Powers Boothe, ‘Deadwood,’ ‘Tombstone’ actor, dies: Character actor filmed ‘Final Season’ in Iowa in 2006

LOS ANGELES - Powers Boothe, a tall, gravelly voiced character prolific actor who spent a month in Iowa in 2006 filming 'The Final Season,” died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 68.

According to a representative, Boothe died in his sleep of natural causes.

The veteran actor was best known for playing snarling villains like Curly Bill Brocious in the 1993 Western film, 'Tombstone,” and saloon owner Cy Tolliver in HBO's 'Deadwood.”

He also appeared in several comic book movies, portraying Sen. Roark in 'Sin City” and its sequel, 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” He also had a small role in 'The Avengers” and 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Boothe came to Iowa in June 2006 to film the movie about tiny Norway's 1991 baseball season. It was the 'final season” for the school before it consolidated with the Benton County Community school district.

Boothe portrayed Norway baseball coach Jim Van Scoyoc, who guided the team to 19 state titles in 24 years and also saw 16 of his players go on to play professional baseball.

When Van Scoyoc resigned to take a job with the Detroit Tigers in 1991, he left his assistant coach, Kent Stock, played by actor Sean Astin in the film, to lead the team to its final title.

In October 2007, Boothe returned to Iowa for the film's Iowa premiere in Cedar Rapids because, he said, the film was close to his heart since he'd coached his son's baseball team for years.

'For me,” he told The Gazette at the time, 'this film reaffirms the American dream. It's about how a good bunch of guys can pull together and create something special. ... I'm as comfortable as can be with how it turned out.”

His other notable film roles included 'Southern Comfort,” 'Red Dawn” and Oliver Stone's 'Nixon,” in which he played Alexander Haig.

In 'The Emerald Forest,” he played an American engineer working in South America whose son is kidnapped.

On television, Boothe took home the Emmy for lead actor in a limited series or special in 1980 for playing infamous cult leader Jim Jones in 'Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones.”

He also portrayed former mayor Lamar Wyatt on 26 episodes of the country drama 'Nashville,” as well as Judge 'Wall” Hatfield on 'Hatfields & McCoys.”

Before that, he played power-hungry Vice President (later President) Noah Daniels on Fox's '24.”

Actor Beau Bridges tweeted news of Boothe's passing on Sunday, saying, 'It's with great sadness that I mourn the passing of my friend Powers Boothe. A dear friend, great actor, devoted father & husband.”

Born to a farming family in the west Texas town of Snyder on June 1, 1948, Boothe attended Southern Methodist University. After college, he joined the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before making his way to New York's theater scene.

He told the Associated Press in 1981 that he made ends meet at first by working in a Broadway restaurant, and his family was always ready to welcome him back. 'They kept telling me, ‘Come home, and we'll have a place for you on the farm,' ” he said.

Boothe is survived by his wife, Pam, and two children.