The late actor Chadwick Boseman captivated audiences with his roles in films such as Black Panther, 42 and Marshall, but he never forgot the Christian faith that grounded his career.

Boseman, who died Aug. 28 of colon cancer at the age of 43, grew up in a Christian home and was baptized at Welfare Baptist Church in Anderson, S.C., where he sang in the choir.

A professing Christian, he often referenced Scripture and his faith in public. When honoring Denzell Washington at the 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony, Boseman paraphrased Ephesians 3:20 and told Washington, “May God bless you exceedingly and abundantly more for what’s in store than He ever has before. God bless you.” Years earlier, Washington had paid for Boseman to participate in a summer acting program in Oxford, England, according to Faithfully Magazine.

Boseman discussed his faith in more detail in 2018 during his commencement speech at Howard University, his alma mater.

“Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you. God says in Jeremiah, ‘I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future,’” Boseman said, quoting Jeremiah 29:11. “Graduating class, hear me well on this day. … This day when you have reached the hilltop, and…