Angela Bassett Biography
Angela Evelyn Bassett a native of New York is an American actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her playing the roles of strong African-American female leads. Since starting her acting career in the 1980s, she has appeared in multiple films and tv shows including; Boyz n the Hood, Malcolm X, Panther, The Jacksons: An American Dream, and Notorious.
She had her breakthrough after portraying singer Tina Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It in 1993. She also played Rosa Parks in the television film The Rosa Parks Story which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2018, she started starring as Athena Grant in Fox’s drama series 9-1-1. She also produces the show.
Angela Bassett Age
Angela was born on August 16, 1958, in New York City, New York, United States. She is 63 years old as of 2021.
Angela Bassett Height
Angela stands at an estimated height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters) and weighs about 52 Kg(1115 lbs). Her body measurements are; chest 34B, waist 25 inches, and hips 37 inches. Her hair color is black. However, she regularly changes her hairstyles and color. Her eyes are dark brown.
Angela Bassett Family
Angela was born in New York City and raised in Harlem. Her parents are Betty Jane and Daniel Benjamin Bassett. Her mother became pregnant with her sister D’nette just 10 months after she was born. Bassett’s parents later got divorced and she had to relocate from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to St. Petersburg, Florida.
Angela and her sister were raised by a social worker mother. Angela went to Boca Ciega High School where she was a cheerleader and a member of the Upward Bound college prep program. She later enrolled at Yale University and graduated with her B.A. degree in African-American studies in 1980.
Angela Bassett Twin Sister
Angela has a sister named D’nette younger than her but not a twin sister. Her mother Betty Jane got pregnant just 10 months after Angela was born. Angela and her sister D’nette were raised in St. Petersburg, Florida by a social worker mother.
Angela Bassett Husband
Bassett is married to her husband actor Courtney B. Vance. The two tied the knot in 1997. Angela met her husband while she was studying at Yale School of Drama. He was a 1986 graduate of the school. The couple has twins; a daughter named Bronwyn Golden Vance and a son Slater Josiah Vance. Her children were born through a surrogate.
Angela Bassett Black Panther
In 2018, Bassett was cast to play the role of Ramonda in the Marvel superhero film Black Panther. Her character is the Queen mother of Wakanda, the mother to T’Challa(played by Chadwick Boseman) and Shuri(played by Letitia Wright).
Bassett made her television debut in 1985 after appearing in the tv movie Doubletake. In 1986, she made her film debut in F/X as a news reporter. She later appeared in films; A Man Called Hawk, 227, Boyz n the Hood, and Malcolm X. In 1990, she appeared in the Kindergarten Cop alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1992, she was cast as Kathrine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream.
After a year in 1993, she portrayed Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. She played the same role in a movie based on I, Tina, Tina Turner’s memoir. She went on to play Lornette “Mace” Mason in Strange Days, Rita Veder in Vampire in Brooklyn, and Bernadine Harris in Waiting to Exhale. Angela starred as the president’s advisor in the 1997 film Contact.
In 2000, Bassett appeared in the film Supernova in which she played a medical officer. She later appeared as Robert De Niro’s girlfriend in The Score. In 2002, she was cast as Rosa Parks in The Rosa Parks Story. Her role earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She played the role of Tanya Anderson in Akeelah and the Bee.
In 2010, Angela provided the voice of First Lady Michelle Obama on an episode of The Simpsons titled “Stealing First Base”. Later in 2011, she appeared in the superhero film Green Lantern as Amanda Waller. Her other acting credits include; This Means War, Betty, and Coretta, Olympus Has Fallen, Jumping the Broom, American Horror Story: Coven, and Survivor.
Angela Bassett 9-1-1
Bassett plays the role of Athena Grant-Nash in the television series 9-1-1. In the tv series, she is an LAPD patrol sergeant and Bobby’s (played by Peter Krause) wife. The tv series premiered on January 3, 2018, and is created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.
In addition, Bassett directs the television series. In 2014, Bassett made her directorial debut in the film Whitney based on the life of Whitney Houston. She went on to direct Breakthrough in 2015, American Horror Story: Roanoke Television in 2016, and American Horror Story: Cult in 2017.
Angela Bassett Awards
Throughout her long successful career, Bassett has been nominated and won multiple awards. She has won a total of 16 Awards and 66 nominations.
- 1993: Academy Awards-Best Actress
- 1993: Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
- 2018: Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture
- 2002: Emmy Awards-Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- 2015: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- 2017: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- 2002: Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series
- 1993: Golden Globe Awards-Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
- 2003: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Actress – TV Movie or Limited Series
- 1995: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Sunshine State Won
- 1996: Outstanding Actress – TV Movie or Limited Series
- 2002: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
- 2009: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture
- 2014: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture
- 2020: Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
- 1994: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association-Best Actress
- 1994: MTV Movie Awards-Best Female Performance
- 1996: Saturn Awards-Best Actress
Angela Bassett Movies
- Kindergarten Cop
- Critters 4
- Boyz n the Hood
- City of Hope
- Innocent Blood
- The Jacksons: An American Dream
- Vampire in Brooklyn
- Waiting to Exhale
- Contact
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back
- Our Friend, Martin
- Music of the Heart
- Supernova
- Malcolm X
- Avengers: Endgame
- Otherhood
- Soul
- Tina
- Gunpowder Milkshake
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Black Panther
Angela Bassett TV Shows
- Search for Tomorrow
- Spenser: For Hire
- The Cosby Show
- Ryan’s Hope
- The Cosby Show
- HeartBeat
- A Man Called Hawk
- Tour of Duty
- Amy Burnett
- Thirtysomething
- Alien Nation
- The Simpsons
- American Horror Story: Coven
- American Horror Story: Freak Show
- BoJack Horseman
- American Horror Story: Hotel
- A Black Lady Sketch Show
- The Imagineering Story
- What If…?
- RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars
Angela Bassett Net Worth
Bassett has an estimated net worth of $25 million as of 2022.
