Powers Boothe

Powers Allen Boothe was an American actor born on June 1, 1948, on a cotton farm in Snyder, Texas, the youngest of three sons of rancher Merrill Vestal Boothe and his wife Emily, née Reeves. His father gave him the name of his best friend, who had died in World War II. Boothe attended Snyder High School, where he played football and took part in school productions. He became the first member of his family to pursue education beyond high school, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drama from Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas.

Following his graduation from Southwest Texas State University, Boothe joined the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's repertory company, where his roles included Henry IV in Henry IV, Part 2 and a part in Troilus and Cressida. His New York City stage debut came in 1974 in a Lincoln Center production of Richard III. His Broadway debut followed in 1979, when he took a starring role in Lone Star, a one-act play by James McLure.

Boothe first reached a national audience in 1980 with his portrayal of cult leader Jim Jones in the CBS television film Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. The performance earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, with Boothe defeating nominees Henry Fonda and Jason Robards. Because the Screen Actors Guild was on strike at the time of the ceremony, he was the only actor to cross the picket lines to attend and accept his award. He later described the decision as either the bravest or the dumbest moment of his career. During the 1980s, he portrayed Philip Marlowe in an HBO television series based on Raymond Chandler's short stories.

His film work spanned several decades and genres. Early credits included Southern Comfort (1981), Red Dawn (1984), and a 1989 Mosfilm production of Stalingrad, in which he played Soviet General Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army. He portrayed Curly Bill Brocius in the 1993 western Tombstone and Alexander Haig in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995). Additional film roles included Blue Sky (1994), Sudden Death (1995), Frailty (2001), Sin City (2005) and its 2014 sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, in which he played corrupt senator Ethan Roark. In 2012, he appeared as the shadowy governmental figure Gideon Malick in The Avengers, a role he reprised in the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2015 to 2016.

On television, Boothe played brothel owner Cy Tolliver on the HBO series Deadwood from 2004 to 2006, Vice President Noah Daniels on 24 in 2007, and Judge Valentine "Wall" Hatfield in the 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. He also appeared as Lamar Wyatt in the ABC musical drama Nashville from 2012 to 2014. In addition to his live-action work, he provided the voice of Gorilla Grodd in the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

Boothe married his college sweetheart Pam Cole in 1969, and the marriage lasted until his death. They had two children, Parisse and Preston. He died in Los Angeles on May 14, 2017, from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by pancreatic cancer, at the age of 68. During his career he received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.