Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman was an American actor born around 1977 in Anderson, South Carolina, who rose to prominence for his impactful portrayals of iconic figures in Black history. Initially aspiring to be a director and playwright, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in directing from Howard University in 2000 and honed his skills in local theater before transitioning to acting. Boseman's career began with minor television roles, but he gained recognition for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in the film "42," which highlighted the athlete's groundbreaking experiences in Major League Baseball.
Boseman further carved out a niche for himself with performances as James Brown in "Get On Up" and Thurgood Marshall in "Marshall." However, he became a cultural icon with his role as T’Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly in the critically acclaimed film "Black Panther," which celebrated Black culture and featured a predominantly Black cast. Despite a private battle with colon cancer, Boseman continued to work until his untimely death at the age of 43 in 2020. His legacy is marked by his significant contributions to film and the representation of Black narratives, earning him posthumous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for his performance in "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom."
Chadwick Boseman
Actor
- Born: ca. 1977
- Birthplace: Anderson, South Carolina
- Died: August 28, 2020
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Contribution: Chadwick Boseman was an actor, director, and writer best known for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in the film 42 (2013) and T'Challa in Black Panther(2018) and for his roles in the television series Lincoln Heights (2008–9) and Persons Unknown (2010).
Background
Chadwick Boseman was born around 1977 in Anderson, South Carolina. He took an early interest in film, initially wanting to be a director or writer rather than an actor. One of Boseman’s brothers was a dancer for Alvin Ailey’s dance company, and Boseman has said in interviews that his brother’s success in the entertainment business inspired him to pursue a career in the arts.
Boseman attended Howard University and took acting classes as part of his bachelor of fine arts degree in directing, which he completed in 2000. Before his break into film and television, Boseman developed his skills as a playwright and screenwriter. Boseman has said that he was drawn to film and theatrical writing because it gave him a sense of control over the projects he chose. During his time at Howard, Boseman took the opportunity to get involved in local theater, interning at Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Arena Stage. After his graduation from Howard, Boseman attended the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.
Career
Boseman found little success writing for film or television early in his career, though he wrote for a number of independent productions. His first experiences as an actor were bit parts on the popular television series Third Watch and All My Children, both in 2003.
Over the next few years, Boseman continued to land minor roles in television series, making brief appearances on CSI: NY, Law & Order, and ER. In 2008, Boseman had his first role in a major film, playing Floyd Little in The Express, a film about Ernie Davis, the first African American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Though he had a relatively minor role in the film, Boseman had the opportunity to work alongside veteran actors Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton.
Boseman’s first recurring role on a television series was in the ABC drama Lincoln Heights, about a police officer who relocates his family to the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Boseman played Nathaniel Ray Taylor, the eldest son of the show’s main character. In 2010, Boseman played Sergeant Graham McNair in Persons Unknown, a psychological drama about a group of people who are abducted and imprisoned inside a ghost town, where they are subjected to surveillance as part of a secret experiment.
Boseman continued working in television, with appearances on The Glades (2010), Castle (2010), and the J. J. Abrams science-fiction series Fringe (2011). In 2012, Boseman had a starring role in the independent film The Kill Hole, in which he played an Iraq War veteran who becomes a mercenary after his tour in Iraq. Boseman said that the character he played was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was dealing with the internal conflict regarding the tasks he was being asked to carry out as a mercenary.
Boseman’s breakthrough film role came in 2013, when he appeared as Jackie Robinson, the baseball player famous for breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, in the blockbuster film 42. Harrison Ford portrays Branch Rickey, the executive who signed Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The film covers three years of Robinson’s life: his final season in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Kansas City Monarchs; his only season in the minors with the Montreal Royals; and his first, historic season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
Boseman was pleased that he had the opportunity to speak with Rachel Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s widow, who reviewed parts of the script and verified the accuracy of the writing. Boseman said that Rachel Robinson talked to him about Jackie Robinson’s discipline, his physical routines, and the general tenor of their relationship. Boseman also met with former baseball star Hank Aaron, who helped give him an accurate picture of the era for Black sports players.
Building on his prior success with the biopic genre, Boseman went on to star as singer James Brown in 2014's Get On Up and as civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall in 2017's Marshall. Both found positive reception with critics and viewers alike. Other of his projects, which spanned the sports, action, and thriller genres, proved flops, however.
Boseman soon became a household name with his performance as T'Challa (also known as Black Panther) in a Marvel superhero franchise. The warrior-king character had debuted in Marvel Comics in the 1960s and was revived for Captain America: Civil War (2016). Boseman, as T'Challa, went on to star in Black Panther (2018), an Academy Award–winning adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. The blockbuster hit proved historic for its nearly all-Black cast, its Afrofuturist setting, and its Black cultural emphasis. Boseman later reprised the role in additional crossover films, including Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: End Game (2019).
The 2019 action crime-drama 21 Bridges, in which he starred as an NYPD detective while also serving as a producer, and 2020's Spike Lee drama Da 5 Bloods, which was released on the streaming platform Netflix after its cinematic release was canceled due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, proved to be the last films in which Boseman appeared that would come out during his lifetime. After it was unexepectedly announced that Boseman had died at his home in Los Angeles on August 28, 2020, at the age of forty-three, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and had fought privately against it while continuing to work; however, the cancer had ultimately become too advanced. Upon his death, many fans and those involved in the entertainment industry praised Boseman's body of work, and he was celebrated for his contributions to Black culture and history. At the 2021 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, he was posthumously given the trophy for Best Actor—Motion Picture Drama for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which had been released in December 2020.
Impact
Boseman was a relatively unknown actor before he earned the chance to play Jackie Robinson in 42. Though other films dedicated to Robinson’s life have appeared in the past, 42 was the first attempt to accurately portray Robinson’s experiences during one of the most pivotal times in his life, and Boseman’s sensitive portrayal of the groundbreaking athlete was a critical part of the film’s success. Boseman gained a reputation for depicting strong Black men with dignity, whether portraying real-life heroes or a superhuman.
Personal Life
According to reports, shortly before his death Boseman married Taylor Simone Ledward. He spent much of his free time writing and listening to music.
Principal Works
Films
The Express, 2008
The Kill Hole, 2012
42, 2013
Get On Up, 2014
Marshall, 2017
Black Panther, 2018
21 Bridges, 2019
Da 5 Bloods, 2020
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, 2020
Television
Lincoln Heights, 2008–9
Persons Unknown, 2010
Bibliography
Boseman, Chadwick. “Actor Chadwick Boseman Plays Jackie Robinson.” Interview by Kojo Nnamdi. Kojo Nnamdi Show. WAMU 88.5 American U Radio, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.
Boseman, Chadwick. “Chadwick Boseman Talks Jackie Robinson in 42 Interview.” Interview by Danai P. Maraire. Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.
Boseman, Chadwick. Interview by Tavis Smiley. Tavis Smiley. Smiley Group, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.
Boseman, Chadwick. “Q+A with Chadwick Boseman, Star of New Jackie Robinson Biopic, 42.” Interview by Leah Binkovitz. Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Media, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.
Kepner, Tyler. “Immersing Himself to Play a Pioneer.” New York Times. New York Times, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.
Shea, John. “Actor Channels Robinson’s Emotion.” San Francisco Chronicle 12 Apr. 2013: B1. Print.
Ugwu, Reggie, and Michael Levenson. "'Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman Dies of Cancer at 43." The New York Times, 28 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/movies/chadwick-boseman-dead.html. Accessed 7 Oct. 2020.