Chadwick Boseman’s posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled on Nov. 20 during a morning ceremony attended by family and friends, as well as several celebrities, including Michael B. Jordan and Viola Davis.
Before the star was unveiled, speakers on behalf of the Anderson County native included Ryan Coogler, who directed Boseman in “Black Panther,” and Davis, who co-starred opposite Boseman in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
“I have to believe that Chadwick is still alive,” Davis said, per CNN. “I can’t use the word ‘gone’ or ‘death’ really when thinking about him.”
Davis said she and Boseman had deep, meaningful conversations while on set.
“I celebrate him today,” she said, per CNN. “And I say to him, I hope all the angels in heaven just sang him to a beautiful rest. And I thank him for what he left behind in me, which is a burning ember that always guides me to a higher meaning of my work and my purpose.
“This star, as beautiful as it is on the Walk of Fame, shines a whole lot less brighter than Chadwick is in heaven,” she said, per CNN.
US actress Viola Davis speaks during late US actor Chadwick Boseman’s posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on November 20, 2025. Boseman died on August 29, 2020, at the age of 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer. (Photo by Unique NICOLE / AFP) (Photo by UNIQUE NICOLE/AFP via Getty Images)
More: Viola Davis honors Chadwick Boseman in Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
While speaking, Coogler shared that he was wearing a bracelet Boseman gave him after filming “Black Panther.” Coogler also shared that Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward-Boseman, gifted him books from Chadwick’s collection.
“This is something that people who maybe played ice hockey with Wayne Gretzky can attest to, people who played basketball with Michael Jordan can attest to: there’s something special about being that close to somebody that great,” Coogler said about Boseman, per People magazine. “You realize how much you don’t measure up, but you also realize how much the human body is capable of. Chad showed that every day.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: Ryan Coogler speaks onstage as Actor Chadwick Boseman is honored with a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward-Boseman, helped accept the honor alongside Chadwick’s brothers, Kevin and Derrick.
“In life, Chad was more than an actor, or even an artist,” Ledward-Boseman said during her speech, which was reported in People magazine. “He was a spiritual teacher, fortified by a family and close friends that kept him grounded in faith; a team that believed in him, protected him and fought for him. Colleagues that trusted his vision, that lifted him up and forged a real brotherhood: you have no idea how pivotal those moments were.
“Chad, today we recognize a lifetime of artistry,” she said, per People magazine. “We recognize your skill and your devotion, and we cement your legacy as a hero and an icon. You lived with honor, and you walked with truth. You were as brilliant as you were beautiful, as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, we thank you.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: Taylor Simone Ledward attends as Actor Chadwick Boseman is honored with a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Also in attendance at the ceremony were costume designer Ruth Carter, actors Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The city of Los Angeles also presented a resolution honoring Boseman for his work on and off the big screen.
November 20 was declared Chadwick Boseman Day in Hollywood.
Chadwick Boseman honored
Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, earlier announced that Boseman would receive a posthumous star.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is deeply honored to celebrate Chadwick Boseman’s extraordinary legacy with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Martinez said in a statement to Billboard magazine. “His powerful performances and enduring impact both on and off screen continue to inspire generations around the world.”
Besides playing T’Challa in “Black Panther” and the Avengers movies, Boseman was critically acclaimed for his portrayals of historical figures, including Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall,” James Brown in “Get On Up,” and Jackie Robinson in “42.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: Chadwick Boseman’s star is seen as Actor Chadwick Boseman is honored with a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Where is the star located?
Boseman’s star is the 2,828th star and will be located at 6904 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Fine Arts Center named after Boseman
Closer to home, Anderson School District Five’s board of trustees agreed to rename the Southwood Academy of Performing Arts Center after Anderson native Chadwick Boseman in March 2024.
The school board passed the resolution to name the center the Chadwick Boseman Fine Arts Center.
On March 28, 2025, a ceremony was held to commemorate the renaming of Southwood Academy of Performing Arts Center as the Chadwick Boseman Fine Arts Center. A bust sculpture of Boseman, crafted by artist Andrew Cook, was revealed at the ceremony. Based on a photo provided by Boseman’s family, the statue depicts Chadwick when he received his honorary doctorate from Howard University in 2018.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: (L-R) Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman attend as Actor Chadwick Boseman is honored with a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Boseman entered in SC Hall of Fame
In April, Boseman was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame.
New Chadwick Boseman documentary
Good Morning America reported that Word + Pictures is working on a documentary on the life and legacy of Boseman. Word + Pictures is the documentary filmmakers behind “The Kingdom,” “Celtics City,” and “Super/Man.”
Variety reported that the filmmakers are collaborating with Boseman’s family on the documentary.
No release date or other details are currently available.
Chadwick Boseman, right, (T.L. Hanna High School (Anderson, Howard University) with Lupita Nyong’o, left, take the stage as the cast of “Black Panther” accepts the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium Jan 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA, USA. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK)
When is Chadwick Boseman Day?
Chadwick Boseman Day has been celebrated annually on Boseman’s birthday, Nov. 29, since his death on August 28, 2020.
How did Chadwick Boseman die?
Boseman, a 1995 graduate of T.L. Hanna High School, died at age 43 on August 28, 2020, after quietly battling colon cancer for four years.
Chadwick Boseman’s education and legacy
From Anderson, Boseman headed to Washington, D.C., graduating from Howard University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing.
In 2018, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the university when he returned to give the commencement address at the May graduation.
An artist sculpture of Chadwick Boseman revealed during the celebration and dedication of the Chadwick Boseman Fine Arts Center at Southwood Academy of the Arts in Anderson, S.C. Friday, March 28, 2025.
Chadwick Boseman’s movie legacy: Black Panther, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson
Boseman played baseball legend Jackie Robinson in “42” (2013), musician James Brown in “Get On Up” (2014), and Civil Rights activist and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall” (2017).
His final two films were “Da 5 Bloods” (2020), directed by Spike Lee, in which he played Norman Earl “Stormin’ Norm” Holloway, and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020). The sequel to “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” was released in 2022 and used archival footage of Boseman to allow him to appear in the film.
Boseman received posthumous nominations for Best Actor at the Academy Awards and British Academy Film Awards in 2021 and won Best Actor at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and Golden Globe Awards for his role of Levee Green in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” He also won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role from the Screen Actors Guild Awards for the role.
He was the first Black actor ever to be nominated posthumously for an Oscar, one of seven actors in total, according to PBS.
Content Editor Jose Franco can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Michael B. Jordan attends Chadwick Boseman’s Hollywood star ceremony
