John Wilkes Booth ( May 10 , 1838 â `` April 26 , 1865 ) was an American actor who shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln on April 14 , 1865 , in Washington , DC . John Wilkes Booth ( May 10 , 1838 â `` April 26 , 1865 ) was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford 's Theatre , in Washington , D.C. , on April 14 , 1865 .