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In Remembrance: James Booth James Booth, the British character actor best remembered as the wounded British Army private in Zulu (1964), has passed away on August 11, 2005 in Essex, England. He was 77. Born David Geeves-Booth on December 19, 1927 in Croydon, England, Booth studied acting with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and at London’s Theatre Workshop and appeared in productions at the Old Vic. He also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Booth’s first film appearance was in the 1960 Anthony Newley drama Let’s Get Married. He quickly worked his way up through various supporting roles in films like The Trials Of Oscar Wilde (1960) and The Helions (1961), until he landed his first leading role in the 1963 comedy Sparrows Can’t Sing. In 1964, Booth beat Michael Caine for the part of Private Henry Hook for the historical epic Zulu (Caine would instead play another role in the film.). Although the exterior scenes were filmed in South Africa, all of Booth’s scenes took place in a field infirmary - a set which was shot at Twickenham Studios in London. Booth never accompanied the production to South Africa. As Booth’s career took off he found himself dividing his time between British productions including director Ken Russell’s French Dressing (1964) and The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970) and Hollywood fare such as The Secret Of My Success (1965) and The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom (1968). Booth moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, appearing in American films such as Airport ’77 (1977), the remake of The Jazz Singer (1980), the comedy Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981) and the action film Pray For Death (1985). Booth also tried his hand at screenwriting, scripting Sunburn (1979), Pray For Death, Avenging Force (1986) and American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987). Booth also made several television appearances, notably on the British series Auf Wiederscehen, Pet and Lovejoy and the American series Twin Peaks. Booth’s last film was Keeping Mum, which is scheduled for release later this year. |