Marshall

CHICAGO – In one of the crueler events during the cruel year of 2020, the actor Chadwick Boseman died from cancer at age 43. But he left us two prominent roles in 2020, as a pivotal character in Spike Lee’s “Da Five Bloods” and in his 2021 Oscar nominated performance as Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

LOS ANGELES – In another shocking piece of news in this year of 2020, the actor Chadwick Boseman, who embodied the Marvel superhero Black Panther in the film and universe, passed away on Aug. 28. He was known also for portraying black icons such as Jackie Robinson (“42”) and James Brown (“Get on Up”). He was only 43 years old.

CHICAGO – Before everything else happened, Jussie Smollett was an actor from the TV series “Empire” and portrayed Langston Hughes in the film “Marshall” … featuring Chadwick Boseman of “Black Panther” as young Thurgood Marshall. Smollett walked the Red Carpet for the film in 2017, at the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival.

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Alfre Woodard at her tribute at the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival.

CHICAGO – It was an evening to celebrate the Black Perspective in filmmaking at the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival, and also to celebrate one of the great African American actors with a tribute to Alfre Woodard. Woodard walked the Red Carpet on October 21st, 2017, with fellow actors Regina Taylor (“I’ll Fly Away”) and Jussie Smollett (“Empire”).

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Chadwick Boseman portrays Thurgood Marshall in ‘Marshall.’

CHICAGO – On the night before the nationwide opening of the new film “Marshall,” the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival was alive with the premiere Red Carpet event – both for the start of the Festival and for the film and its stars. Chadwick Boseman, Sterling K. Brown, Jussie Smollett and John Marshall (the son of Thurgood Marshall, the subject of the film) all walked the carpet.