A Hero Among Stars: In Memory of Chadwick Boseman
- Ethan Chahine
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY: ETHAN CHAHINE / STAFF WRITER
On Nov. 20, 2025, actor Chadwick Boseman was recognized and received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Chadwick Boseman was born in South Carolina with hopes of becoming an architect. Growing up, Boseman practiced martial arts and continued to do so into adulthood. Boseman attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and eventually graduated with a degree in film studies from the Digital Film Academy in New York City, where his acting career began.
Chadwick Boseman is a very recognizable face for his acting roles in the 2010s, having his first major role in the psychological thriller television series, Persons Unknown. He later went on to play many important figures in their film adaptations, including Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall. These roles implanted themselves in the minds of many as a very profound actor.
In 2016, a lot changed for Chadwick Boseman; he was diagnosed with colon cancer. However, he decided to keep his condition shielded from the public eye; he viewed his work as a means to escape from that aspect of his life, and the details of his condition weren’t revealed until his eventual passing in 2020. He began to act as the titular character in the film Black Panther, which film released to critical success, much to the credit of Chadwick Boseman. He won many awards for his outstanding performance as King T’Challa. Including Best Performance in a Movie and Best Hero from the MTV Movie & TV Awards. The film went on to gross over $1 billion.
In total throughout his career, Chadwick Boseman has been nominated for 96 awards and has won 60 of them. (IGN). His influence as a talented actor has extended beyond his years as he continues to be recognized and remembered by all the people he has inspired.
Following Chadwick’s passing, many of his fellow costars and celebrities spoke about him and their interactions with him throughout his career. Here are a few examples:
“All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of #ChadwickBoseman. What a man, and what an immense talent. Brother, you were one of the all time greats and your greatness was only beginning. Lord love ya. Rest in power, King.” - Mark Ruffalo.
“It was meant to be for Chadwick and me to be connected, for us to be family. But what many don’t know is our story began long before his historic turn as Black Panther. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were, years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever! We’d spent weeks prepping, working, sitting next to each other every morning in makeup chairs, preparing for the day together as mother and son. I am honored that we enjoyed that full circle experience. This young man’s dedication was awe-inspiring, his smile contagious, his talent unreal. So I pay tribute to a beautiful spirit, a consummate artist, a soulful brother...”thou aren’t not dead but flown afar...”. All you possessed, Chadwick, you freely gave. Rest now, sweet prince.” - Angela Bassett
“Chadwick came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.” - Barack Obama
Chadwick Boseman was a man who touched the hearts of so many people he interacted with. Not only that, but the films he starred in inspired so many young people. He was a person who had and continues to have a lot of influence on many people, and he will now be immortalized with his very own Walk of Fame star in Hollywood. I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Chadwick.