American actress Angela Evelyn Bassett was born on August 16, 1958. Since the late 1980s, she has gained recognition for her work in film and television. She has won numerous awards, including two Golden Globes, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, Time magazine listed her as one of the top 100 global influencers.
With her performance as singer Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do with It, which garnered her a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nod for Best Actress, Bassett made her breakthrough. This led her starring parts as Amanda Waller in Green Lantern (2011), The Notorious B.I.G.'s mother in Notorious (2009), and Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992). In addition to Boyz n the Hood (1991), Waiting to Exhale (1995), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Music of the Heart (1999), Olympus Has Fallen (2013), and London Has Fallen (2016), she also had important roles in a number of other films. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), she also played Queen Ramonda. She received a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy Award nomination for the latter role.
Bassett played Katherine Jackson in the 1992 television miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in The Rosa Parks Story (2002) for her depiction of Rosa Parks. She received nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2014 and 2015 for her work in the first two seasons of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story. In the Fox drama series 9-1-1, which premiered in 2018, Bassett started producing and acting as an LAPD patrol sergeant.
Early Life
Bassett was born in New York City to social worker and government employee Betty Jane (née Gilbert) and preacher's son Daniel Benjamin Bassett. She was given the middle name Bassett in memory of her aunt Evelyn. Bassett's sister D'nette was born ten months after Bassett was, thanks to her mother's subsequent pregnancy. According to Bassett, the pregnancy "only made things harder," and her parents decided to send her to Golden, the sister of her father, who lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Despite not having her own children, her aunt "loved children and she was good with them."
After her parents' divorced when Bassett was four years old, her mother took her in and moved her and her sister to St. Petersburg, Florida. After attending her grandmother's funeral, Bassett had not seen her father in a number of years. There, Bassett met Jean, the daughter of her father's first marriage, who was twelve years older than Bassett. She started taking the bus out of her neighborhood after graduating from Jordan Park Elementary School to go to Disston Middle School for seventh grade. She started going in 1970, one year before busing for public school integration in St. Petersburg was put into place for the first time. She was transported by bus to Azalea Middle School for eighth and ninth grade after completing seventh grade. Involved with her daughter's academic performance more, Bassett's mother informed her and her sister that the two were enrolling in a college.
When she was younger, Bassett declared she was "in love" with the Jackson 5 and fantasised about getting married to one of the members, speculating that it would likely be "whoever had the cutest, roundest Afro at the time. In my imagination we would have children and live in a real house." As her interest in entertainment grew, Angela and her sister frequently performed for their family, reading poems or singing songs they had grown up listening to.
Bassett participated in the debate team, student government, theatre club, choir, and the Upward Bound college prep programme when a student at Boca Ciega High School. She was also a cheerleader. Bassett was often a "A" or "B" student, but she received her first "C" in physical education. She tried to persuade her mother not to be dismayed by the result. As Bassett explained, a "sense of pride" emerged in her and she did not receive another "C" until college. Bassett labelled the grade the "average," which led her mother to declare that she did not have "average kids." Bassett was the first Boca Ciega, Florida native of African descent to be inducted to the National Honour Society while still in high school. For poor students, the Upward Bound programme offers academic and cultural enrichment. According to Bassett, neither she nor the other participants considered themselves to be disadvantaged.
In 1980, Bassett earned a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies from Yale University. She was the only member of Bassett's family to have attended both college and graduate school, studying acting at the Yale School of Drama, earning a Master of Fine Arts in 1983 against opposition from her paternal aunt who advised her not to "waste" her "Yale education on theatre." Bassett met her future husband Courtney B. Vance at Yale, who had graduated from the theatre programme in 1986. Bassett and actor Charles S. Dutton were classmates.
Following graduating, Bassett worked as a picture researcher and a receptionist for a beauty parlour. Bassett started looking for acting jobs in New York's theatres right away. She made one of her first appearances in New York in 1985 when she was a part of J. The Second Stage Theatre is hosting E. Franklin's Black Girl. Under the guidance of her longtime mentor Lloyd Richards, she took part in two productions of August Wilson plays at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986) were the Wilson plays in which Bassett appeared. She had the chance to return to the Wilson canon in 2006, co-starring with her old partner Laurence Fishburne in Fences at the Pasadena Playhouse in California.
Career
Earliest Work
Bassett made her debut on television in the 1985 made-for-TV film Doubletake, when she played a prostitute. She made her acting debut in the 1986 film F/X as a news reporter, for which she had to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). For additional acting opportunities, Bassett relocated to Los Angeles in 1988. He landed early guest roles on 227 and A Man Called Hawk (both in 1989).
1990s
For her early performances in the films Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Malcolm X (1992), Bassett gained industry attention and widespread acclaim. Although the film itself received negative reviews, she won an Image Award for her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in the latter. For instance, one unfavourable review claimed that Malcolm X failed to "capture" the wrath of his book. Since they would be filming the sequence, director Spike Lee gave Bassett a clip of the precise moment when Malcolm X was shot during his assassination. Bassett described the recording as "haunting," but said that afterward she was "able to grab hold of the pain and re-create the scene." Bassett felt it was important for her to get the assassination scene right and questioned how Betty "found the strength to keep going, to raise her family, to educate, to sustain them." Bassett was concerned that after her role as Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X she would not find another role "as satisfying." "I feel incredibly blessed, and I know it's just going to get worse from here," the speaker said.
After finishing her scenes for Malcolm X, Bassett returned to Los Angeles and got a call to audition for a film based on I, Tina, Tina Turner's memoir. As it turned out, Bassett's other high-profile portrayal of 1992—Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream—premiered on ABC in the same week as the theatrical release of Malcolm X. Bassett was chosen for the lead part over Robin Givens and Halle Berry, but she only had one month to get ready. She twice met Tina Turner, who gave her advice on every aspect of her performance, from wigs and clothing to dancing techniques. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bassett described going to one of Turner's concerts and crying profusely, and stated that, upon realising that she knew some of Turner's dance moves, she was "almost a river of tears." Turner also did Bassett's make-up, leading Bassett to call her "supportive" and her "biggest fan." What's Love Got to Do with It received positive reviews that hailed her performance as masterful. According to Marc Bernardin of Entertainment Weekly, Bassett "gave the performance of a lifetime" in the biopic as Turner. Bassett became the first African-American to receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her depiction of Turner after winning the award. She was nominated for an Academy Award for The Piano, but Holly Hunter won. Despite the praise, Bassett claimed that after playing Turner she "received no calls" for acting for approximately a year and a half on November 4, 2022, on Today with Hoda & Jenna.
The three films in which Bassett starred in 1995, Vampire in Brooklyn, Strange Days, and Waiting to Exhale (in which she collaborated with writer Terry McMillan), received varying reviews from critics. Bassett portrayed Lornette "Mace" Mason, a driver and bodyguard, in Strange Days. She portrayed Rita Veder, a troubled officer with a sinister secret, in Vampire in Brooklyn. She was eager to collaborate in Vampire in Brooklyn alongside Eddie Murphy and filmmaker Wes Craven. Bassett and Craven have previously collaborated on television projects. Bernadine Harris, the character played by Bassett in Waiting to Exhale, was deceived by her husband; in retaliation, she set fire to his whole wardrobe and vehicle, then sold what was left for $1. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bassett talked about the party scene from Waiting to Exhale that had just recently been shot. According to Bassett, "The thing is that my character is thinking about how her husband has left her. I have a cigarette in one hand, and I'm drinking. Basically, the four of us are sitting there talking about men and having some fun."
She portrayed the President's counsellor in the 1997 film Contact. Bassett, according to Stephen Holden of The New York Times, was "largely wasted as a Presidential assistant."
For his popular track "Right Here, Right Now" in 1998, Fatboy Slim sampled Bassett's voice from 1995's Strange Days, notably the phrase "this is your life, right here, right now!" Also in 1998, Bassett worked with McMillan once more as the lead in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. She portrayed Stella, a professional American woman in her forties who develops feelings for a young Jamaican man. The New York Times' Stephen Holden praised Bassett's performance, calling her portrayal of the character "the best thing in the movie" and stating that Bassett "portrays this high-strung superwoman with such intensity that she almost makes her believable."
Bassett worked with legendary horror director Wes Craven once more in 1999 when she acted in Music of the Heart. Her "terrifically specific chemistry" with Meryl Streep was described by Matthew Eng.
2000s
Because of the sexual material in the script, Bassett declined the main role in Monster's Ball in 2000; Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the performance. In Supernova, which was her first movie that year, Bassett played a medical officer. Boesman and Lena and Whispers: An Elephant's Tale were her other two films that were out in 2000. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said Bassett captured all of her character's "mercurial mood swings" and that both Bassett and her co-star Danny Glover "rise to the challenge of these larger-than-life roles, just as you would expect." Todd McCarthy of Variety said Bassett "abandons her recently cultivated glamorous image to dig to the core of Lena's fierce, probing, contentious, compassionate character."
The Score, a 2001 movie, featured her. Relationship between her and Robert De Niro's character. She grew fascinated after reading the movie's script. Director Frank Oz then called her and said Robert De Niro would "like to meet with you." When Bassett first met De Niro, she later understood their talk was an icebreaker before they began filming. She not only appeared in The Score that year, but also Ruby's Bucket of Blood, a television movie. Bassett appeared in The Rosa Parks Story and Sunshine State the following year, in 2002. Bassett played Rosa Parks in the movie The Rosa Parks Story. In her article for Entertainment Weekly, Laura Fries stated that Bassett "takes her physical strength and turns it inward to portray Parks" and shared her opinion that "lesser hands" might allow for a misreading or egregious underplay of Parks' nature. In addition to receiving favourable reviews for her performance, Bassett was considered the "star" of the movie because she played the lead. For this reason, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
She read from the WPA slave memoirs in Unchained Memories in 2003. About 100,000 former slaves were still alive during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and 2,300 of them participated in interviews for the Federal Writers' Project. Slavery, bondage, and misery are documented in the transcripts of the Library of Congress' Slave Narratives collection. She also played a mistress in the movie Masked and Anonymous that same year. Her inclusion in the "endless parade of actors who show up even for the briefest of appearances" was highlighted by Ann Hornaday.
She appeared in the films Mr. 3000 and The Lazarus Child in 2004. Bassett and Bernie Mac costarred in the comedy Mr. 3000. Bassett said, "This was much easier. This was a walk in the park. It was pretty easy compared to some of the roles I've done that call for so much emotion or physicality." At the time of the movie's release, she called Bernie Mac and Laurence Fishburne, who she had previously worked with, her "favourites" and said the duo were both "highly professional and extraordinay."
Bassett played Tanya Anderson, the mother of Keke Palmer's Akeelah, the protagonist of the 2006 movie Akeelah and the Bee. According to Bassett, working with Palmer was "really wonderful" and that Palmer was as good an actress as any adult she had worked with. Bassett said she loved the story and thought the lead character "could be anyone because each of us have had dreams and aspirations and wanting to be and needing to be supported and directed". The same year, Bassett had an appearance in the Time Bomb television movie. According to Variety's Brian Lowry, her part was merely a "extended cameo".
For the movie Meet the Robinsons from 2007, Bassett lent her voice. In response to a question regarding her motivations for accepting the role, actress Angela Bassett stated, "For one, it was a character I had never played before, which is always important to me, to keep me sharp. But it was also the desire to be part of a well-written movie that has something really positive to say about families and about all the different ways there can be to make a family."
In the movie Gospel Hill from 2008, she had a role. The New York Times' Stephen Holden said that Bassett's "fiery self-possession brings a spark of passion to her stick-figure character" Her next role was in the movie Of Boys and Men, where she played Rieta Cole, the matriarch of a Chicago family who dies in an accident at the opening of the movie but is later seen in flashbacks. Bassett also appeared in Nothing But the Truth in 2008, where Robert Gillard of the LA Sentinel praised her and her co-stars Victoria Rowell and Robert Townsend for "capturing the emotions of a family stricken by grief." In time for the final season of ER (2008–2009), Bassett joined the show's regular cast. She played Dr. Catherine Banfield, the strict ER chief who was trying to rebuild her life after the death of her son and expand her family. On ER, Russell Banfield, played by Bassett's husband Courtney Vance, was her fictional husband.
Bassett played Voletta Wallace, the mother of The Notorious B.I.G., in the 2009 film Notorious. To capture Wallace's Jamaican accent, Bassett spoke with her both on and off the set, and she practised using tapes that Wallace created. After reading the script, Bassett claimed she leaped at the possibility to take part in the movie. Bassett garnered excellent reviews for her portrayal in the movie, recognised as being one of the more experienced performers involved, and felt it did a "wonderful job of bringing" The Notorious B.I.G.'s "life to the page."
2010s
In the Simpsons episode "Stealing First Base" from 2010, Bassett provided the voice of First Lady Michelle Obama. For Obama, Bassett was regarded as a "terrific" stand-in. Bassett played well-known DC Comics character Amanda Waller in the 2011 blockbuster movie Green Lantern. It was "a lot of fun" for Bassett to work on the movie, and she appreciated being a part of it. Despite this, the arrangements that were made to accommodate the computer-generated effects forced Bassett "out of her element". She acknowledged that it was her first time acting in "this kind of movie," but she said she was curious to see how her scenes turned out. According to a 2010 story from Deadline Hollywood, Bassett might play a part in One Police Plaza. Samuel L. Jackson portrays Martin Luther King Jr. in the fictionalised account of that night at the Lorraine Motel in the play The Mountaintop, which Bassett co-starred in in 2011. In 2009, the play by Katori Hall made its West End debut in London and went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. On October 13, 2011, the Broadway production debuted. It was announced in March 2011 that Bassett had agreed to play the lead in the ABC pilot Identity.
She also starred as the grandmother of an affluent family in the 2011 movie Jumping the Broom. Bassett had a positive impression of the movie from "the start" and thought her character had a "real presence" in it as well as a sense of being involved in the plot. The performances of Bassett and Loretta Devine in the movie were criticised for being "in some ways too fierce for the room, offering nuances of hostility and hurt that the movie cannot really handle" and adding to the "unevenness of the performances" throughout the movie. Despite being viewed as having been "asked to overdo every moment with permanent scowls and body language more suitable to Mortal Kombat," Bassett and Devine were noted as "superb, distinguished actresses" by Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter. Despite this, Bassett's performance was given some favourable attention, with Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News saying Bassett "makes the movie hers." Bassett had previously collaborated with Devine on the movie Waiting to Exhale, so this was their second collaboration. Bassett's presence quietly makes a significant difference, according to director Salim Akil.
Bassett appeared in the 2012 movie This Means War; she has been associated with the movie for the previous two years. According to Tambay A. Obenson of IndieWire, Bassett's absence from advertising imagery is due to her limited involvement and the fact that the movie didn't specifically target her market. In I Ain't Scared Of You, Bassett also played herself.
In keeping with her recent tendency of playing real women, Bassett portrayed Coretta Scott King in the television movie Betty and Coretta, which premiered on February 2, 2013. Although Mary J. Blige, who played Shabazz, played Shabazz in both Malcolm X and Panther, Bassett played Coretta Scott King instead. The respect that I have for their lives—their stories, vulnerabilities, strength, and resolve—is what drew me to play real-life women, Bassett said when asked what inspired her to play them. Bassett started filming her scenes in the latter part of the previous year. She was surprised to learn that Coretta Scott King initially rejected Martin Luther King Jr.'s "advances" and called Mrs. King a "modern day iconic heroine." The movie received mixed reviews, including unfavourable ones from Ilyasah Shabazz and Bernice King, the daughters of Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King. Mary J. Blige, when asked about the experience of working with Bassett, said that she was "one of Angela's biggest fans" and called her a "amazing woman."
In the March 22, 2013, action thriller Olympus Has Fallen, Bassett played Secret Service director Lynne Jacobs. The month before to the start of filming, in June 2012, Bassett was said to have a part in the movie. Bassett stated that there had "never been a female head of the Secret Service, much less a woman of colour" in an interview with The Huffington Post. She referred to it as "a bold casting choice" to appoint a female African-American Secret Service director. Bassett thought the movie was real overall. Although Bassett said it was fantastic to work with Morgan Freeman, she acknowledged that he intimidated her. She stated her interest in working with filmmaker Antoine Fuqua again and was impressed by his preparation, calling it "preparation to the hilt." In the 2013 film Black Nativity, she had an appearance. She sang, and it was noted that this added to the "blissful unreality" of the movie. In response to Kasi Lemmons' inquiry about her singing ability, Bassett acknowledged faking to land the part. Bassett had never had to sing before and had always lip-synced, so singing in a movie was a new experience for her. She quipped to reporter Jennifer H. Cunningham, "Yes, I can sing — you didn't ask how well!"
In 2013, Bassett played the voodoo witch Marie Laveau on the FX television series American Horror Story: Coven. Bassett lauded the authors, calling them "amazing". When her agency inquired about a possible position for her in the show, Ryan Murphy responded that she was the ideal candidate to play Marie Laveau. Before meeting with Murphy, Bassett watched the earlier seasons of the show and praised the "wonderful" writing and "so realised" characters. Bassett was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her portrayal. For the fourth season of the programme, American Horror Story: Freak Show, she made a comeback and played the three-breasted character Desiree Dupree. For Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, she was nominated once more.
In May 2014, it was revealed that Bassett would make her directing debut with Whitney, a TV movie based on Whitney Houston's life. Bassett had previously collaborated with Houston. The previous year, Bassett had previously indicated interest in directing. Early in June 2014, it was revealed that Yaya DaCosta would portray Houston in the movie. Bobbi Kristina Brown, Houston's daughter, criticised Bassett on Twitter for not casting her as Brown's mother in the movie, and Bassett later acknowledged in an interview that she had never considered casting Brown. Ruby Dee passed away on June 11, 2014, from natural causes. Bassett reportedly attended the Riverside Church memorial service for Dee on September 20, 2014; the two had previously collaborated on Betty and Coretta.
Bassett played Maureen Crane, the US ambassador to the UK, in the 2015 movie Survivor. Bassett, according to Mark Kermode's critical assessment of the movie, "appears from behind closed doors like a celebrity guest on Stars in Their Eyes."
In the first-person shooter Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Basset also provided the voice for the character Six.
Bassett reprised her role as Lynne Jacobs in the film London Has Fallen, which debuted in March 2016. After Olympus Has Fallen's initial success, Bassett said it was "the very first sequel I've ever done" and that she was looking forward to doing another movie. A video honouring the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting was produced by the Human Rights Campaign in June 2016. In the video, Bassett and other speakers shared the accounts of the victims. In American Horror Story: Roanoke, Bassett made an appearance. The sixth episode, which aired on October 19, 2016, was also directed by her. This is the third episode that a woman has directed for the programme. Bassett received accolades from co-creator Ryan Murphy in a conversation with E! News, claiming that he had promised her that she would "'do this big, big episode and you're going to knock it out of the park,' and she did. And I've seen it time and time again with these women that we brought into this directing world that they're just killing it, and they're working twice as hard because they know they have a lot to prove."
Bassett had a guest appearance in the Underground episode "Ache" from March 2017. Anthony Hemingway, the film's executive producer and director, claimed that Bassett's character "was written with Angela in mind" and that the entire ensemble visited her on the day she shot her scene. Bassett played the mother of the main character Denise in an episode of Master of None in May 2017. Lena Waithe sought Bassett because she was moved by her prior work, but she was certain that she would decline the offer. Waithe later claimed that Bassett's addition to the cast gave the show "another layer" of tension. After seeing Bassett in The Jacksons: An American Dream and being impressed by her performance there, the series' authors decided to cast her in the part and compared Catherine to the character's development there.
Bassett joined the Fox first responder procedural drama 9-1-1 in January 2018; she also serves as a producer for the show. She portrays officer Athena Grant, and in 2022, the fifth season of the show will see the character go to its spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Bassett played Queen Ramonda, the mother of the title character, in the critically acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero picture Black Panther in February 2018. The following year, in Avengers: Endgame, she briefly returned to the role. She portrayed CIA Director Erika Sloane in the spy action movie Mission: Impossible - Fallout in July 2018. She provided the evil Decepticon character "Shatter" in the live-action Transformers movie Bumblebee in December 2018. She joined the Gunpowder Milkshake cast in 2019.
2020s
In the Pixar animated feature Soul, which debuted on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, Bassett voiced Dorothea Williams. She also took on the role of narrator for the October 1, 2021 debut of the Disney Enchantment nighttime performance at the Magic Kingdom. She will play Ramonda once more in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in November 2022. She became the first performer to win a significant individual acting award for a Marvel Comics-based movie thanks to her portrayal in the sequel, which also earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards and the 28th Critics' Choice Awards. She was the first character in a Marvel Studios film to receive an Academy Award nomination in any acting category, and she was also nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.
She will star in the Netflix film Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown.
In The Media
In her portrayals of African-American women, Bassett typically highlights their strength and intelligence. She added: "That's the image that I like to put out there, and those are the parts I'm attracted to. But not iron-fist kind of strong, just self-assured. I'm nice too." Bassett has declined roles that she felt would betray her reputation. "This is a career about images; it's celluloid; they last for ever. I'm a black woman from America; my people were slaves in America; and even though we're free on paper and in law, I'm not going to allow you to enslave me on film, in celluloid, for all to see. And to cross the water, to countries where people will never meet people who look like me.
She was included in The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 in December 2022. She was selected as one of Time's 2023 Women of the Year winners.
Private life
In 1997, Bassett wed actor Courtney B. Vance. They first connected at Yale School of Drama, and after running into each other again in Los Angeles more than ten years later, they started dating. They co-starred in a production of His Girl Friday at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the summer of 2005. Son Slater Josiah Vance and daughter Bronwyn Golden Vance, the couple's twins, were borne by a surrogate.
Bassett supports artistic initiatives, particularly those that benefit young people. She regularly attends gatherings for foster kids and kids with diabetes. She attends the West Angeles Church of God in Christ and is an active UNICEF ambassador for the United States. In St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was born and raised, Bassett is a patron of the Royal Theatre Boys & Girls Club.
The Executive Speakers Bureau of Memphis, Tennessee, is her agent.
Early in 2007, Bassett contributed $2,300 to Barack Obama's campaign for president. Obama's reelection campaign received Bassett's backing. She appeared at the campaign's St. Petersburg office in June 2012 and declared that the race was not one "where we can sit on the sidelines."
On January 21, 2013, Bassett went to Barack Obama's second inauguration. Bassett also spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, introducing survivors of the Charleston church shooting, an incident about which she spoke in her remarks. She supported Hillary Clinton for president during the 2016 US presidential election, saying "Bar None, Clinton would make a great president." Bassett tweeted "Only 1455 days until November 3, 2020. Rest up my country. #ProudOfHer" after Clinton lost the general election.
On July 13, 2013, Bassett was inducted into the sorority Delta Sigma Theta as an honorary member.
She belongs to the West Angeles Church of God in Christ (Church of God in Christ), a Pentecostal Evangelical Christian congregation in Los Angeles.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1986 | F/X | TV Reporter | |
1990 | Kindergarten Cop | Stewardess | |
1991 | Boyz n the Hood | Reva Devereaux | |
City of Hope | Reesha | ||
1992 | Innocent Blood | U.S. Attorney Barbara Sinclair | |
Critters 4 | Fran | ||
Malcolm X | Betty Shabazz | ||
Passion Fish | Dawn / Rhonda | ||
1993 | What's Love Got to Do with It | Anna Mae Bullock / Tina Turner | |
1995 | Panther | Betty Shabazz | |
Strange Days | Lornette 'Mace' Mason | ||
Vampire in Brooklyn | Detective Rita Veder | ||
Waiting to Exhale | Bernadine 'Bernie' Harris | ||
1997 | Contact | Rachel Constantine | |
1998 | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | Stella Payne | |
1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Delia Woodman (voice) | |
Music of the Heart | Principal Janet Williams | ||
2000 | Supernova | Dr. Kaela Evers | |
Whispers: An Elephant's Tale | Groove (voice) | ||
Boesman and Lena | Lena | ||
2001 | The Score | Diane | |
2002 | Sunshine State | Desiree Stokes Perry | |
2003 | Unchained Memories | Dorothy | |
Masked and Anonymous | Mistress Jane Humphrey | ||
2004 | The Lazarus Child | Dr. Elizabeth Chase | |
Mr. 3000 | Maureen 'Mo' Simmons | ||
2005 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Ms. April (voice) | Uncredited |
2006 | Akeelah and the Bee | Tanya Anderson | |
2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Mildred (voice) | |
2008 | Gospel Hill | Sarah Malcolm | |
Of Boys and Men | Rieta Cole | ||
Meet the Browns | Brenda Brown | ||
Nothing But the Truth | Bonnie Benjamin | ||
2009 | Notorious | Voletta Wallace | |
2011 | Jumping the Broom | Claudine Watson | |
Green Lantern | Amanda Waller | ||
2012 | This Means War | Sarah Collins | |
I Ain't Scared of You | Herself | ||
2013 | Olympus Has Fallen | Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs | |
Black Nativity | Aretha Cobbs | ||
2014 | White Bird in a Blizzard | Dr. Willheima Thaler | |
2015 | Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle | Dr. Kulinda (voice) | Direct-to-DVD |
Survivor | Ambassador Maureen Crane | ||
Chi-Raq | Miss Helen | ||
2016 | London Has Fallen | Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs | |
2018 | Black Panther | Ramonda | |
Mission: Impossible – Fallout | CIA Director Erika Sloane | ||
Bumblebee | Shatter (voice) | ||
2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Ramonda | Cameo |
Otherhood | Carol Walker | ||
2020 | Soul | Dorothea Williams (voice) | |
2021 | Tina | Herself | Documentary |
Gunpowder Milkshake | Anna May | ||
2022 | Wendell & Wild | Sister Helley (voice) | |
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Ramonda | ||
2023 | Damsel | Lady Bayford | Post-production |
TBA | Wildwood | (voice) | In production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1985 | Search for Tomorrow | Salina McCulla | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
1985; 1988 | The Cosby Show | Mrs. Mitchell / Sara | Episodes: "Mr. Quiet" / "Bookworm" |
1985 | Spenser: For Hire | Alice | Episode: "The Choice" |
Doubletake | Porsha | Television film | |
1986 | Liberty | Linda Thornton | Television film |
1987 | Ryan's Hope | Leonie Peach | |
Guiding Light | Angela | Episode: "1.103" | |
Leg Work | Dr. Griffin | Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" | |
1989 | HeartBeat | Jeanette Calder R.N. | Episode: "Gestalt and Battery" |
A Man Called Hawk | Bailey Webster | Episodes: "The Master’s Mirror" and "Never My Love" | |
Tour of Duty | Lieutenant Camilla Patterson | Episodes: "Hard Stripe" and "The Volunteer" | |
227 | Amy Burnett | Episode: "A Pampered Tale" | |
Thirtysomething | Kate Harriton | Episode: "Legacy" | |
1990 | Alien Nation | Renee Longstreet | Episode: "Eyewitness News" |
Family of Spies | Bev Andress | Episode "2" | |
Snoops | Laura Hale | Episode: "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me" | |
Challenger | Cheryl McNair | Television film | |
Equal Justice | Janet Fields | Episode: "Goodbye, Judge Green" | |
In the Best Interest of the Child | Lori | Television film | |
Perry Mason: In the Case of the Silenced Singer | Carla Peters | ||
1991 | Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story | Pat | |
The Flash | Linda Lake | Episode: "Beat the Clock" | |
Fire: Trapped on the 37th Floor | Allison | Television film | |
Stat | Dr. Willie Burns | Episode: "Ladyfinger" | |
The Heroes of Desert Storm | Lieutenant Phoebe Jeter | Television film | |
Locked Up: A Mother's Rage | Willie | ||
One Special Victory | Lois | ||
1992 | Nightmare Cafe | Evelyn | Episode: "Sanctuary for a Child" |
The Jacksons: An American Dream | Katherine Jackson | Episodes: "Part I" and "Part II" | |
2001 | Ruby's Bucket of Blood | Ruby Delacroix | Television film |
2002 | The Rosa Parks Story | Rosa Parks | |
2003 | Freedom: A History of Us | Sheyann Webb / Melba Pattillo (voice) | Episodes: "Marching to Freedom Land" and "Let Freedom Ring"; Documentary series |
The Bernie Mac Show | Herself | Episode: "Laughing Matters" | |
Nikita | Deirdre Smith | Television film | |
2005 | Alias | CIA Director Hayden Chase | Episodes: "Authorized Personnel Only: Part I", "The Index", "Search and Rescue" and "The Descent" |
2006 | Time Bomb | Jill Greco | Television film |
2008–09 | ER | Dr. Cate Banfield | Main role, 20 episodes |
2010 | The Simpsons | First Lady Michelle Obama (voice) | Episode: "Stealing First Base" |
2011 | Identity | Martha Adams | Television pilot that did not get picked up |
2012 | Rogue | Alice Vargas | |
2013 | Betty & Coretta | Coretta Scott King | Television film |
2013–14 | American Horror Story: Coven | Marie Laveau | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
2014–15 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Desiree Dupree | Main role, 11 episodes |
2015–16 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Ramona Royale | Main role, 7 episodes |
2015–18 | BoJack Horseman | Ana Spanakopita (voice) | Recurring role, 10 episodes |
2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Lee Harris/Monet Tumusiime | Main role, 4 episodes (Harris) / 5 episodes (Tumusiime) |
The Snowy Day | Nana/Ms. Cora (voice) | Television special | |
Close to the Enemy | Eva | Miniseries; 7 episodes | |
2017 | Underground | The Root Woman | Episode: "Ache"; uncredited |
2017; 2021 | Master of None | Catherine | Episodes: "Thanksgiving" and "Moments in Love, Chapter 3" (voice only) |
2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Marie Laveau | Episode: "Apocalypse Then" |
The Flood | Narrator | Television film | |
2018–present | 9-1-1 | Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash | Main role; also executive producer |
2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Mo | Episode: "Angela Bassett Is the Baddest Bitch" |
The Imagineering Story | Narrator | Documentary series | |
2021 | Malika the Lion Queen | Malika (voice) | Television film |
What If...? | Ramonda (voice) | Episode: "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" | |
RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars | Herself | Special guest; Episode: "Rumerican Horror Story: Coven Girls" | |
Red Table Talk | Episode: "Jada’s Surprise 50th Birthday Celebration" | ||
2022 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash | Episode: "Prince Albert in a Can" |
The Kelly Clarkson Show | Herself | Episode: "Angela Bassett/Kel Mitchell/Nyesha Arrington" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1986 | Black Girl | Unknown | |
1987 | Henry IV Part 1 | Lady Percy | |
1988 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Martha Pentecost | |
1998 | Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | |
2011–12 | The Mountaintop | Camae |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2015 | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | Aurelia Arnot / Six | Voice role/motion capture |
2022 | Horizon Forbidden West | Regalla |
Year | Title | Notes |
2015 | Whitney | Television movie |
Breakthrough | Television documentary series; episode: "Water Apocalypse" | |
2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Television series; episode: "Chapter 6" |
2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Television series; episode: "Drink the Kool-Aid" |
Year | Title | Notes |
2001 | Ruby's Bucket of Blood | Television film |
2002 | Our America | Television movie; executive producer |
The Rosa Parks Story | ||
2017 | Remand | Documentary; executive producer |
2018–present | 9-1-1 | Television series (28 episodes); executive producer |
2019 | Otherhood | Movie; executive producer |
2020–present | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Television series; executive producer |
Awards and nominations
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1994 | Best Actress | What's Love Got to Do with It | Nominated |
2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
British Academy Film Award | |||
2023 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Nominated |
Emmy Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
Primetime Emmy Awards | |||
2002 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | The Rosa Parks Story | Nominated |
2014 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | American Horror Story: Coven | Nominated |
2015 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Nominated | |
2017 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Master of None | Nominated |
2019 | Outstanding Narrator | The Flood | Nominated |
2020 | The Imagineering Story | Nominated | |
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Nominated | |
Daytime Emmy Awards | |||
1996 | Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series | Storytime | Nominated |
2003 | Outstanding Children's Special | Our America | Nominated |
Golden Globe Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1993 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | What's Love Got to Do with It | Won |
2022 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2002 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Ruby's Bucket of Blood | Nominated |
2014 | Betty & Coretta | Nominated | |
2019 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Black Panther | Won |
2023 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Nominated |
Industry awards
BET Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2001 | Best Actress | Boesman and Lena | Nominated |
2002 | The Score, The Rosa Parks Story | Nominated | |
2007 | Akeelah and the Bee | Nominated | |
2008 | Meet the Browns | Nominated | |
2009 | Notorious, ER | Nominated | |
2012 | Jumping the Broom | Nominated | |
2013 | Olympus Has Fallen, Betty and Coretta | Nominated | |
2014 | American Horror Story: Coven | Nominated | |
2018 | 9-1-1, Black Panther | Nominated | |
2020 | 9-1-1, A Black Lady Sketch Show | Nominated | |
2021 | 9-1-1, Soul | Nominated |
Black Reel Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2000 | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Music of the Heart | Nominated |
2001 | Outstanding Actress | Boesman and Lena | Nominated |
2002 | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Ruby's Bucket of Blood | Won |
2003 | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Sunshine State | Won |
Outstanding Actress - TV Movie or Limited Series | The Rosa Parks Story | Won | |
2005 | Outstanding Actress - Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Mr. 3000 | Nominated |
2007 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Akeelah and the Bee | Nominated |
2012 | Jumping the Broom | Nominated | |
2014 | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Betty and Coretta | Nominated |
2016 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Chi-Raq | Nominated |
Outstanding Supporting Actress - TV Movie or Limited Series | American Horror Story: Hotel | Nominated | |
Outstanding Director - TV Movie or Limited Series | Whitney | Nominated | |
2017 | Outstanding Supporting Actress - TV Movie or Limited Series | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Nominated |
Outstanding Director - TV Movie or Limited Series | Nominated | ||
2023 | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Black Reel Awards for Television
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2017 | Outstanding Guest Performer, Comedy Series | Master of None | Nominated |
2017 | Outstanding Director - TV Movie or Limited Series | American Horror Story: Cult | Nominated |
2019 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | 9-1-1 | Nominated |
2020 | Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Nominated |
NAACP Image Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1995 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Malcolm X | Won |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | What's Love Got to Do with It | Won | |
1996 | Waiting to Exhale | Won | |
1997 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Contact | Nominated |
1999 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | Won |
2000 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Music of the Heart | Won |
2001 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | Boesman and Lena | Nominated |
2002 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | The Score | Won |
Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie | Ruby's Bucket of Blood | Won | |
2003 | The Rosa Parks Story | Won | |
2005 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | Mr. 3000 | Nominated |
2007 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Akeelah and the Bee | Nominated |
2009 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | Meet the Browns | Nominated |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | ER | Won | |
2014 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture | Black Nativity | Won |
Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie | American Horror Story: Coven | Nominated | |
Betty and Coretta | Nominated | ||
2015 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Nominated | |
2016 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Chi-Raq | Nominated |
Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie | American Horror Story: Hotel | Nominated | |
2020 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | 9-1-1 | Won |
2021 | Won | ||
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture | Soul | Nominated | |
2022 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | 9-1-1 | Won |
2023 | NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year | Won | |
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | 9-1-1 | Won | |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won | |
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance - Motion Picture | Wendell & Wild | Nominated |
Satellite Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2022 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Nominated |
Critics awards
Chicago Film Critics Association
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1993 | Most Promising Actress | Malcolm X | Nominated |
1994 | Best Actress | What's Love Got to Do with It | Nominated |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Critics' Choice Super Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2021 | Best Actress in an Action Series | 9-1-1 | Won |
2022 | Nominated | ||
2023 | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Superhero Movie | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1994 | Best Actress | What's Love Got to Do with It | Nominated |
Hollywood Critics Association
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Nominated |
Miscellaneous awards
MTV Movie Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1994 | Best Female Performance | What's Love Got to Do with It | Nominated |
Saturn Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
1996 | Best Actress | Strange Days | Won |
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival
Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Won |
Honors
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
2008 | All film work | Motion Pictures | Inducted |
Quick bio
Nickname | Angela |
Gender | Female |
Age | 64 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | August 16, 1958 |
Full Name | Angela Evelyn Bassett |
Profession | Actress, Producer, Director |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | New York, New York, United States |
Religion | Christianity |
Zodiac Sign | Leo |
Qualification | B.A. degree in African-American studies in 1980, Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama |
School | Jordan Park Elementary School |
College | Yale University |
Profession | Actress, Producer, Director |
Net Worth | USD $20 million Approx |
Height, Weight & Physical Stats
Body Measurements | 34-25-37 inches |
Body type | Slim |
Height | 5 Feet 4 Inches (1.63 m) |
Weight | 52 Kg (115 lbs) |
Waist | 25 inches |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Hazel |
Shoe Size | 8 (US) |
Dress Size | 4 (US) |
Family & Relatives
Father | Daniel Benjamin Bassett |
Mother | Betty Jane Bassett |
Sister | D’nette Bassett |
Marital Status | Married |
Husband | Courtney B. Vance (m. 1997) |
No. of Children | 2 |
Son | Slater Vance |
Daughter | Bronwyn Vance |
Past Relationships | Mark Jenkins, American Actor |
Facts
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