Chadwick Boseman had early success as a stage actor, writer and director, before landing gigs on TV shows like Lincoln Heights. Boseman broke through with his big screen portrayals of two African American icons: baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42, and soul singer James Brown in Get on Up. Boseman later took on the role of Black Panther for a series of Marvel superhero films, including the immensely successful Black Panther in early 2018.

Early Life and Career

Chadwick Aaron Boseman was born in 1976 in South Carolina and went on to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing. (In 2018, he gave the commencement speech at Howard and received an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.) He then attended the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.

Boseman has performed in a number of stage productions, including Breathe, Romeo and Juliet, Bootleg Blues, Zooman, and Willie's Cut and Shine. He won an AUDELCO award for his role as the teen E.J. in 2002's Urban Transitions: Loose Blossoms, a play by Ron Milner about a struggling African American family pulled in by the temptation of fast cash. He's also worked as part of the Hip Hop Theatre Festival and has written the plays Hieroglyphic Graffiti, Deep Azure and Rhyme Deferred. Additionally, he has directed a number of stage productions, as well as the short film Blood Over a Broken Pawn.

Starring Roles on TV

Boseman started to make a name for himself on TV in the mid-2000s, with guest spots on crime dramas like Third Watch and CSI:NY, and on the soap opera All My Children. Additionally, he was one of the performers for the award-winning audio version of the 2005 novel Upstate, by Kalisha Buckhanon.

Movies

The year 2008 also saw Boseman appearing in Gary Fleder's The Express, a sports biopic about renowned running back Ernie Davis, who played for Syracuse University during the civil rights era. The film co-starred Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid, with Boseman featured as fellow running back Floyd Little. In 2012 Boseman played the lead role in the film The Kill Hole, directed by Mischa Webley. The indie production revolves around the life of a Portland, Oregon, taxi driver who's also an Iraq War veteran, haunted by memories of his past and drafted for a new mission by a private firm.

'Black Panther'

Also in 2016, Boseman joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his appearance in the superhero ensemble blockbuster Captain America: Civil War. He played T'Challa, king of the African country of Wakanda, who becomes the powerful Black Panther.

Following a return to dramatic fare with Thurgood (2017), about a case early in the legal career of Justice Thurgood Marshall, Boseman was ready for his superhero closeup in Black Panther. The film not only shattered box office records upon its February 2018 release, raking in an estimated $218 million domestically over the four-day President's Day weekend, it went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Boseman's Black Panther later rejoined Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and other Marvel cohorts on screen for Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Having established his leading-man chops, Boseman next starred in 21 Bridges (2019), as an NYPD detective on the hunt for two cop killers.

'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'

In what would be his final role, Boseman played trumpeter Levee Green in the on-screen adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The role won Boseman posthumous Golden Globe, Critics Choice and SAG awards and an Oscar nomination.

Death

Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, from colon cancer. "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman," a statement posted on his social media accounts read. "Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV. A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much."

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in a statement. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more — all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther. He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side."

Personal life

Family and faith

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. He studied Hebrew and had a good knowledge of both the Old Testament and New Testament. Boseman had stated that he prayed to be the Black Panther before he was cast as the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Philanthropy

Outside of performing, Boseman supported various charities. He worked with cancer charities including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, continuing to support those battling the disease up until his own death from it; in a message to a producer days before he died, Boseman inquired about sending gifts to childhood cancer patients. He donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem to provide free tickets for children who wanted to see Black Panther; he did this to support and promote the Black Panther Challenge started by a New Yorker to raise money for similar children across the country.