Early life

Born in New York City, and then relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida, as a child, Angela and her sister D'nette were raised by their social worker mother, Betty. Stressing the importance of an education by their mother, Angela earned an academic scholarship to Yale University and received her B.A. in African-American studies there in 1980. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. It was at Yale that Bassett met her future husband Courtney B. Vance, a 1986 graduate of the drama school. After college Angela worked as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher.

Career

Soon after graduating from Yale, Bassett 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 soon gained recognition in the highly acclaimed, but controversial, films Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). For her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in that film, Bassett earned an Image Award. In 1993, she earned a Golden Globe and was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the feature film What's Love Got to Do with It?.

Bassett made headlines when she stated that she was offered the role in Monster's Ball for which Halle Berry won a history-making Oscar but did not accept it because of its representation of African-American female sexuality.

Personal 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 first children, son Slater Josiah and daughter Bronwyn Golden, were born on January 27, 2006. The children were carried by a surrogate mother.

Filmography

    * F/X (1986)
    * Kindergarten Cop (1990)
    * Boyz n the Hood (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)
    * The Lazarus Child (2004)
    * Mr. 3000 (2004)
    * Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) (voice only)
    * Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
    * Meet the Robinsons (2007) (voice)
    * Toussaint 2007


Trivia

Angela Bassett has garnered much critical acclaim for her portrayals of several well-known public figures, including Katherine Jackson (The Jacksons: An American Dream), Betty Shabazz (Malcolm X), Tina Turner (What's Love Got to Do with It?), and Rosa Parks (The Rosa Parks Story).