Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman
Born	Chadwick Aaron Boseman (1976-11-29)November 29, 1976 or 1977 Anderson, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University (BFA) British American Drama Academy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2003–2020
Spouse(s)	Taylor Simone Ledward

Chadwick Aaron Boseman (November 29, 1976 or 1977 – August 28, 2020) was an American actor and producer. He played several historical figures, such as Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), James Brown in Get on Up (2014), and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017). His role as the superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including Black Panther (2018), made him an international star, winning him an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Boseman's other film roles included 21 Bridges (2019), which he also co-produced, and Da 5 Bloods (2020). His final film, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, will be released posthumously on Netflix. He died on August 28, 2020, after privately dealing with colon cancer for four years.

Early life

Chadwick Aaron Boseman was born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, to Carolyn and Leroy Boseman, both African-American. His mother was a nurse and his father worked at a textile factory, managing an upholstery business as well. Boseman graduated from T. L. Hanna High School in 1995. In his junior year, he wrote his first play, Crossroads, and staged it at the school after a classmate was shot and killed.

Boseman attended college at Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing. One of his teachers was Phylicia Rashad, who became a mentor. She helped raise funds, notably from her friend and prominent actor Denzel Washington, so that Boseman and some classmates could attend the Oxford Mid-Summer Program of the British American Drama Academy in London, to which they had been accepted.

Boseman wanted to write and direct, and initially began studying acting to learn how to relate to actors. After he returned to the U.S., he graduated from New York City's Digital Film Academy.

He lived in Brooklyn at the start of his career. Boseman worked as the drama instructor in the Schomburg Junior Scholars Program, housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York. In 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

Ancestry

According to Boseman, DNA testing indicated that his ancestors were Krio people from Sierra Leone, Yoruba people from Nigeria and Limba people from Sierra Leone.

Career

Boseman at the Deauville Film Festival in September 2014

Boseman got his first television role in 2003, in an episode of Third Watch. That same year, Boseman portrayed Reggie Montgomery in the daytime soap opera All My Children, but stated that he was fired after voicing concerns to producers about racist stereotypes in the script; the role was subsequently re-cast, with Boseman's future Black Panther co-star Michael B. Jordan assuming the role. His early work included episodes of the series Law & Order, CSI:NY, and ER. He also continued to write plays, with his script for Deep Azure performed at the Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago; it was nominated for a 2006 Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work. In 2008, he played a recurring role on the television series Lincoln Heights and appeared in his first feature film, The Express: The Ernie Davis Story. He landed a regular role in 2010 in another television series, Persons Unknown.

Boseman had his first starring role in the 2013 film 42, in which he portrayed baseball pioneer and star Jackie Robinson. He had been directing an off-Broadway play in East Village when he auditioned for the role, and was considering giving up acting and pursuing directing full-time at the time. About 25 other actors had been seriously considered for the role, but director Brian Helgeland liked Boseman's bravery and cast him after he had auditioned twice. Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson commented that Boseman's performance was like seeing Jackie again. In 2013, Boseman also starred in the indie film The Kill Hole, which was released in theaters a few weeks before the film 42.

In 2014, Boseman appeared opposite Kevin Costner in Draft Day, in which he played an NFL draft prospect. Later that year, he starred as James Brown in Get on Up, doing some singing and all of his own dancing. In 2016, he starred as Thoth, a deity from Egyptian mythology, in Gods of Egypt.

In 2016, he started portraying the Marvel Comics character T'Challa / Black Panther, with Captain America: Civil War being his first film in a five-picture deal with Marvel. He headlined Black Panther in 2018, which focused on his character and his home country of Wakanda in Africa. The film opened to great anticipation, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year in the United States. He reprised the role in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which were released in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Both films were the highest grossing of the year they were released, with Endgame going on to become the highest-grossing film of all time. Also in 2019, he starred in 21 Bridges, an American action thriller film directed by Brian Kirk, as an NYPD detective who shuts down the eponymous 21 bridges of Manhattan to find two suspected cop killers.

In 2019, it was announced that Boseman was cast in the Netflix war drama film Da 5 Bloods, directed by Spike Lee. The film was released on June 12, 2020. Lee, in choosing Boseman for the divine like character of 'Stormin' Norman said, "This character is heroic; he's a superhero. Who do we cast? We cast Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and we cast T'Challa."

Legacy

According to film critic Owen Gleiberman in Variety, "Boseman was a virtuoso actor who had the rare ability to create a character from the outside in and the inside out [and he] knew how to fuse with a role, etching it in three dimensions [...] That's what made him an artist, and a movie star, too. Yet in Black Panther, he also became that rare thing, a culture hero". The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw wrote of the actor's "beauty, his grace, his style, his presence [...] These made up Chadwick Boseman's persona [and he became] the lost prince of American cinema[,] glorious and inspirational".

Personal life

Boseman began dating singer Taylor Simone Ledward in 2015. The two reportedly got engaged by October 2019, and they later married in secret, as revealed by Boseman's family in a statement announcing his death.

Boseman was raised a Christian and was baptized. He was part of a church choir and youth group and his former pastor said that he still kept his faith. Boseman had stated that he prayed to be the Black Panther before he was cast as the titular character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Death

Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage IV before 2020. He had never spoken publicly about his cancer diagnosis. During treatment, involving multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, he continued to work and completed production for several films, including Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and others. Boseman died at his home as a result of complications related to colon cancer on August 28, 2020, with his wife and family by his side.

Earlier in the year, fans had expressed concern for Boseman's health after he posted an Instagram video where he appeared to have lost weight.

Response

Many fellow actors and other celebrities paid tribute to Boseman via social media following the announcement of his death, including a number of his co-stars from Black Panther and the Avengers films. Marvel Studios president and CCO Kevin Feige called Boseman's death "absolutely devastating", writing: "Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen, he created something truly indelible [...] Now he takes his place [as] an icon for the ages". Co-stars from Boseman's other films also paid tribute to him. His death also drew responses from the political realm including former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with Mr. Obama writing, "To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.” Additionally, the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris paid tribute to Boseman. On Twitter, Biden wrote: "The true power of Chadwick Boseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen. From the Black Panther to Jackie Robinson, he inspired generations and showed them they can be anything they want — even superheroes. Jill and I are praying for his loved ones at this difficult time." Harris, who was also the subject of Boseman's final tweet, posted a statement mourning the loss. On August 29, 2020, the day after Boseman died, the final tweet from his account became the most-liked tweet ever, with over 6 million likes in under 24 hours. It had been posted by his family in the evening of August 28 to announce his death.

Various other actors, musicians and public figures paid tribute, particularly from the Black community. His death was compared to other unexpected deaths of young Black celebrities in 2020, particularly Kobe Bryant, Naya Rivera, and Pop Smoke; Us Weekly listed Boseman's death (and Rivera's and Bryant's) as one of the "most shocking celebrity deaths of all time".

Howard University, his alma mater, posted a statement to their Twitter from Howard's president, Wayne A. I. Frederick. Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the franchise for whom Jackie Robinson played when they were in their former home of Brooklyn, New York, issued statements honoring Boseman, due to his notable portrayal of the player. Several publications also noted that Boseman died on Jackie Robinson Day seven years after portraying Robinson himself. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered the Statehouse flags be lowered to half-staff on August 30, 2020, in honor of Boseman.

Filmography

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes	Ref.
2008	The Express: The Ernie Davis Story	Floyd Little	Gary Fleder
2012	The Kill Hole	Lt. Samuel Drake	Mischa Webley
2013	42	Jackie Robinson	Brian Helgeland
2014	Draft Day	Vontae Mack	Ivan Reitman
2014	Get on Up	James Brown	Tate Taylor
2016	Gods of Egypt	Thoth	Alex Proyas
2016	Captain America: Civil War	T'Challa / Black Panther	Anthony & Joe Russo
2016	Message from the King	Jacob King	Fabrice Du Welz	Also executive producer
2017	Marshall	Thurgood Marshall	Reginald Hudlin	Also co-producer
2018	Black Panther	T'Challa / Black Panther	Ryan Coogler
2018	Avengers: Infinity War	T'Challa / Black Panther	Anthony & Joe Russo
2019	Avengers: Endgame	T'Challa / Black Panther	Anthony & Joe Russo
2019	21 Bridges	Andre Davis	Brian Kirk	Also producer
2020	Da 5 Bloods	Norman Earl "Stormin' Norm" Holloway	Spike Lee
TBA	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	Levee	George C. Wolfe	Post-production; posthumous release

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2003	All My Children	Reggie Porter	Recurring role
2003	Third Watch	David Wafer	Episode: "In Lieu of Johnson"
2004	Law & Order	Foster Keyes	Episode: "Can I Get a Witness?"
2006	CSI: NY	Rondo	Episode: "Heroes"
2008	ER	Derek Taylor	Episode: "Oh, Brother"
2008	Cold Case	Dexter Collins	Episode: "Street Money"
2008–2009	Lincoln Heights	Nathaniel "Nate" Ray	9 episodes
2009	Lie to Me	Cabe McNeil	Episode: "Truth or Consequences"
2010	Persons Unknown	Sergeant McNair	13 episodes
2010	The Glades	Michael Richmond	Episode: "Honey"
2011	Castle	Chuck Russell	Episode: "Poof, You're Dead"
2011	Fringe	Mark Little / Cameron James	Episode: "Subject 9"
2011	Detroit 1-8-7	Tommy Westin	Episode: "Beaten/Cover Letter"
2011	Justified	Ralph Beeman	Episode: "For Blood or Money"
2018	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Episode: "Chadwick Boseman/Cardi B"
2021	What If...?	T'Challa / Black Panther / Star-Lord	Guest voice role; posthumous release

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2017	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Captain America: Civil War	Nominated
2018	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Performance in a Movie	Black Panther	Won
		Best Hero		Won
		Best Fight (Black Panther vs M'Baku)		Nominated
		Best On-Screen Team (with Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira)		Nominated
2018	Saturn Awards	Best Actor		Nominated
2019	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Won
2019	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture		Won
		Entertainer of the Year		Nominated
2020		Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture	21 Bridges	Nominated

External links

• Chadwick Boseman on Facebook
• Chadwick Boseman on Twitter
• Chadwick Boseman on Instagram
• Chadwick Boseman at the Internet Movie Database