Chadwick Aaron Boseman (/ˈboʊzmən/; November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020) was an American actor known for portraying African-American historical figures and the fictional African superhero Black Panther. He was born in South Carolina, studied directing at Howard University, and began his career in theatre. Transitioning to the screen, his first major role was on the NBC drama Persons Unknown (2010) and he gained prominence by playing baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), singer James Brown in Get on Up (2014), Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017), and Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from 2016 to 2019. Boseman achieved international fame for playing the Marvel Comics superhero, appearing in four MCU films, and being named in the 2018 Time 100. He kept his diagnosis of stage III colon cancer private, and died in 2020 from the illness.