Edwin Booth

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Edwin Booth as Hamlet, by Edmond Thomas Quinn, 1916
Gramercy Park
New York, September 2007

“Edwin Booth came from a family of actors. His father was also a Shakespearean actor, as were his two brothers, John Wilkes Booth and Junius Booth, Jr. Edwin appeared with his brothers in several performances, but neither of his brothers achieved the level of success in acting that Edwin did. His brother, John Wilkes Booth, did achieve notoriety that surpassed Edwin's. While Edwin himself was a supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, his brother John was an extreme secessionist. This drove a wedge between the brothers, and Edwin was as shocked and outraged as the rest of the country when his brother, John Wilkes, shot President Lincoln on April 14th, 1865.” (Edwin Booth, HistoryNet)