“I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game,” were the very last painful words uttered by Chadwick Boseman to his brother before laying down his own life at his home in Los Angeles. The news of his death left fans in shambles as the world learned the shrouded truth behind the regal actor who was battling a 4-year long colon cancer.
Despite his struggles with countless surgeries and chemotherapy, Boseman persisted and plugged away at his acting career. The star who is well-known for his role as ‘King T’Challa’ has served as an inspiration to many African Americans. He has brought us many films that we have come to adore with unfeigned delight. One of them being the Marvel blockbuster ‘Black Panther’, which was the first superhero movie to be nominated for a best picture in the Oscar race. Directed by Ryan Coogler and graced by a star-studded, predominantly black cast, Black Panther was one of the highest-grossing films of all time, raking in over $1.3 billion in the box office.
Boseman made his debut as the aforementioned titular hero in Captain America: Civil War, and would go on to reprise the role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The beauty of Boseman’s work in the series, particularly in the film Black Panther, was that it embodied his hard work and his determination to do Black culture justice. In preparing for his part, he took research trips to South Africa to trace his own ancestry and studied the African martial arts and Masai warriors. To him, it was immensely important to shine in his role and portray the film’s message faithfully.
Boseman’s efforts did not go to waste when the picture was met with unambiguous critical and commercial success. Black communities around the world were empowered after watching Black Panther and held the movie as part of their cultural pride. The Financial Times hailed Black Panther ‘crashingly enjoyable, frequently exciting and even, when it wants, borderline witty’. “It’s a sea-change moment,” said Boseman in a 2018 interview with the Rolling Stone magazine. “I truly believe there’s a truth that needs to enter the world at a particular time … This is the time.”
Boseman was born in South Carolina to an upholsterer father and a nurse mother. He found his true calling to performing arts when he wrote a play based on the shooting of a classmate and studied directing at the historically black Howard University. He also earned a spot at Balliol College, Oxford, on a summer theatre program. He taught acting at the Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Boseman’s acting career had a humble start. He was scraping by with minor appearances on TV shows like ER, Third Watch, and CSI: NY until he was hired for recurring roles on Lincoln Heights and Persons Unknown.
His insurmountable, groundbreaking talent was taken notice of when he played the baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 in which the film director, Brian Helfeland commended his efforts and the way he carried himself in the movie. Boseman first rose to fame when he played the notable father of funk James Brown in biopic ‘Get On Up’ and civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He had cited that his past roles have actually contributed to his now famed performance in Black Panther, noting that he would have not taken it up if he had not done those three roles.
After Black Panther, the virtuoso actor tackled a string of diverse films, showcasing his versatility. His work includes the thriller 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods that was critically acclaimed for his poignant performance, and top award-contender Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which the Golden Globes have announced Boseman’s nomination for Best Actor earlier this week. Aside from his film work, Boseman has been an avid philanthropist. He has supported various charities and has donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem to provide free tickets for children who wanted to see Black Panther, leading Disney to give out $1 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs to advance its STEM programs in response.
Chadwick Boseman made history with 4 Screen Actors Guild nominations. This makes Boseman the first actor to land four nominations in a single year. At 43, he not only leaves behind his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, close family members but also a legacy that will never be replaced in the hearts of many nor lived up to.
References
