If you don't already know Chadwick Boseman's name (where have you been?), the actor is making a huge impression on Hollywood. Although Chadwick's upcoming role as the lead in Black Panther [1] is getting him massive attention [2], the 41-year-old actor has been around Hollywood for a while now. In fact, he is a man of many talents, and acting is just his latest and greatest. The actor has been in a lot of big films throughout his career, some of which you probably know, and yet he still manages to fly under the radar . . . sort of.
To get to know your soon-to-be-favorite superhero, keep reading — and prepare to be impressed.
- He is very well educated. Chadwick is a Southern gentleman with a lot of schooling to back up his smarts. He was born in Anderson, SC, and graduated from Howard University [4] in Washington DC. He then studied at Oxford University [5] to strengthen his knowledge of acting and all that comes with it.
- Acting wasn't his first passion. The South Carolina native might be known for his acting career, but when he first graduated from college, he wanted to be a writer and director [6], with the possibility of acting on the side. "I remember my first agent telling me — because they found me as an actor, but I was probably more interested in writing and maybe directing — they were like, 'Well, you can't do both things.' And I was like, 'I'm gonna show you,'" he told GQ about his career trajectory.
- He has portrayed icons. Chadwick's big breakout role was as the one and only Jackie Robinson in 42 back in 2013. He then played James Brown [7] in Get On Up in 2014, and in 2017 he took on the famous attorney Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. To say he has a way of bringing icons to life is an understatement.
- TV was where it all began for Chadwick. Despite the fact that he's made a name for himself with his film roles, the 41-year-old actor had his first-ever acting gig on the TV series All My Children in 2003 (on one episode). He was then seen on an episode of Third Watch and Law & Order before playing Nathaniel Ray on Lincoln Heights from 2008 to 2009 and Graham McNair on Persons Unknown in 2010.
- Basketball is his game. Even though he has portrayed a major baseball player, Chadwick himself was always a basketball player [8]. Growing up, he was on Anderson's 16-and-under AAU basketball team.
- He'll stay in the spotlight for years to come. Chadwick is now part of Marvel's superhero lineup [9] with the upcoming Black Panther film (which hits theaters on Feb. 16). By playing T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, he is the first African-American actor to have a standalone superhero film from the company. To make it an even bigger deal, Chadwick has been signed to a five-movie Marvel deal [10] (one of which he's already been in — Captain America: Civil War), so there is a lot more Black Panther coming your way.