Chadwick Boseman is a name to keep an eye out for over the coming couple of years, as he has a couple of big roles that could really put him on the map.
And that rise starts this week as he is set to take on the role of baseball player Jackie Robinson in new movie 42.
The film sees Boseman team up with director Brian Helgeland - who has also penned the script - and actor Harrison Ford; he will be working with both for the first time.
Boseman kicked off his acting career in 2003 in television with roles in Third Watch, All My Children and Law & Order.
While a couple of early film parts came his way, Date and Ladylike, he stayed with TV as the roles started to get bigger and bigger.
2008 saw him land the role of Nathaniel Ray in Lincoln Heights - role he played for nine episodes.
He then moved on to Persons Unknown in 2010 and the role of Graham McNair. The show ran for just one series.
Last year he returned to the big screen with The Kill Hole, but it will be his new movie 42 that proved to be the breakthrough that he has been looking for.
42 has already topped the U.S. box office and it promises to be one of the biopic films of the year.
Boseman plays Jackie Robinson, the first African American to be signed to a major league baseball team - signing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The movie follows the struggles that Robinson faced as well as the relationship he forged with the Dodger's general manager Branch Rickey, who guided him through.
42 sees Boseman deliver a strong and touching performance, and this really is set to be the movie that puts him on the map.
He has also completed work on Draft Day, which stars Jennifer Garner, Kevin Costner and Tom Welling.
But there is another project on the horizon that has seen Boseman land a major role... and that is Get On Up. It was revealed at the end of last month that the actor had landed the role of James Brown in the new biopic.
Directed by Tate Taylor, who brought us The Help, the movie will follow Brown's rise from poverty to become one of the biggest musicians of all time.
Get On Up is set to be an even bigger project for Boseman than 42, so keep your eyes peeled for the rise of this actor.
42 is released 13th September.
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