Who was Powers Boothe? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Powers Allen Boothe

Died At Age: 68

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Pamela Ann Boothe (m. 1969 – his death. 2017)

father: Merrill Vestal Boothe

mother: Emily Kathryn Reeves

siblings: Riley Vestal Boothe, Tommy Dale Boothe

children: Parisse Boothe, Preston Allen, Reginald Paul Boothe, Reuben Travis Boothe

Born Country: United States

Actors Voice Actors

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Died on: May 14, 2017

place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States

: Pancreatic Cancer

Cause of Death: Pancreatic Cancer

Ancestry: British American

Notable Alumni: Southwest Texas State University

U.S. State: Texas

More Facts

education: Southern Methodist University, Southwest Texas State University

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Career

Following his graduation, Powers Boothe became a part of the repertory team of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and went on to play major roles in ‘Troilus and Cressida’ and ‘Henry IV, Part 2.’ He made his New York stage debut in 1974 in the production of ‘Richard III.’ He made his Broadway theater debut five years later, with a starring role in James McLure’s one-act play, ‘Lone Star.’

Boothe garnered national attention in the year 1980 when he played Jim Jones in the TV film ‘Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones.’ His portrayal of the cult leader received critical acclaim and it earned him an Emmy Award. From 1983 to 1986, the actor played Philip Marlowe in ‘Philip Marlowe, Private Eye’. He also did the movies ‘A Breed Apart’, ‘Red Dawn’ and ‘The Emerald Forest’ during this time. In 1987, he played Cash Bailey in the action film ‘Extreme Prejudice’ and Jackson Swallow in the television movie ‘Into the Homeland’. Boothe ended the decade with his role in the 1989 war film, ‘Stalingrad’.

In 1990, he appeared in two episodes of the TV series ‘Family of Spies’. That year, he also did the TV movie ‘By Dawn's Early Light’. He then bagged film roles in ‘Rapid Fire,’ ‘Tombstone,’ and ‘Blue Sky.’ After playing the challenging role of Dr. Philip Benesch in the TV film, ‘Web of Deception’ (1994), the actor landed roles in the movies ‘Sudden Death’ and ‘Nixon.’ In the late 1990s, he portrayed various characters in the film ‘U Turn’ and in the TV films ‘True Women’ and ‘The Spree.’

Boothe started the new millennium with a role in the movie ‘Men of Honor,’ that starred superstars Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead roles. He then played a voice role in the series ‘Justice League.’ In 2004, he was cast as Cy Tolliver in the TV series ‘Deadwood’. In 2005 and 2006, he voiced Gorilla Grodd / Red Tornado—the super-intelligent telepathic supervillain—in the animated series ‘Justice League Unlimited.’ The actor also worked in the anthology ‘Sin City’ and the direct-to-video ‘Superman: Brainiac Attacks’ during this time period.

In 2007, Boothe starred in the baseball film ‘The Final Season’ and also played the role of Noah Daniels in the TV series ‘24’. The following year, he reprised his role as Noah Daniels in the sequel ‘24: Redemption’. That year, he also had a voice role in the flick ‘Edison and Leo.’

In the early 2010s, he played a number of voice roles, including one in the ‘The Looney Tunes Show’, a popular animated sitcom that premiered on Cartoon Network. In 2012, Boothe began playing Lamar Wyatt in the musical drama series ‘Nashville’. That year, he was featured in three episodes of the series ‘Hatfields & McCoys’ as well. Also the same year, the American actor played Gideon Malick in the superhero film ‘The Avengers’ and “The Rancher” in the action comedy film ‘Guns, Girls and Gambling’. He went on to portray a role in the neo-noir action drama movie ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ in 2014. His final live-action appearance was in ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’ in 2016.

Apart from films, Powers Boothe had also provided his voice to several video games, including ‘Turok,’ ‘Area 51,’ ‘Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction’ and ‘Hitman: Absolution.’

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Family & Personal Life

Powers Allen Boothe was born on June 1, 1948 in Snyder, Texas, USA, to Merrill Vestal, a rancher, and Kathryn Emily. He had two brothers. He studied at Snyder High School and later attended Southwest Texas State University. He then proceeded to earn his master's degree from Southern Methodist University.

Coming to his love life, Boothe married Pam Cole, his college sweetheart, in 1969. The couple had two kids, Parisse and Preston, and remained married until the actor’s death. Boothe died on May 14, 2017 in Los Angeles from the effects of pancreatic cancer. He was 68 at the time.

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Powers Boothe Biography