- Born
- Birth nameAngela Evelyn Bassett
- Height5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
- Captivating, gifted, and sensational, Angela Bassett's presence has been felt in theaters and on stages and television screens throughout the world. Angela Evelyn Bassett was born on August 16, 1958 in New York City, to Betty Jane (Gilbert), a social worker, and Daniel Benjamin Bassett, a preacher's son. Bassett and her sister D'nette grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida with their mother. As a single mother, Betty stressed the importance of education for her children. With the assistance of an academic scholarship, Bassett matriculated into Yale University. In 1980, she received her B.A. in African-American studies from Yale University. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. It was at Yale that Bassett met her husband, Courtney B. Vance, a 1986 graduate of the Drama School.
Bassett first appeared in small roles on The Cosby Show (1984) and Spenser: For Hire (1985), but it was not until 1990 that a spate of television roles brought her notice. Her breakthrough role, though, was playing Tina Turner, whom she had never seen perform before taking the role, in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). Bassett's performance earned her an Academy Award nomination and a Golded Globe Award for Best Actress.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Dan Hartung <dhartung@mcs.com> and Mykwain A. Gainey <mgainey1@hotmail.com>
- SpouseCourtney B. Vance(October 12, 1997 - present) (2 children)
- ChildrenBronwyn Golden VanceSlater Josiah Vance
- ParentsBetty Jane GilbertDaniel Benjamin Bassett
- RelativesD'nette Bassett(Sibling)
- Received her Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama (1983).
- Received her Bachelor's degree in African-American studies from Yale University (1980).
- Received an Honorary Degree from Howard University. Chadwick Boseman was the student assigned to escort her around the campus.
- Angela and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, became the parents of twins, Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah, on January 27, 2006 in California through a surrogate.
- As of 2005, she is the first and only African-American recipient of the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993).
- I would have to say honestly I was very pleased to be in a film whether it was good or bad with De Niro, Norton and Brando even if I don't have any scenes with them, I thought it was pretty good company to keep.
- 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.
- I really believe that what I do as an actress is my God-given talent. This is my calling, not my career.
- God made a way out of no way.
- When I was in school, my mother stressed education. I am so glad she did. I graduated from Yale College and Yale University with my master's and I didn't do it by missing school.
- 9-1-1 (2018) - $450,000 per episode
- The Score (2001) - $3,500,000
- Supernova (2000) - $3,500,000
- Waiting to Exhale (1995) - $2,500,000
- What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) - $250,000 .00
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