Chadwick Boseman
1976 – 2020 · United States
Known for: Black Panther, a king on screen and off
“Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you.”
Biography
He played America's heroes, Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, before becoming a hero to millions as T'Challa, the Black Panther. Wakanda Forever became more than a movie line; it was a cultural moment, a superhero who looked like the children cheering in the aisles.
What almost no one knew was that he filmed his greatest roles while quietly battling colon cancer, never telling the public, visiting sick children in hospitals between chemotherapy sessions. When he died at 44, the scale of that hidden courage stunned the world. The crossed-arm Wakandan salute is now a gesture of remembrance across the globe.