Born: May 10, 1838
Died: April 26, 1865
I’m watching Manhunt (on AppleTV), the story of the assassination of President Lincoln and the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth … and decided to add Booth to my growing list of posts.
Booth was the son of Junius Brutus Booth, a well-known British Shakespearean actor. Junius Brutus Booth emigrated to Maryland in 1821 with his mistress, leaving behind a wife and young son. The “new” couple had several children, including Edwin Booth, who was also an actor, and was more successful than his younger brother, John Wilkes. Junius Jr. also became an actor. It seems that the Booths were the Barrymores of their day.
Before I get to Booth’s earlier days, here’s some interesting biographical information from shortly after he killed Lincoln and was on the run …
John Wilkes Booth was born in 1838, near Baltimore … He inherits the well known Booth face and figure, and some of the dramatic talent of the family. After starring for a while in the provinces we find him in 1859-’60, the leading actor at Montgomery, Alabama. There he was regarded as a trifle crazy. In 1860 he wounded himself in the foot with a pistol, and came North to recruit his health. The Jeffersonian, West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1865
Jealous of Edwin’s success, Booth was determined to make a name for himself in New York.
He opened in Richard the Third, playing tamely till the fighting scene at the end of the drama, when he wielded his two handed sword with such vim and vigor as to astonish the audience. The stage combat has never been better performer … After two or three nights of “Richard,” young Booth played “Shylock” and failed. This unnatural son in Schiller’s Robbers, was his third role, and after acting it he went to Boston and Philadelphia, where he was better received. The Jeffersonian, West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1865
After war was declared, Booth declared he was in favor of succession and wasn’t shy about stating his beliefs.
So many actors shared his opinions, however, and expressed them almost as strongly, that his sentiments gave him no particular notoriety. His brothers Junius and Edwin, were and are most decided Union men, and several quarrels have arisen between the brothers on account of their differences. The Jeffersonian, West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1865
Despite their differences, the three brothers performed together in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar on November 23, 1864 at the Winter Garden in New York. The event was a fundraiser to fund the completion of a statue of Shakespeare that is still standing … in Central Park.
As an actor John Wilkes could not compare with either of his brothers, although his resemblance to them in form, feature, voice and manner was remarkable… Some months ago John Wilkes Booth ceased acting on account of a bronchial affection, and since then he is said to have … passed a large portion of his time in Washington, with which city and its theatres he was perfectly familiar. The Jeffersonian, West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1865
OK, let’s take a step back, to 1859, when John Wilkes Booth was trying to make a name for himself and escape the shadow of the more-talented Edwin.
“Mr. J. B. Wilkes,” of Richmond theater, is well spoken of by the Richmond journals. It is n o secret in the profession that “Mr. J. B. Wilkes” is John Wilkes Booth, a younger brother of Edwin Booth. He is said to possess much talent. The Louisville Daily Courier, Kentucky, November 28, 1859
Booth seemed to be making some progress in his own right …
This is also the last night of Mr. J. Wilkes Booth’s engagement, which has run through twenty-four nights, during which time our theater-goers have had the opportunity of witnessing some of the finest acting ever done on the boards of the Gayety. The Eastern Argue, Portland, Maine, March 26, 1861
The role of Hamlet is a test for any actor. One of the American masters of the time was James Murdock (1811-1893) …
But admiring Murdock as we do, we are free to confess we observed beauties in Booth’s rendition that never struck us in Murdock. Murdock’s is the most even and polished performance, while Booth’s is interspersed with bright flashes of genius, which amply make amends for the few defects perceptible to the critic’s eye. With one-fourth of Murdock’s experience and devotion to his profession, we believe John Wilkes Booth will be as good a “Hamlet” as ever walked the stage. Chicago Tribune, June 19, 1862
Comparisons with Edwin were inevitable …
… Edwin has more poetry, John Wilkes more passion; Edwin has more melody of movement and utterance, John Wilkes more energy and animation, Edwin is more correct, John Wilkes more spontaneous; Edwin is more Shakespearean, John Wilkes melodramatic; and in a word Edwin is a better Hamlet, John Wilkes a better Richard III. Edwin Booth will be the delight of the women, and John Wilkes Booth the favorite of the men. The Nevada Democrat, Nevada City, California, August 9, 1862
Booth was known at Ford’s Theater, which back then was called Ford’s New Theater …
FORD’S NEW THEATER – The gifted young actor, Mr. John Wilkes Booth, who has been playing during the former part of the week at the above-named popular place of resort, announces that for this the fourth night of his engagement in Washington he will appear in Bulwer’s beautiful play of the “Lady of Lyons.” National Republican, Washington, D.C., November 5, 1863
Due to health issues and his initial plan to kidnap the president, which changed to assassination after General Lee’s surrender on April 9, Booth cut back on his acting schedule in early 1865. He did make one final appearance at Ford’s New Theater. On March 18, 1865, Booth appeared at Ford’s New Theater in a benefit for John McCullough, an Irish actor suffering from some health issues. Here’s the ad for the performance in the Evening Star.
This appearance at Ford’s New Theater was the last mention of Booth I could find until after he assassinated Lincoln …
He has been in Washington for some months past, ostensibly for the purpose of organizing an oil company, but really for the purpose of consummating his scheme of wholesale assassination … The Daily Evening Express, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April 17, 1865
It will be remembered that Wilkes Booth played an engagement in this city in the fall of 1863 … He was generally pronounced a very poor actor, and only the fact that his name was Booth ever gave him any sort of popularity … For the last few years he drank terribly, almost as hard as his father, whose potations are proverbial. Cleveland Daily Leader, Ohio, April 17, 1865
If you found this story interesting, you might like to read my From Unknown to Famous stories about Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Bruce Springsteen, Ernest Hemingway, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marilyn Monroe, Amelia Earhart, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Elvis, Little Stevie Wonder and Alex Trebek and many more. Please subscribe to this blog and get alerts every time I post a new one (lots more are coming).
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