Powers Allen Boothe was born on June 1, 1948, in Snyder, Texas. His father named him after his best friend, who died during the Second World War. The youngest of three, he attended Snyder High School and went onto Southwest Texas State University as well as Southern Methodist University, earning an undergraduate degree and master’s degree, respectively, in drama. He married Pam Cole, his college sweetheart, in 1969, and together they had two children, Parisse and Preston.
Boothe did various stage roles prior to his New York debut in Richard III at the Lincoln Center, and in 1979, had his Broadway debut with the starring role in a one-act play called “Lone Star.” Fitting, no? His first taste of national attention came with his Emmy-winning portrayal of Jim Jones in “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones,” and some of his more notable roles include Philip Marlowe (a detective) on HBO in the 1980s, “Curly Bill” Brocious in the movie “Tombstone,” Vice-President and then President Noah Daniels on the TV show “24,” and Lamar Wyatt in the CMT musical drama “Nashville.”
Boothe appeared in a number of films including “Red Dawn,” “Extreme Prejudice,” “Nixon,” and “U Turn,” among so many others. Shared on the BaronOfBayonne YouTube Channel, the clip above is just one of the many memorable roles he played to great acclaim. He played a featured role as Cy Tolliver on the series “Deadwood,” and in 2012, he appeared in “The Avengers” as a secretive governmental superior to S.H.I.E.L.D. – a role which he reprised in 2015/16 in the ABC series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Less than one month away from 69th birthday, Boothe passed away on the morning of May 14, 2017, from cardiopulmonary arrest. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer at the time. However, his passing was unexpected and mourned greatly by his family and friends, castmates, the state of Texas, and the nation as a whole. Portraying such memorable roles with enthusiasm and skill as he did, his name and characters have been forever etched in the minds of fans and will continue to be for those that are newly introduced to his body of work. In Boothe we lost a great talent, a legend in the industry, and a devoted family man.
References:
Wikipedia
Hollywood Reporter
