Angela Bassett is an American actress, director, and producer known for her powerhouse portrayals of Black female leads, notably iconic real-life women. She has brought a host of roles to the screen, including Rosa Parks, Betty Shabazz, Tina Turner, Katherine Jackson, and Coretta Scott King. Her work has garnered copious accolades, including three Black Reel Awards, a Golden Globe Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.
Bassett was born in New York City’s Harlem in 1958. At ten months old, she was sent to live with her aunt in North Carolina, where she spent the following four years until her mother relocated Bassett and her younger sister to Florida. She was first inspired to act after seeing a stage production of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” Bassett went on to study at Yale on a scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Arts in African-American studies and a Master of Fine Arts in drama.
After a few small television parts, Bassett gained recognition for her roles in the films, “Boyz n the Hood” and “Malcolm X,” which were released in 1991 and 1992, respectively. Her career skyrocketed the following year after her portrayal of Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do WIth It?” She was the first Black woman to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Later, she starred in a numerous successful films, including “Panther,” ”Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Akeelah and the Bee,” “Black Nativity,” “London Has Fallen,” “Black Panther,” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
Bassett’s 35-year career has showcased her versatility across the board: stage, television, movies, drama, action, comedy, horror, sci-fi, documentaries, and animation.
“Angela Bassett is a freaking legend. Without Angela Bassett, there is no Viola Davis. Without Angela Bassett, there is no Halle Berry. She’s the one who came in and did things Meryl Streep was doing, as a Black actress,” her “Master of None” co-star Lena Waithe said.