Actor Chadwick Boseman poses for a portrait in 2013.
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Updated 1:47 AM ET, Sat August 29, 2020
Actor Chadwick Boseman poses for a portrait in 2013.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Actor Chadwick Boseman will be remembered by many for his on-screen portrayal of Black Panther, a fictional comic book hero who played a crucial role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But he also played some of the most groundbreaking figures of the 20th century: Jackie Robinson. James Brown. Thurgood Marshall.
Boseman died Friday, August 28, at the age of 43. He had been battling colon cancer since 2016, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account.
Boseman's breakout role came in 2013, when he played baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the film "42."
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Boseman embraces Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel, after the Los Angeles premiere of "42."
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Boseman greets film director Spike Lee at an NBA game in New York in 2013.
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Boseman is interviewed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" soon after "42" hit theaters.
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Boseman laughs with baseball star Matt Kemp after throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in 2013.
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Boseman plays iconic singer James Brown in the 2014 biopic "Get on Up."
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In 2017's "Marshall," Boseman portrayed Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice on the US Supreme Court.
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Boseman poses with comic book author Stan Lee, who co-created many of the Marvel superheroes that have come to life on the big screen.
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Boseman starred in a number of Marvel films as Black Panther, king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. The character got its own film in 2018.
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The role of Black Panther/King T'Challa was the "honor of (Boseman's) career," said a statement from his publicist, Nicki Fioravante.
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Boseman attends the European premiere of "Black Panther" in London.
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While competing in the 2018 NBA Dunk Contest, Victor Oladipo wears a Black Panther mask and does the "Wakanda Forever" salute with Boseman, who was sitting courtside.
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Boseman surprises a fan on "The Tonight Show" in 2018.
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Boseman, as Black Panther, does the "Wakanda Forever" salute in "Avengers: Infinity War."
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Boseman is awarded an honorary degree as he gives a graduation speech at Howard University in Washington, DC. Boseman got his bachelor's degree from Howard in 2000.
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Boseman walks through the crowd after receiving an award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards in 2018.
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Boseman is joined on stage at the Golden Globes with three of his "Black Panther" co-stars: from left, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o and Michael B. Jordan.
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From left, Jordan, Boseman and Angela Bassett attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2019. The "Black Panther" cast won the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
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Boseman poses with Lady Gaga backstage after she had just won an Oscar in 2019.
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Boseman and his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, attend the NBA All-Star Game in February 2020.
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Boseman, center, plays a Vietnam War soldier in "Da 5 Bloods," a Spike Lee film released in June 2020.
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