80 Facts About Angela Bassett

1.

Angela Bassett's is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Black Reel Awards, a Golden Globe Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

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2.

Angela Bassett began her acting career in the 1980s, after graduating from Yale University.

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3.

In 2013, Angela Bassett had a recurring role on the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story: Coven, earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

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4.

Angela Bassett's returned as a series regular for Freak Show, the series' fourth season, portraying Desiree Dupree, for which she received another Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

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5.

Angela Bassett returned to the series's sixth season, Roanoke, portraying an alcoholic actress named Monet Tumusiime, who plays struggling mother and former police officer Lee Harris in the My Roanoke Nightmare documentary, and she reprised her role as Marie Laveau in a guest role in the eighth season Apocalypse.

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6.

Angela Bassett was born in New York City, the daughter of a social worker Betty Jane, a civil servant, and Daniel Benjamin Angela Bassett, a preacher's son.

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7.

Ten months after Angela Bassett was born, her mother became pregnant and had a second child, Angela Bassett's sister D'nette.

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8.

Angela Bassett said the pregnancy "only made things harder", leading her parents to send her to her father's sister, Golden, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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9.

At the age of four, Angela Bassett was picked up by her mother after her parents divorced, and then relocated with her sister to St Petersburg, Florida.

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10.

Angela Bassett did not see her father again for several years, until she attended her grandmother's funeral.

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11.

Angela Bassett's mother became more involved in her daughter's grades and told her and her sister the pair were going to college.

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12.

At Boca Ciega High School, Angela Bassett was a cheerleader and a member of the Upward Bound college prep program, the debate team, student government, drama club and choir.

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13.

Angela Bassett's participated in Upward Bound, an academic and cultural enrichment program for underprivileged students.

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14.

Angela Bassett says she and the other participants did not see themselves as underprivileged.

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15.

At Yale, Bassett met her future husband Courtney B Vance, a 1986 graduate of the drama school.

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16.

Angela Bassett soon looked for acting work in the New York theater.

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17.

The Wilson plays featuring Angela Bassett were Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner's Come and Gone .

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18.

In 1985, Angela Bassett made her first television appearance, as a prostitute in the made-for-TV movie Doubletake.

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19.

Angela Bassett moved to Los Angeles in 1988 for more acting jobs, with early guest spots on A Man Called Hawk and 227 .

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20.

Angela Bassett began to gain critical attention and public recognition for her performances in the films Boyz n the Hood and Malcolm X .

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21.

Angela Bassett subsequently played Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream.

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22.

Angela Bassett's agents tried to discourage her from playing the role, given the negative publicity surrounding Michael Jackson after he was accused of child molestation.

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23.

Angela Bassett's admitted to not caring about the negative view of members of the Jackson family at the time, citing her childhood fondness for the Jackson 5 as an example of her passion for the project and believed her "instinct" about the role had been correct once learning of the positive reviews the miniseries received after airing.

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24.

Angela Bassett had idolized the group growing up and said the Jackson family were positive influences on the African-American community for their successes.

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25.

Angela Bassett returned to Los Angeles after Malcolm X filming was completed, and got a call for an audition for a movie based on I, Tina, Tina Turner's memoir.

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26.

Angela Bassett won a Golden Globe and earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Turner.

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27.

Angela Bassett's was the first African-American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

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28.

Angela Bassett obtained the role after beating Halle Berry and Robin Givens, but only had a month to prepare before filming began.

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29.

Angela Bassett's met Tina Turner twice, and was given advice by the woman she would be portraying from wigs and outfits to dancing styles.

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30.

Angela Bassett starred in three movies in 1995, which were released with varied reactions from critics: Vampire in Brooklyn, Strange Days, and Waiting to Exhale .

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31.

In Strange Days, Angela Bassett played Lornette "Mace" Mason, a chauffeur and bodyguard.

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32.

Angela Bassett's was excited to work with Eddie Murphy in Vampire in Brooklyn, as well as director Wes Craven.

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33.

Angela Bassett described the then-recently filmed party scene and her character in Waiting to Exhale to the Orlando Sentinel.

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34.

Also in 1998, Angela Bassett starred in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, collaborating with McMillan.

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35.

Angela Bassett's played Stella, a 40-year-old American professional woman who falls in love with a 20-year-old Jamaican man.

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36.

In 1999, Angela Bassett starred in Music of the Heart, collaborating with horror icon Wes Craven.

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37.

The first film Angela Bassett appeared in that year was Supernova, where she played a medical officer.

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38.

Angela Bassett's was then telephoned by director Frank Oz, who told her Robert De Niro would "like to meet with you".

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39.

Angela Bassett met with De Niro and later realized the conversation was meant to break the ice before they started filming.

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40.

Laura Fries of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Angela Bassett "takes her physical strength and turns it inward to portray Parks" and expressed her belief that "lesser hands" would allow for misinterpretation or gross underplay of Parks' personality.

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41.

Angela Bassett appeared in the television film Time Bomb the same year.

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42.

Angela Bassett provided her voice for the 2007 film Meet the Robinsons.

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43.

Angela Bassett's next appeared in Of Boys and Men, portraying Rieta Cole, the matriarch of a Chicago family who is killed in an accident in the beginning of the film and is seen through flashbacks for the remainder of the film.

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44.

Angela Bassett joined the regular cast of ER for the show's final season .

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45.

Angela Bassett's portrayed Dr Catherine Banfield, an exacting Chief of the ER who was working to recover from the death of a son and to bring another child into her family.

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46.

Angela Bassett said she jumped at the chance to be part of the film after reading the script.

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47.

In 2010, Angela Bassett lent her voice to portray First Lady Michelle Obama on an episode of The Simpsons titled "Stealing First Base".

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48.

Angela Bassett was cast in the superhero film Green Lantern, released in 2011, as notable DC Comics character Amanda Waller.

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49.

Angela Bassett said working on the film was "a lot of fun" and that she enjoyed being a part of it.

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50.

Angela Bassett's called it her first time doing "this kind of movie" but expressed interest in seeing what her scenes looked like.

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51.

In 2011, Bassett co-starred with Samuel L Jackson in the play The Mountaintop a fictionalized depiction of the night before the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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52.

In March 2011, it was reported that Angela Bassett had signed up for a lead role in the ABC pilot Identity.

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53.

Angela Bassett's appeared in the 2011 film Jumping the Broom, playing the matriarch of a wealthy family.

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54.

Angela Bassett had a good feeling about the film from "the start", and believed her character had a "real presence" in the film and felt she was active in the plot.

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55.

Angela Bassett was featured in the 2012 film This Means War, having been known to be attached to the film since two years prior.

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56.

Angela Bassett was surprised to learn after researching that Coretta initially refused Martin Luther King Jr.

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57.

Angela Bassett was reported to have a role in the film in June 2012, the month before filming began.

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58.

Angela Bassett's called the decision to have a female African-American Secret Service director "a bold casting choice".

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59.

Angela Bassett described working with Morgan Freeman as wonderful, but she admitted to being intimidated by him.

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60.

Angela Bassett's was impressed with the preparation of director Antoine Fuqua, who she said "was just preparation to the hilt" and expressed her interest in working with him again.

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61.

Angela Bassett's sang and it was seen as contributing to the film's "blissful unreality".

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62.

Angela Bassett's was asked by the film's director, Kasi Lemmons, if she could sing and Bassett admitted to lying to get the role.

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63.

In 2013, Angela Bassett appeared on FX TV show American Horror Story: Coven as Marie Laveau, a voodoo witch.

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64.

Angela Bassett watched the previous seasons of the series before meeting with Murphy and found the writing "wonderful" and the characters "so realized".

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65.

Angela Bassett's performance earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

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66.

Angela Bassett's returned to the show for its fourth season American Horror Story: Freak Show, playing Desiree Dupree, a three-breasted woman.

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67.

Angela Bassett's received another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

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68.

Angela Bassett had previously expressed interest in directing the year before.

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69.

In March 2016, Angela Bassett appeared in London Has Fallen, reprising her role as Lynne Jacobs.

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70.

Angela Bassett noted it was "the very first sequel I've ever done" and that she had been excited at the prospect of another film after the initial success of Olympus Has Fallen.

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71.

In March 2017, Angela Bassett appeared in "Ache", an episode of the television series Underground.

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72.

In May 2017, Angela Bassett appeared in an episode of Master of None, portraying major character Denise's mother Catherine.

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73.

Lena Waithe wanted Angela Bassett after being impressed by her previous work though was convinced she would turn down the role and said Angela Bassett's inclusion influenced the series drastically with "another layer" of tension.

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74.

In February 2018, Angela Bassett starred in the acclaimed Marvel superhero film Black Panther as Queen Ramonda, mother of the titular character.

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75.

Angela Bassett's is set to appear alongside Millie Bobby Brown in Damsel.

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76.

Angela Bassett has been noted for portraying real life African-American women who are usually strong and intelligent.

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77.

Angela Bassett is a supporter of programs for the arts, especially for youth.

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78.

Angela Bassett's annually attends events for children with diabetes and those in foster homes.

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79.

Angela Bassett's is an active Ambassador of UNICEF for the United States and a member of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ.

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80.

Angela Bassett's is represented by the Executive Speakers Bureau of Memphis, Tennessee.

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