Angela Bassett extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett in the 2007 Red Dress Collection for The Heart Truth campaign
Born	August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 50) Harlem, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Courtney B. Vance (1997-)
Awards won Golden Globe Awards Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 1994 What's Love Got to Do with It NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture 1995 What's Love Got to Do with It 1996 Waiting to Exhale 1999 How Stella Got Her Groove Back 2003 Sunshine State Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture 1995 Malcolm X 2000 Music of the Heart 2002 The Score Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special 2002 Ruby's Bucket of Blood 2003 The Rosa Parks Story Other awards Saturn Award for Best Actress (film) 1995 Strange Days

Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an Emmy- and Academy Award-nominated, and Golden Globe-winning American actress who is particularly known for biographical film roles portraying women in American culture.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Television and film career 1.3 Personal life 2 Awards and nominations 3 Filmography 4 References 5 External links

Biography

Early life

Bassett was born in New York City and relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida as a child. She and her sister D'nette were raised by their social worker/civil servant mother, Betty.¹² As a young child, her interest in entertainment developed, as she and her sister would often put on shows, reading poems or perform popular music for their family. At Boca Ciega High School, Bassett was a member of the debate team, student government, drama club, choir, and was a cheerleader.

Bassett attended Yale University and received her B.A. in African-American studies in 1980. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. At Yale, Bassett met her future husband Courtney B. Vance, a 1986 graduate of the drama school. After graduation, Bassett worked as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher.

She soon looked for acting work in the New York theater. One of her first New York performances came in 1985 when she appeared in J.E. Franklin's Black Girl at Second Stage Theatre. She appeared in two August Wilson plays at the Yale Repertory Theatre under the direction of her long-time instructor Lloyd Richards. The Wilson plays featuring Bassett were Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986). In 2006, she had the opportunity to work on the Wilson canon again, starring in Fences (play) alongside longtime collaborator Laurence Fishburne at the Pasadena Playhouse in California.

Television and film career

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In 1985 she made her first appearance on television as a prostitute in the TV movie Doubletake (1985). However, she made her official film debut as a news reporter in F/X (1986). Bassett moved to Los Angeles and gained recognition in the films Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). For her portrayal of Betty Shabazz she earned an Image Award.

Later that year, she won the role of Tina Turner in the feature film What's Love Got to Do with It. The film was released in 1993. Bassett earned a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Turner. She was the first African-American to win the Best Actress Golden Globe for a Musical or Comedy.

Angela Bassett starred in three movies in 1995 that were released with varied reactions from critics; Vampire in Brooklyn, Strange Days, and Waiting to Exhale (where she worked with author Terry McMillan). In Strange Days, Bassett plays Lornette "Mace" Mason, a black female science-fiction character in film. Bernadine, Bassett's character in Waiting to Exhale, was betrayed by her husband and in revenge she set fire to his entire wardrobe and vehicle, then she sold what was left for one dollar.

In 1998, she starred in How Stella Got Her Groove Back where she once again collaborated with McMillan. She played Stella in the film about a 40-year-old professional woman falling in love with a 20-year-old Jamaican man.

On April 28, 2008 it was announced that Bassett will join the regular cast of the medical drama series ER for the show's final season. She will portray Dr. Catherine Banfield who replaces Kari Matchett's outgoing character Dr. Skye Wexler as ER Chief. She will first appear in the second episode of the season.

Personal life

Bassett is a private person, often choosing not to discuss her personal life with the public. She is also a religious person who is of the Christian faith and attends LA's West Angeles Church of God in Christ along with fellow actor Denzel Washington. Bassett told the Los Angeles Times: "Loving God is like my being black. I just am. [No one says] 'You know what? I'm gonna be blacker today!' It's my culture. It's not something I put on or take off or show more. You just communicate that in the way you live your life."

She has been married to actor Courtney B. Vance since 1997. In the summer of 2005, they starred together in a production of the play His Girl Friday at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple's children, son Slater Josiah and daughter Bronwyn Golden, were born on January 27, 2006.

Bassett is an avid supporter of programs for the Arts, especially for youth. She annually attends events for children with diabetes and in foster homes, and she is an active Ambassador of UNICEF. Bassett is a big supporter of the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. The Club is one of the first all performing arts Boys & Girls Clubs in the country.

She is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

Angela is represented by the Executive Speakers Bureau of Memphis, Tennessee, and receives between $20,000-$30,000 per appearance. ³

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award

• 1994, Best Actress in a Leading Role for What's Love Got to Do with It, Nominated

• BET Awards

• 2007, Best Actress for Akeelah and the Bee, winner

• Black Movie Awards

• 2006, Best Supporting Actress for Akeelah and the Bee, Winner

• Black Reel Awards

• 2007, Best Supporting Actress for Akeelah and the Bee, Nominated
• 2005, Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy for Mr. 3000, Nominated
• 2002, Best Actress in a Network/Cable Film for The Rosa Parks Story, Winner
• 2002, Best Actress for Sunshine State, Winner
• 2001, Best Actress for Boseman and Lena, Nominated
• 2000, Best Supporting for Music of the Heart, Nominated

• Daytime Emmy Awards

• 2003, Outstanding Children's Series (Our America), Nominated
• 1996, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series (Storytime), Nominated

• Emmy Awards

• 2002, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Movie (The Rosa Parks Story), Nominated

• Golden Globe Award

• 1993, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for What's Love Got to Do With It, Winner

• Image Awards

• 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Akeelah and the Bee), Nominated
• 2005, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Mr. 3000), Nominated
• 2003, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Sunshine State) Winner
• 2003, Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Movie (The Rosa Parks Story), Winner
• Also, on March 20th 2008, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

• F/X (1986)
• Challenger (TV) (1990)
• Kindergarten Cop (1990)
• Boyz n the Hood (1991)
• Critters 4 (1991)
• City of Hope (1991)
• Passion Fish (1992)
• Innocent Blood (1992)
• The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
• Panther (1995)
• Strange Days (1995)
• Waiting to Exhale (1995)
• Contact (1997)
• Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1997) (documentary)
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
• Music of the Heart (1999)
• Supernova (2000)
• Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000) (voice)
• Boesman and Lena (2000)
• The Score (2001)
• Sunshine State (2002)
• The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
• Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003) (documentary) (narrator)
• Masked and Anonymous (2003)
• Head of State (2003)
• The Lazarus Child (2004)
• Mr. 3000 (2004)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) (voice only)
• Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
• Time Bomb (2006) (TV)
• Meet the Robinsons (2007) (voice)
• Meet the Browns (2008)
• ER (2008) (TV series)

Upcoming

• Gospel Hill (2008)
• Of Boys and Men (2008)
• Nothing But the Truth (2008)
• Notorious (2009)
• Toussaint (2009)

References

External links

• Angela Bassett at the Internet Movie Database
• Angela Bassett at Allmovie
• Bassett at Wireimage.com
• Bassett at TvGuide.com
• Angela Bassett Interview with husband Courtney B. Vance on Sidewalks Entertainment
• PhillyDailyNews