Draft:Cliff Booth
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| Cliff Booth | |
|---|---|
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood character | |
 | |
First appearance | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
Last appearance | The Adventures of Cliff Booth |
| Created by | Quentin Tarantino |
| Portrayed by | Brad Pitt |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Clifford Booth[1] |
| Occupation | Stuntman (formerly) |
Fighting style | Knives and close-quarters combat |
| Spouse | Billie Booth (deceased) |
| Nationality | American |
Rank |  Sergeant[1] |
Service/years & battles | World War II
Awards:  Medal of Honor |
Cliff Booth is a fictional character created by Quentin Tarantino and portrayed by Brad Pitt. He is one of the two primary protagonist of the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and its 2021 novelization, as well as the titular protagonist of its 2026 standalone sequel The Adventures of Cliff Booth, directed by David Fincher from a script written by Tarantino.
Booth is portrayed as a former stuntman and the longtime stunt double, friend, and personal assistant of fictional actor Rick Dalton. Amid the rapidly changing film industry of 1969 Los Angeles, he serves as a confidant and performs "odd jobs" for the struggling Hollywood television star Dalton, while his own career has been hindered by rumors that he murdered his wife.[2] The character was influenced by several real-life stunt performers including Gary Kent, Gene LeBell, and Steve McQueen's longtime stunt double Bud Ekins,[3] as well as an unnamed stuntman whom Tarantino described as "the closest equivalent to Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel)," the antagonist of his 2007 feature Death Proof.[4] In developing the character, both Tarantino and Pitt modeled Booth after Tom Laughlin's portrayal of Billy Jack from the 1971 film of the same name,[5] with Booth depicted as wearing the same Levi's blue-denim outfit worn by Laughlin as Billy Jack in The Born Losers (1967).[6]
Pitt's performance as Booth received acclaim from critics. The role earned Pitt the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics' Choice Movie Award, for Best Supporting Actor, among numerous other accolades. Booth's depiction in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, however, drew controversy over a scene in which he fights martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.[7] The sequence was criticized by Lee's family and some commentators, who argued that it presented an inaccurate and disrespectful portrayal of Lee, while Tarantino defended the scene as a fictionalized depiction of the character's abilities.[8][9]
Character overview
[edit]At the beginning of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Booth is 46-years-old,[6] working as the stunt double, chauffeur, and handyman for Rick Dalton, an actor who starred in the fictitious television Western series Bounty Law from 1959 to 1963.[10] He lives in a trailer with his pit bull, Brandy, directly behind the Van Nuys Drive-In Theater in Panorama City, within the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.[11] Due to rumors that he murdered his wife, Billie, as well a past altercation with Bruce Lee, Booth's career as a stuntman has declined. Following to the cancellation of Bounty Law and the end of his four-picture contract with Universal Pictures in 1967, Dalton's own career has begun to falter,[12] leaving Booth to preform various household tasks during the day at his Cielo Drive residence in Benedict Canyon, located next door to director Roman Polanski and actress Sharon Tate.[13]
Much of Booth's backstory is explored in the film's novelization, where Booth is established as a decorated veteran of World War II. He participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily before being transferred to the Philippines, where he fought alongside Filipino guerrillas against the occupying Imperial Japanese Army.[14] Booth was captured and held by Japanese forces in a prisoner-of-war camp, before leading and organizing and escape that would become the basis for Paul Wendkos' 1959 war film Battle of the Coral Sea.[14]
He had been hired as Dalton's stunt double during the third season of Bounty Law between 1961 and 1962.[15]
Concept and creation
[edit]Reception
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Tarantino 2021, p. 42
- ^ Garner, Dwight (June 28, 2021). "Quentin Tarantino Turns His Most Recent Movie Into a Pulpy Page-Turner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Starkey, Arun (July 19, 2022). "The real icons that inspired Quentin Tarantino's Cliff Booth". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Morgan, Kim. "Quentin Tarantino Interview on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". New Beverly Cinema - The premier revival theater in Los Angeles. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Nicholson, Tom (July 9, 2019). "Quentin Tarantino Reveals The Real-Life Inspirations For Leo And Brad's Characters". Esquire. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ a b Tarantino 2021, p. 26
- ^ Bruney, Gabrielle; Langmann, Brady (June 30, 2021). "Why the Bruce Lee Fight in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Became the Movie's Most Controversial Scene". Esquire. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (July 31, 2019). "Bruce Lee's family calls 'Once Upon a Time' 'a mockery.' Is it insult or homage?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Ferme, Antonio (June 30, 2021). "Quentin Tarantino Tells Critics of Bruce Lee Portrayal in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' to 'Suck a D—'". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ^ Tarantino 2021, p. 11
- ^ Tarantino 2021, pp. 53–54
- ^ Tarantino 2021, pp. 10–15
- ^ Tarantino 2021, p. 46
- ^ a b Tarantino 2021, p. 188
- ^ Tarantino 2021, p. 42
Works cited
[edit]- Tarantino, Quentin (June 29, 2021). Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063112520.
- Madsen, Tim (July 18, 2025). Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood: The End of the Golden Age and the Birth of New Hollywood.