 Some critics called Booth " the handsomest man in America " and a " natural genius " , and noted his having an " astonishing memory " ; others were mixed in their estimation of his acting . He stood 5 feet 8 inches ( 1 @.@ 73 m ) tall , had jet @-@ black hair , and was lean and athletic . Noted Civil War reporter George Alfred Townsend described him as a " muscular , perfect man " , with " curling hair , like a Corinthian capital " . 
