Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy in Photos
The late actor played superheroes and real-life people with equal talent.
Chadwick Boseman became a legend in his own right after playing so many real-life legends on screen. He wowed us as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and played fictional characters just as brilliantly. He obviously blew up even more as T’Challa in 2018’s Black Panther, which still stands as one of the best performances in any MCU movie.
Along with his undeniable star power as a leading man, did you know Boseman was a playwright, director, and active philanthropist as well? Although he tragically died in August 2020, Boseman leaves behind an undeniable legacy that isn’t going to fade away anytime soon.
From Theater to Television
Boseman attended Howard University and graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in directing. He worked as a playwright, director, and actor in New York, being involved in the National Shakespeare Company as well as the hip-hop theater scene. Along with writing and staging his own plays, he began working as a television actor on shows like Law & Order, ER, and Lincoln Heights.
His first main role was in this short-lived mystery drama Persons Unknown from Christopher McQuarrie, where he played Sergeant McNair, one of a group of seven strangers who wake up in a mysterious hotel with no clue how they got there.
Playing a Boxer in Detroit 1-8-7
Just a couple of years before his major breakout in 42, Boseman played boxer Tommy Westin for a single episode on this ABC crime drama. He was all over TV for much of the aughts in small guest roles while still working in theater but didn’t go back to television much after jumping to film.
Filming 42 in Brooklyn
The actor got the first of many roles of a lifetime when played the legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson in the biographical drama 42. Boseman talked to MLB Network, saying he was beyond excited to get cast then felt a sense of responsibility because he wanted to accurately convey “all of the characteristics and the qualities and principles that the man lived under.”
With 42 Co-Star Harrison Ford
Ford played Branch Rickley, the former baseball player and executive who first signed Jackie Robinson. In the wake of his death, Ford told The Hollywood Reporter that Boseman was "as compelling, powerful and truthful as the characters he chose to play. His intelligence, personal dignity and deep commitment inspired his colleagues and elevated the stories he told."
With Michael B. Jordan
Long before they shared the screen together in Black Panther, Boseman and Michael B. Jordan both attended CinemaCon in 2014. Jordan told Vanity Fair that Boseman “did more in his 43 years of life than most people have done in a lifetime.”
From Jackie Robinson to James Brown
Within two years, Boseman had two incredible biopic credits to his name with 42, then Get on Up in 2014, in which the actor played the legendary funk singer James Brown. According to The Daily Beast, Boseman did much of his own choreography to emulate the high-energy music star and lost 15 pounds through the shoot from dancing alone.
Actors on Actors
Boseman sat down with Logan Lerman in 2014 for the Actors on Actors series from Variety, where he discussed his upcoming role as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. Clearly, Boseman already had a great resume to qualify to play this iconic superhero.
With Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler
Boseman joined the MCU with Civil War, though his appearance was largely a setup move for his solo film. Here, Boseman and the movie’s director Ryan Coogler attend Comic-Con 2016. Coogler also helmed films like Fruitvale Station and Creed.
Playing Thurgood Marshall
With the 2017 film Marshall, Boseman cemented himself as an inarguable master of the biopic by playing the renowned former Supreme Court associate justice Thurgood Marshall. The movie dramatizes a time early in his career when he was a young civil rights attorney working to defend people of color being falsely accused of crimes.
On the Black Panther Red Carpet with Stan Lee
Boseman poses for a photo with Stan Lee, who co-created T’Challa with Jack Kirby. Black Panther first appeared in an issue of Fantastic Four way back in 1966. The character and his kingdom of Wakanda were beautifully realized in the Black Panther movies, which can make a fan out of even people who aren’t usually into superhero movies.
Discussing Black Panther with Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and Actor Lupita Nyong’o
Boseman and his Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong’o chatted with the acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has written Black Panther comic runs for Marvel Comics. Coates penned a moving eulogy to Boseman, reflecting on how they first met as Howard University students years ago.
Hosting Saturday Night Live
Yep, the star stepped into the celebrity hot seat of Saturday Night Live and did a great job. He played a ton of silly characters on the show and even stepped into the part of T’Challa for the sketch “Black Jeopardy.”
A Masterful Met Gala Outfit
Boseman didn’t hold back when he attended the 2018 Met Gala, which had the theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination.” He was raised Christian, and his faith was important to him throughout his life.
Winning an MTV Movie and TV Award
For Black Panther, Boseman won the Best Performance in a Movie award at this 2018 show. He played his superhero character in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate at Howard
The actor spoke at his alma mater for its 150th commencement ceremony in 2018 and was also awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters. In part of his speech, Boseman said, “I stand here today knowing that my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and T’Challa.”
At the Premiere of 21 Bridges
In his first movie after a trifecta of projects as T’Challa, Boseman was the star and a producer of the relentless action thriller 21 Bridges, where he played an New York Police Department detective who shuts down all 21 bridge crossings into Manhattan to try and find two killers.
Courtside with Taylor Simone Ledward
The actor began a relationship with Taylor Simone Ledward in 2015, and they reportedly married in secret after becoming engaged in October 2019.
Lewis Hamilton Paying Homage to Boseman
Boseman died August 28, 2020, after a long battle with colon cancer, which he only revealed to a few close friends. There were many touching tributes to the actor following his death, including this one by Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who dedicated a race on August 29 to Boseman with a Wakanda salute.
Jacob is a Temporary Partnerships Editor at Hearst based in Queens, New York with his partner and cat Tiger. He loves learning and writing about Film and TV, Video Games, and the weird histories of unexpected subjects.
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