H.R. No. 2522
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The life and career of a true son of the Lone Star
State has drawn to a close with the death of actor and native Texan
Powers Boothe, who passed away on May 14, 2017, at the age of 68; and
WHEREAS, Powers Allen Boothe was born in Snyder on June 1,
1948, to Merrill Vestal and Kathryn Boothe; he grew up baling hay
and picking cotton on his father's West Texas farm, but he surprised
his family and friends in high school by quitting the football team
and taking up acting; the first person in his family to go to
college, he studied at Southwest Texas State University and earned
a master's degree in drama from Southern Methodist University in
1972; and
WHEREAS, For the first 10 years of his career, Mr. Boothe was
a Shakespearean actor, performing first with the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival and then with companies in Philadelphia, New Haven, and
New York; in 1979, his parents came to see him star on Broadway in
Lone Star, a one-act comedy about Texas, and in 1980, he earned an
Emmy Award for his portrayal of cult leader Jim Jones in the
miniseries Guyana Tragedy; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Boothe went on to appear in such films as
Southern Comfort, The Emerald Forest, and Red Dawn, but for much of
his career, he was known for playing charming and charismatic
villains, often in westerns or thrillers, including a flamboyant
gunslinger in Tombstone, a corrupt senator in Sin City, and a drug
lord in Extreme Prejudice; he was equally successful in television,
playing Raymond Chandler's classic detective on the HBO series
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, a traitorous naval officer in the
miniseries Family of Spies, a saloon owner in Deadwood, and the vice
president of the United States on 24; and
WHEREAS, In 1969, Mr. Boothe married his high school
sweetheart, Pamela Cole, and the couple shared 48 years together;
he was the proud father of two children, Parisse and Preston, who
acted with him on television and in films, and later in life, he
took great delight in the time he spent with his grandson, Ryder
James; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his Emmy, Mr. Boothe was recognized
with induction into the Texas Hall of Fame, a star on the Walk of
Western Stars, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas State
University, among other honors; he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and
trapshooting, and, like many of the characters he played in
westerns, he was a skilled poker player, taking second place in the
Screen Actors Guild Foundation Poker Classic; and
WHEREAS, Standing six foot two and endowed with a deep,
resonant voice, Powers Boothe was, in the words of filmmaker Robert
Rodriguez, "a towering Texas gentleman and world class artist," and
in every production in which he appeared, whether he was playing the
hero or the villain, he made an indelible impression as well as a
memorable contribution to the rich legacy of Texans on film; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Powers Boothe and
extend heartfelt sympathy to his loved ones and to his many friends
and colleagues; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Powers
Boothe.
Burrows
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2522 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 28, 2017.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House