Angela Evelyn Bassett was born on August 16, 1958, in Harlem, NY. Angela and her younger sister were raised mostly by their single mother in Florida after their parents divorced. Their mother, Betty, was a social worker.
After being inspired by James Earl Jones’ performance in Of Mice and Men and the encouragement of a teacher, Angela Bassett attended Yale University. Here she earned a B.A in Afro-American Studies and an M.F.A in drama. Here she also studied under famous stage director, Lloyd Richards, who would cast her in two shows, Black Bottom and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
Angela Bassett has become known for her roles as strong, confident women. She has landed roles as a number of notable women like Tina Turner, Betty Shabazz, Katherine Jackson, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King. She has also had significant roles in Waiting To Exhale, Contact, Hamlet, and Jump The Broom.
For her role as Rosa Parks in 1992, Angela Bassett was nominated for her first Emmy, and for her role as Tina Turner in 1993, she received a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. Angela Bassett made a name for herself on the small screen as well, starring in shows like American Horror Story.
In one of her more recent roles, Angela Bassett starred among a number of celebrated Black actors in Marvel’s Black Panther. Again, she played Dowager Queen Ramonda, Queen Mother of Wakanda, a strong and confident woman.
In her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has proved her immense talent in a number of roles. Whether she is on stage, on the small screen, or on the big screen, Bassett has had an eclectic, exciting, and successful career as an actress.
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Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine.
