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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life and career of a true son of the Lone Star |
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State has drawn to a close with the death of actor and native Texan |
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Powers Boothe, who passed away on May 14, 2017, at the age of 68; and |
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WHEREAS, Powers Allen Boothe was born in Snyder on June 1, |
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1948, to Merrill Vestal and Kathryn Boothe; he grew up baling hay |
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and picking cotton on his father's West Texas farm, but he surprised |
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his family and friends in high school by quitting the football team |
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and taking up acting; the first person in his family to go to |
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college, he studied at Southwest Texas State University and earned |
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a master's degree in drama from Southern Methodist University in |
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1972; and |
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WHEREAS, For the first 10 years of his career, Mr. Boothe was |
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a Shakespearean actor, performing first with the Oregon Shakespeare |
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Festival and then with companies in Philadelphia, New Haven, and |
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New York; in 1979, his parents came to see him star on Broadway in |
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Lone Star, a one-act comedy about Texas, and in 1980, he earned an |
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Emmy Award for his portrayal of cult leader Jim Jones in the |
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miniseries Guyana Tragedy; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Boothe went on to appear in such films as |
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Southern Comfort, The Emerald Forest, and Red Dawn, but for much of |
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his career, he was known for playing charming and charismatic |
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villains, often in westerns or thrillers, including a flamboyant |
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gunslinger in Tombstone, a corrupt senator in Sin City, and a drug |
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lord in Extreme Prejudice; he was equally successful in television, |
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playing Raymond Chandler's classic detective on the HBO series |
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Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, a traitorous naval officer in the |
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miniseries Family of Spies, a saloon owner in Deadwood, and the vice |
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president of the United States on 24; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1969, Mr. Boothe married his high school |
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sweetheart, Pamela Cole, and the couple shared 48 years together; |
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he was the proud father of two children, Parisse and Preston, who |
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acted with him on television and in films, and later in life, he |
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took great delight in the time he spent with his grandson, Ryder |
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James; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to his Emmy, Mr. Boothe was recognized |
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with induction into the Texas Hall of Fame, a star on the Walk of |
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Western Stars, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas State |
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University, among other honors; he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and |
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trapshooting, and, like many of the characters he played in |
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westerns, he was a skilled poker player, taking second place in the |
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Screen Actors Guild Foundation Poker Classic; and |
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WHEREAS, Standing six foot two and endowed with a deep, |
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resonant voice, Powers Boothe was, in the words of filmmaker Robert |
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Rodriguez, "a towering Texas gentleman and world class artist," and |
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in every production in which he appeared, whether he was playing the |
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hero or the villain, he made an indelible impression as well as a |
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memorable contribution to the rich legacy of Texans on film; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Powers Boothe and |
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extend heartfelt sympathy to his loved ones and to his many friends |
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and colleagues; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Powers |
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Boothe. |