James Booth
| James Booth | |
|---|---|
| Born |
David Geeves 19 December 1927 Croydon, Surrey, England |
| Died | 11 August 2005 (aged 77) Hadleigh, Essex, England |
| Other names | David Geeves-Booth |
| Years active | 1958-2005 |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Delaney (1960-2005; his death; 4 children) |
James Booth (born David Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety of character parts, Booth naturally projected a shifty, wolfish, or unpredictable quality that led inevitably to villainous roles and comedy, usually with a cockney flavour. He is probably best known for his role as Private Henry Hook in Zulu.
He was born in Croydon, Surrey on 19 December 1927, the son of a probation officer. He was educated at Southend Grammar School, which he left aged 17 to join the army. He rose to the rank of Captain. He spent several years working for an international trading company. However, his interest in acting soon took priority. He was trained at RADA and he made his first professional appearance as a member of the Old Vic company, before joining Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in 1958. The Workshop's musical Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be became a hit and Booth, who played its most pungent character, looked poised for stardom. Producer Irving Allen signed Booth to an exclusive contract with Warwick Films.
The 1960s, and especially the early '60s, represented the most active period of Booth's film career, with Zulu being the film for which he is best remembered. Joseph E. Levine put him under contract. He will also be remembered for playing the part of Kenny Ames, a pornography baron living in enforced exile in Spain, in series 2 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1985.
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