Angela Bassett

Before her successful acting career, Angela Bassett was born in New York City. The Music of the Heart star relocated to North Carolina and then to St. Petersburg, Florida, before starting her education. After finishing high school as a member of the Upward Bound college prep program, Bassett attended Yale University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American studies in 1980. Three years later, the award-winning actress earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.

Bassett started her acting career in the theater and one of her first performances was when she appeared in the 1985 production of Black Girl in New York City. That same year, the New York native made her television debut as a prostitute in the TV movie Doubletake. Bassett relocated to Los Angeles in 1988 for more acting jobs. Throughout the 90s, the A Man Called Hawk actress earned industry attention for her roles in films such as 1991’s Boyz in the Hood, 1992’s Malcolm X, 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It, 1998’s How Stella Got Her Groove Back and 1999’s Music of the Heart. Her performance as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It earned her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Academy Award nomination.

Throughout the 2000s, Bassett appeared in several highly acclaimed films including 2009’s Notorious, 2018’s Blank Panther and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Her performance in the 2022 Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Bassett married actor Courtney B. Vance in 1997 and welcomed twins Slater and Bronwyn in 2006 via surrogate.