John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth (10 May 1838 – 26 April 1865) was an American stage actor who plotted and successfully executed the murder of American President Abraham Lincoln.

Biography

In April 1865, with the Confederate Army losing the American Civil War, Booth planned the murder of President Lincoln along with several other political figures. However, only Booth was successful, shooting Lincoln in the back of the head before fleeing the scene.

Twelve days later, Booth was cornered by federal troops in northern Virginia, but refused to surrender. The soldiers set fire to the barn, and in the confusion Booth was killed by the Assassins.

Trivia

• Booth once portrayed the Roman general Marcus Antonius in a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; additionally, his father and brother, both fellow actors, were both named Junius Brutus, after Caesar's assassin.
• Ironically, Lincoln was in the words of actor Frank Mourdant "an admirer of the man who assassinated him"; he watched Booth perform in numerous plays, including one called the Marble Heart at Ford’s Theatre on November 9, 1863. Lincoln enjoyed Booth’s performance so much he sent a note backstage inviting him to the White House so they could meet. Booth refused the invation, later telling his friends “I would rather have the applause of a Negro to that of the president!”

Reference

• Assassin's Creed II