Many people know who John Wilkes Booth was, but few know how famous he became. He is still well known for killing Abraham Lincoln in 1865, but his career as an actor goes way beyond that.
He starred in over 100 movies between 1880 and 1882 alone! That's more than one movie per year! His most popular role was probably playing The Great Shakespearean Character Who Does Evil Things, so it makes sense to call him James Bond of theater.
Booth made many other significant contributions to acting while he was alive. When he died at the age of 40 in 1865, he left behind a legacy that lives on even today.
So what are some interesting facts about this actor? Let us look into them here!
Fact #1: He was born in Delaware
John Wilkes Booth was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 10th, 1828. As with any child, his family grew up around books and literature.
His father Samuel Booth was very religious and loved reading lots of Christian books. He eventually took part in anti-slavery movements and helped found several churches.
Young John showed early talent in painting and drawing, which later led to studying art. Unfortunately, his artistic skills never fully developed and he gave up trying to learn how to paint before high school.
He graduated from Dickinson College (now University) in 1850, where he majored in English and Philosophy.
Before he became famous for assassinating Abraham Lincoln, before he was known as America’s most-wanted man, before his dramatic death at the hands of Texas Rangers, there lived an ordinary young man who did extraordinary things.
John Wilkins Booth was born in 1821 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to William Booth, a wealthy leather merchant, and Elizabeth Powell Booth, one of George Washington’s great grandchildren.
Booth spent his childhood attending private schools where he learned how to speak several languages and played sports including rugby, soccer, and swimming. He also demonstrated early signs of being an aspiring actor by performing skits and reading short stories.
He attended Princeton University but dropped out after two years due to lack of interest. While there, he met fellow student Lewis Henry Morgan, whose last name would later be adopted as that of our national currency. The pair remained close friends until Morgan’s untimely death from tuberculosis in 1881.
After leaving college, Booth worked various menial jobs while saving up enough money to take a trip around the world. Unfortunately, this plan fell through when he ran into financial difficulties.
But instead of giving up hope, Booth decided to try something new – becoming an international secret agent. This career choice surprised many because it is not normally associated with rich people.
After his assassination of Abraham Lincoln, people began to recognize him more frequently. He was now famous. Unfortunately, this fame came with several negative effects for his family and future employers.
He failed to acknowledge many relatives while he lived, which left them in need of help. Many friends and acquaintances felt like they were being ignored or forgotten due to his new status as an international celebrity. Some even feel bad for not helping out their friend who had achieved such a high goal.
His children needed and received very little support from him after his death, making it difficult to move forward with their lives. This affected how well they did in school and later careers.
As mentioned above, his wife struggled to get employment outside of housekeeping positions because she lacked professional skills and experience. She eventually gave up looking for work and stayed at home to raise her kids.
These factors contributed to what seems like a broken legacy for his offspring. They would go on to have less successful lives than their father.
After his dramatic assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, many people know who John Wilkes Booth was. However, not everyone knows how famous he became. He is most well known for being the man that assassinated President Lincoln, but he also participated in some of the bloodiest crimes of the Civil War.
Booth worked as an actor before he joined The Confederate Army. While serving in the military, he made several appearances onstage where he displayed strong anti-Union sentiments. Many people believe these speeches helped fuel his hatred towards Northerners at the time when he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He first attempted to assassinate Vice President Johnson in April 1866. Luckily, no one was hurt during this incident except for minor injuries to Booth himself. A month later, he tried again by sending a letter with a poisoned pin to Secretary of State Seward. This time, his aim was much more successful – Booth stabbed Seward six times, seriously injuring him.
He fled the scene immediately after the attack and hid out in various locations for almost two months until he could find somewhere safe to live. It took police over a week to track down the wanted criminal.
After his dramatic escape from the theater, Booth made his way to nearby Vesey Street where he boarded a ferry across the river. He then went to an inn in New Jersey before boarding another boat heading north up the Hudson River.
He arrived at the home of William Oesinga, one of his many assumed names, sometime around midnight on April 24th. There is some controversy over whether or not he was actually staying there at that time, but for now we will assume that he was.
Booth stayed with Mr. Oesinga until morning when he left him house and headed towards Ford’s Theatre again. This time though, he had brought along his weapons — two six-shooters and a heavy knife.
It has been suggested that Booth planned to use these guns against President Lincoln, but this is unconfirmed. What we do know is that as soon as he got into the building, he began firing.
Once inside, he made his way to the second floor where he found Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sleeping alone in his bed. Booth shot him twice, killing him instantly. Then he moved onto Mrs. Abraham Lincoln who was also asleep in her bedroom.
She heard gunshots coming from outside so she woke up just in time to see Booth enter the room armed with both pistol and rifle. She tried to call out to her husband to save himself, but he ordered her to be quiet.
After his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, John Wilkes Booth quickly became famous. He was declared an outlaw and spent the rest of his life trying to prove he was not guilty of conspiracy to assassinate the president or murder.
Booth made many significant contributions to society while he lived. These include acting, writing, directing, and producing various productions and films. However, it is his legacy as one of America’s most well-known assassins that makes him worthy of such praise.
He has inspired countless stories and movies due to his dramatic personality. Many people have tried to imitate his charismatic nature and criminal lifestyle for their own personal gain.
While some succeed and are able to escape detection, others are caught and fail to keep up with his level of fame. Therefore, knowing about John Wilkes Booth’s early career can help you be more aware of your surroundings and avoid making potentially disastrous mistakes.
How did he get here?
John Wilkes Booth was born into a wealthy family in Maryland on December 10th, 1828. According to biographies and interviews, his parents were very influential in his childhood and young adulthood. They taught him how to treat other people with respect and how to make sure everything in his life worked for him.
His father died when he was 17 years old so he went from being raised by his mother to living on his own at a relatively early age.
People often cite famous people or events as triggers for violence. While some may consider this an exaggeration, it is not. When someone goes onto YouTube to watch your video, then comments about how great you are, it can easily be interpreted as a positive endorsement.
When students read stories about important figures that were influenced by violent ideologies, it can contribute to cultivating such ideas in them. It may even inspire others to seek out more information about these things.
John Wilkes Booth was very influential in popular culture. He starred in many different films and television shows, and his personality has been immortalized through various media. These influences have paved way to him being labeled as one of America’s most notorious assassins.
He is also known for having one of the best legacies ever left behind — a legacy of civil activism. Many individuals and organizations still honor his memory to this day.
Before he assassinated Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, British actor and famous face John Wilkes Booth spent the week before that as an average person. He lived with his wife and two small children in a house outside Washington, D.C. where he worked as an accountant.
He was not well-known at this time but he made the most out of it by joining social clubs and participating in charitable activities. These include working for women’s rights and to improve relations between blacks and whites in America.
Booth loved theatre and had many friends who were also involved in the performing arts. Many people didn’t know about his other career however which was as a smuggler. This included him helping wealthy people get illegal substances into foreign countries such as Canada and Europe.
It is thought that some of these drugs came from Russia and Turkey where Booth owned property. He would transport them through Belgium or France which have tighter drug laws than places like Britain or Spain.
After he assassinated Abraham Lincoln, President Johnson ordered an extensive search for evidence linking him to the crime. Forensic experts went through every piece of paper in his possession, analyzed all of his belongings, and inspected everything from the house where he was found to see if there were any clues hidden away.
They even looked under his bed! Unfortunately, they never did find anything conclusive that linked him to the assassination. But they did discover something curious – blood stains on his bedroom wall.
These blood stains have been described as looking like “water streaks” because they seem to flow down the wall instead of being spattered around or pooled at the feet. According to forensic scientists, these watery drops could be seen clearly up close but disappeared when you look more closely.
This is significant because it contradicts earlier statements made by people who knew about the murder. Many said that after he shot the president, Booth ran out of the room completely red in the face with large amounts of blood pouring off of his nose and mouth. This story doesn’t match the markings left behind on the walls of his bedroom.
