Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor, known for portraying African-American historical figures and the superhero Black Panther. During his two-decade career, Boseman received accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, along with an Academy Award nomination.

Born in South Carolina, Boseman studied directing at Howard University and began his career in theatre. Boseman won a Drama League Directing Fellowship and an acting AUDELCO, along with receiving a Jeff Award nomination for his 2005 play ''Deep Azure''. Transitioning to the screen, his first major role was as a series regular on the NBC drama ''Persons Unknown'' (2010) and he landed his breakthrough role as baseball player Jackie Robinson in ''42'' (2013). He continued to portray historical figures, starring as singer James Brown in ''Get on Up'' (2014) and as Thurgood Marshall in ''Marshall'' (2017).

Boseman achieved international fame for playing the Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from 2016 to 2019. He appeared in four MCU films, including an eponymous 2018 film. As the first Black actor to headline an MCU film, he was also named in the 2018 ''Time'' 100. Boseman's final performance as the character in the Disney+ anthology series ''What If...?'' (2021) earned him a posthumous Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

In 2016, Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer. He kept his condition private, continuing to act until his death in 2020 from the illness. His final film, ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'', was released posthumously the same year to critical acclaim, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Provided by Wikipedia