning performance), and the sinister lead terrorist inSudden Death. He was also part of the large ensemble casts forOliver Stone'sNixon (asChief of StaffAlexander Haig) andU Turn (as the town sheriff).
In 2001, he starred asFlavius Aëtius, the Roman general in charge of stopping the Hun invasion in the made-for-TV miniseriesAttila. Boothe played a featured role asbrothel-ownerCy Tolliver on the HBO seriesDeadwood, and the corrupt senatorEthan Roark in the motion pictureSin City (2005), as well as its sequel,Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014). He is the voice of one of the characters in the 2005 video gameArea 51 and ofGorilla Grodd, the hyper-intelligenttelepathicsupervillain inJustice League andJustice League Unlimited. He voiced the villain, Kane, in the 2008 video gameTurok.
He was a special guest star on24, where he played Vice PresidentNoah Daniels. He returned in the prequel to the seventh season,24: Redemption. Just after taking the role as acting President, Boothe is seen exitingAir Force Two withF-15s in the background. Boothe played a downed F-15 pilot inRed Dawn. In March 2008, he narrated a televisioncampaign ad for SenatorJohn McCain'spresidential campaign.[6]
In 2012, Boothe appeared inJoss Whedon'sThe Avengers asGideon Malick, a shadowy governmental superior toS.H.I.E.L.D. From 2015–16, he reprised the role in the ABC seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[7]
Boothe appeared in the 2012 miniseriesHatfields & McCoys as Judge Valentine "Wall" Hatfield. Boothe was also cast as Lamar Wyatt in theABC musical drama seriesNashville.[8] Boothe also lent his voice toHitman: Absolution, a 2012 video game developed byIO Interactive, voicing the character of Benjamin Travis.
Boothe married his college sweetheart Pam Cole in 1969 and they remained married until his death.[9] They had two children, Parisse and Preston.[10]
Boothe was a member of theFriends of Abe.[11]
Boothe died in Los Angeles, on the morning of May 14, 2017, fromcardiopulmonary arrest caused bypancreatic cancer, aged 68.[12][13][14]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Richard III | Ensemble member | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Off-Broadeway | [15] |
| 1978 | Othello | Roderigo | Roundabout Stage I, Off-Broadway | [15] |
| 1979 | Pvt. Wars | Natwick (understudy) | Century Theatre, Broadway | Broadway debut[16] |
| Lone Star | Roy | [16] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Goodbye Girl | Richard III Cast | |
| 1980 | Cruising | Hankie Salesman | |
| 1981 | Southern Comfort | Corporal Charles Hardin | |
| 1984 | A Breed Apart | Mike Walker | |
| Red Dawn | Lt. Col. Andrew "Andy" Tanner | ||
| 1985 | The Emerald Forest | Bill Markham | |
| 1987 | Extreme Prejudice | Cash Bailey | |
| 1988 | Sapphire Man | Ryan | Short film |
| 1990 | Stalingrad | GeneralVasily Chuikov | |
| 1992 | Rapid Fire | Lieutenant Mace Ryan | |
| 1993 | Tombstone | Bill "Curly Bill" Brocius | |
| 1994 | Blue Sky | Colonel Vince Johnson | |
| 1995 | Mutant Species | Frost | |
| Sudden Death | Joshua Foss | ||
| Nixon | Alexander Haig | ||
| 1997 | Con Air | Officer at leaving ceremony (voice) | Uncredited |
| U Turn | Sheriff Virgil Potter | ||
| 2000 | Men of Honor | Captain Pullman | |
| 2001 | Frailty | FBI Agent Wesley Doyle | |
| 2005 | Sin City | Senator Ethan Roark | |
| 2006 | Superman: Brainiac Attacks | Lex Luthor (voice) | Direct-to-video[17] |
| 2007 | The Final Season | Jim Van Scoyoc | |
| 2008 | Edison and Leo | George T. Edison (voice) | [17] |
| 2010 | MacGruber | Colonel Jim Faith | |
| 2012 | The Avengers | Gideon Malick | Credited as "World Security Council" |
| Guns, Girls and Gambling | The Rancher | ||
| 2013 | Straight A's | Father | |
| 2014 | Sin City: A Dame to Kill For | Senator Ethan Roark |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Skag | Whalen | 6 episodes |
| The Plutonium Incident | Dick Hawkins | Television film | |
| Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones | Jim Jones | ||
| A Cry For Love | Tony Bonnell | ||
| 1983–1986 | Philip Marlowe, Private Eye | Philip Marlowe | 11 episodes |
| 1987 | Into the Homeland | Jackson Swallow | Television film |
| 1990 | Family of Spies | John A. Walker Jr. | 2 episodes |
| By Dawn's Early Light | Major Cassidy | Television film | |
| 1992 | Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas | Narrator (voice) | Documentary |
| Wild Card | Preacher | Television film | |
| 1993 | Marked for Murder | Mace "Sandman" Moutron | |
| 1994 | Web of Deception | Dr. Philip Benesch | |
| 1996 | Dalva | Sam | |
| 1997 | True Women | Bartlett McClure | |
| 1998 | The Spree | Detective Bram Hatcher | |
| 1999 | Joan of Arc | Jacques d'Arc | 3 episodes |
| A Crime of Passion | Dr. Ben Pierce | Television film | |
| 2001 | Attila | GeneralFlavius Aetius | 2 episodes |
| 2002–2003 | Justice League | Gorilla Grodd (voice) | 4 episodes[17] |
| 2003 | Second Nature | Kelton Reed | Television film |
| 2004–2006 | Deadwood | Cy Tolliver | 34 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Gorilla Grodd (voice) | 5 episodes[17] |
| 2006 | National Geographic: Lions v. Hyenas | The Narrator | Voice; documentary |
| 2007 | 24 | Noah Daniels | 14 episodes |
| 2008 | 24: Redemption | Television film | |
| 2009 | Ben 10: Alien Force | Sunder (voice) | Episode: "Singlehanded" |
| 2010 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Episode: "The Transmogrification of Eunice" | |
| 2011 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Dead Justice (voice) | Episode: "Dead Justice" |
| The Looney Tunes Show | Leslie Hunt (voice) | 2 episodes[17] | |
| 2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Judge Valentine "Wall" Hatfield | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2014 | Nashville | Lamar Wyatt | 26 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Gideon Malick | 11 episodes |
| 2015 | Moonbeam City | Eo Jaxxon (voice) | Episode: "Glitzotrene: One Town's Seduction" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Area 51 | Major Bridges | [17] |
| 2008 | Turok | Roland Kane | |
| 2010 | Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction | Sunder | [17] |
| 2012 | Hitman: Absolution | Benjamin Travis | [17] |
| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones | Won |
| 1983 | CableACE Award | Best Actor in a Dramatic Presentation | Philip Marlowe, Private Eye | Nominated |
| 1987 | Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Into the Homeland | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | Nixon | Nominated |
| 2007 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Deadwood | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nashville | Nominated |
