November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020
Words Chadwick Boseman uttered as he introduced Black Panther to film audiences in “Captain America: Civil War” must now serve as a comfort to the legions of fans currently attempting to process his untimely passing.
“In my culture, death is not the end,” T’Challa told Black Widow (portrayed by Scarlett Johansson) as he grappled with a sudden and painful loss that shaped his destiny within the Marvel Universe. “It’s more of a stepping-off point.”
That scene became a case of life imitating art as Black culture was dealt the heavy, blindsiding blow after Boseman succumbed to colon cancer on Friday, August 28. He was 43. Boseman bravely – and secretly – battled with the disease for four years. Ironically, he was fighting for his life as he stepped into the role of a hero with superhuman strength and invulnerability that made him a household name.
The character was given its own film in 2018, and it became an instant global phenomenon and a cinematic expression of Black excellence. “Black Panther” was us as we saw ourselves – led by a superhero with grace, humility and a moral authority often denied to Blacks when represented in films marketed to mainstream audiences.
“I inherited Marvel and the Russo Brothers’ casting choice of T’Challa,” said “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler in a tribute he wrote for Boseman. “It is something that I will forever be grateful for. He was an epic firework display. I will tell stories about being there for some of the brilliant sparks till the end of my days. What an incredible mark he’s left for us.”
The film broke box office records with more than $1.2 billion in international sales. “Wakanda Forever” became the catchphrase of the year – and the film brought forth an unprecedented celebration of the African diaspora within popular culture.
But to limit the celebration of Boseman’s artistic legacy to “Black Panther” would be a disservice to the his nearly 20-year career in film and television – including a trio of film portrayals that were fitting tributes to legendary figures in African-American history.
Director-turned-actor
Chadwick Aaron Boseman was born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, where his mother Carolyn Boseman was a nurse and his father Leroy was a textile worker. His journey into acting began as an attempt to become a better director.
Boseman’s connection to the craft began at the internationally acclaimed Howard University Department of Theatre Arts, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing in 2000. While at Howard, he was taken under the wing of one of HU’s most famous alums, Phylicia Rashad. Rashad and Denzel Washington raised funds so that Boseman and several classmates could attend the Oxford Mid-Summer Program of the British American Drama Academy in London.
Soon after graduating from New York City’s Digital Film Academy, Boseman began appearing in bit parts and recurring roles on television – the first being a recurring role on the soap opera “All My Children.” He was fired after one week because he spoke up against the stereotypes that his character was written to portray.
Boseman would later play guest roles on shows such as “Third Watch,” “ER,” “Cold Case,” “CSI: NY” and “Law & Order” before landing a recurring spot on “Lincoln Heights.” In between television roles he had a small part in the 2008 biographical sports drama “The Express: The Ernie Davis Story.” He landed a starring role on the NBC drama summer series “Persons Unknown” in 2010. When the show wasn’t picked up after a 13-episode run, he shifted his focus to film.
His second film “The Kill Hole” was an introduction to his capacities as a leading man. He starred alongside actor Tory Kittles and was a force of nature as his character attempted to rescue his fellow serviceman from lunacy brought on by PTSD.
A talent for embodying black heroes
When Boseman assumed the awesome responsibility of portraying Jackie Robinson in Brian Thomas Helgeland’s “42,” it was only his third feature film credit. He gave Robinson a fitting tribute in the film that felt as if it was more about Branch Rickey’s decision to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier than Robinson’s experience. A lesser actor would have been swallowed up in the “great white hope” intention, but Boseman fought hard to present the sacrifice, danger, misunderstanding and alienation that came with Robinson’s historic role.
Then Boseman jumped right into singing and dancing shoes of the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown in Tate Taylor’s biopic “Get On Up.” The film didn’t live up to the potential of Brown’s colorful life and the brilliant soundtrack he provided for Black America, but that didn’t stop Boseman from delivering a powerhouse performance alongside co-star Nelsan Ellis, who also died tragically at the tender age of 39 in 2017.
It was “Get On Up” that provided The St. Louis American’s own Melvin Moore with a Chadwick Boseman connection. Moore and his family stopped to visit with Ellis, who was a friend of the family, while the film was being shot in Natchez, Mississippi, and got to spend time with Boseman.
“Nelsan said, ‘I’ll invite him over,’ and my wife and sister offered to cook white chili,” Moore said. “He actually came over! We all sat in the kitchen and laughed and talked for hours – even when he had a 4 a.m. call time to shoot the next day.”
Moore said Boseman shared with them that he had received calls about portraying Black Panther, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do a “comic book movie.”
“My brother Richard O. Paden and I spent a good 20-plus minutes convincing him to take the Black Panther role,” Moore said. “Sometimes meeting a star can be a bad experience. He was already on the road to superstardom and hung out with us like family. He will be missed.”
After his initial appearance as Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War,” Boseman played Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall.” Boseman brought finesse, swagger and humanity to Marshall – a departure from how he is deified as part of black history.
“What an amazingly talented brother,” St. Louis native and “Marshall” co-star Sterling K. Brown told The American about Boseman when discussing the film in 2017.
East St. Louis native Reginald Hudlin directed Boseman and Brown in “Marshall,” and ahead of the film’s theatrical release, he revealed that Boseman was apprehensive about portraying another giant of Black culture and history.
“He knew people would be like, ‘Here you go again,’” Hudlin told The American. “But when he read the script, he was like ‘Now I’ve got to do it.’ He got caught up in it. I knew he could kill it – and that’s exactly what he did.”
Hudlin reflected on working with Boseman in the days following his passing for Variety.com.
“It takes a great man to play a great man; Chadwick Boseman did it four times,” Hudlin wrote. Coincidentally, it was Hudlin who wrote the Marvel Comics series “Black Panther” from 2005-2008, which laid the foundation for the character’s feature film presence.
“To have the gravity, the intelligence, the physicality to portray any of his signature roles — Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa, the Black Panther — is a breathtaking feat,” Hudlin wrote. “But to give four entirely different performances is a striking achievement. Chadwick’s dedication to his art was absolute. His love for his culture [was] endless. His thirst for knowledge [was] unquenchable. We lost a great man.”
Boseman is survived by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward. The couple quietly married just months before his death.
