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Angela Bassett

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Angela Bassett: Biography

angela bassett
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  • Birth Name: Angela Evelyn Bassett
  • Birth Place: New York, NY
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 08/16/1958, Leo
  • Profession: Actor; producer
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Angela Bassett Fast Facts:
  • Inspired to pursue acting after seeing James Earl Jones in a 1974 Kennedy Center production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
  • Although she and her husband Courtney B. Vance both attended the Yale Drama School, they didn't begin dating until many years later.
  • Appeared with Laurence Fishburne in numerous projects, including the films 1991's Boyz N the Hood, 1993's What's Love Got to Do With It and 2006's Akeelah and the Bee as well as a 2006 stage production of Fences.
  • Beat out Halle Berry and Robin Givens for the role of Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It.
  • Played Malcolm X's widow, Betty Shabazz, twice: in Spike Lee's 1992 biopic Malcolm X and in Melvin Van Peebles' 1995 Black Panther film Panther.
  • Turned down Halle Berry's role in 2001's Monster's Ball; Berry went on to become the first African-American woman to win a best-actress Oscar.
  • Hosted the PBS documentary series Independent Lens in 2002-3.
  • She and her husband coauthored Friends: A Love Story, chronicling their relationship and their struggle to become parents.
  • Angela Bassett Relationships:
  • Betty Bassett - Mother
  • Bronwyn Golden Vance - Daughter
  • Courtney B. Vance - Husband
  • D'nette Bassett - Sister
  • Slater Josiah Vance - Son
  • Angela Bassett Awards:
  • 1994 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Winner
  • 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
  • 1993 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
  • College:
  • Yale University, New Haven, CT (BS in African-American Studies, 1980); Yale University, School of Drama, New Haven, CT (MFA, 1983)

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