The late 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' actor won Best Actor in a Drama on Sunday.
Chadwick Boseman became a first-time Golden Globe winner on Sunday. The late actor was awarded with Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which marked his final film.
Boseman died in August of 2020 at age 43 after a battle with colon cancer. His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, accepted the award on his behalf.
"He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices," she began tearfully. "He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside all of us that tells you you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing in this moment in history."
"He would thank Mr. George C. Wolfe, Mr. Denzel Washington," she continued. "He would thank Ms. Viola Davis, Mr. Glynn Turman, Mr. Michael Potts, Mr. Colman Domingo, Miss Taylour Paige, Mr. Dusan Brown. And I don't have his words. But we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love, so thank you, HFPA, for this opportunity to do exactly that."
"And hon," Ledward concluded her speech, "you keep 'em coming."
Boseman's fellow nominees, Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman and Tahar Rahim, all appeared visibly moved by her words, as did presenter Renée Zellweger and co-star Viola Davis. (Nominee Anthony Hopkins was not virtually present for the Globes.)
The Globe win comes after recognition from Film Independent, the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild. (Boseman made history as the first actor to earn four SAG nominations in a single year.) He was also the recipient of the Gotham Awards Tribute prize, which Ledward also accepted on his behalf.
ET recently spoke with Davis about her co-star's posthumous accolades. "Chadwick Boseman deserves it," she said. "This is someone who did the work, who learned the trumpet. I mean, those long three, four-page monologues, are you kidding me? He did the work, and he did an extraordinary job."
"Chadwick was absolutely someone who felt like he was walking through the world with a halo around him. He really was," Davis added. "He was one in a trillion, gazillion. He was someone who was about uber integrity, uber authenticity, and absolutely living life on his own terms."
Follow along at ETonline.com for all the 2021 Golden Globes live updates. And here's our Golden Globes winners list, updated live as all the awards are announced.
RELATED CONTENT:
