Powers Boothe, 'Agents of SHIELD' and 'Sin City' Actor, Dies at 68

Boothe won an Emmy for portraying Jim Jones and was well known for playing villains.

Powers Boothe, a character actor who appeared in films like Sin City and Tombstone and TV shows including Deadwood and Agents of SHIELD, died Sunday morning of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 68.

His rep told The Hollywood Reporter that a private service will be held in Boothe's home state of Texas, with a memorial celebration under consideration as well. Donations can be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which honors the nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need.

His friend, actor Beau Bridges, tweeted the news Sunday afternoon:

It's with great sadness that I mourn the passing of my friend Powers Boothe. A dear friend, great actor, devoted father & husband. — Beau Bridges (@MrBeauBridges) May 14, 2017

Boothe, who grew up on a farm in the Lone Star State, began his acting career in the theater, featuring in a number of Shakespearean productions including Henry IV. He made his Broadway debut in the late 1970s in Lone Star & Pvt. Wars.

In 1980, Boothe won an Emmy for lead actor in a limited series or special for playing Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones in CBS' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. He won the award during an actors strike and chose to cross the picket line to accept his trophy, saying, "This may be either the bravest moment of my career or the dumbest."

Boothe also was nominated for two ensemble SAG Awards, first in 1996 alongside the cast of Nixon and then again in 2007 with the cast of Deadwood.

Boothe gained a reputation for playing villains with memorable roles in the action film Sudden Death (1995), Bill Paxton's Frailty (2001) and as the nefarious Senator Roark in Sin City (2005). Perhaps his most famous villain role was Cy Tolliver, the ruthless saloon owner on HBO's Deadwood.

More recently, Boothe took on the role of Gideon Malick as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting the role in 2012's The Avengers and reprising it on ABC's Agents of SHIELD.

He portrayed Alexander Haig in Nixon (1995) and a sheriff in another Oliver Stone film, U Turn (1997), and was unforgettable as the wicked gunman Curly Bill Brocius in Tombstone (1993).

He also played Connie Britton's father, industrialist and former mayor Lamar Wyatt, on Nashville, and portrayed Noah Daniels, the vice president and then the U.S. president, on 24. Former Nashville star Connie Britton paid tribute to Boothe on Monday on Twitter:

So so sad to hear of the death of Powers Boothe. What a legend, what a class act. So grateful to work with him.#Nashville #LamarWyattForever — Connie Britton (@conniebritton) May 15, 2017

Mike Barnes contributed to this report.