Angela Bassett: Map

Categories: 1958 births > Actors from Florida > Actors from New York City > African American film actors > African American television actors > American Christians > American Pentecostals > American stage actors > Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners > Living people > Members of the Church of God in Christ > People from Harlem > People from St. Petersburg, Florida > Yale School of Drama alumni > Yale University alumni

Wikipedia article:

Map showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article:

Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American

actress. She has become well-known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, perhaps most prominently as singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and Panther, Rosa Parks in the The Rosa Parks Story, Michael Jackson's mother Katherine in the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream and Christopher (The Notorious B.I.G.) Wallace's Mother Voletta Wallace in the Biopic Notorious.

Early life

Bassett was born in Harlem

and relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida

as a child. She and her sister D'nette were raised by their social worker/civil servant mother, Betty. As her interest in entertainment developed, she and her sister would often put on shows, reading poems or performing popular music for their family. At Boca Ciega High School, Bassett was a member of the debate team, student government, drama club, choir, and was a cheerleader.

Bassett attended Yale University

and received her B.A. degree in African-American studies in 1980. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama. At Yale, Bassett met her future husband Courtney B. Vance, a 1986 graduate of the drama school. After graduation, Bassett worked as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher.

Bassett soon looked for acting work in the New York theater. One of her first New York performances came in 1985 when she appeared in J. E. Franklin's Black Girl at Second Stage Theatre. She appeared in two August Wilson plays at the Yale Repertory Theatre

under the direction of her long-time instructor Lloyd Richards. The Wilson plays featuring Bassett were Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986). In 2000 she turned down the leading role in Monsters Ball which was later given to Halle Berry due to it's sexual content. In 2006, she had the opportunity to work on the Wilson canon again, starring in Fences alongside longtime collaborator Laurence Fishburne at the Pasadena Playhouse

in California.

Television and film career

In 1985, Bassett made her first television appearance 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 moved to Los Angeles

and gained recognition in the films Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). For her portrayal of Betty Shabazz, she earned an Image Award.

In 1992 Bassett played Katherine Jackson (Michael Jackson's mother) in the Mini Series The Jacksons: An American Dream.Later in 1992, Bassett won the role of Tina Turner in the feature film What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). Bassett earned a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Turner. She was the first African-American to win the Best Actress Golden Globe for a musical or comedy.

Bassett starred in three movies in 1995 that were released with varied reactions from critics; Vampire in Brooklyn, Strange Days, and Waiting to Exhale (where she worked with author Terry McMillan). In Strange Days, Bassett plays Lornette "Mace" Mason, a chauffeur and bodyguard. Bernadine Harris, Bassett's character in Waiting to Exhale, was betrayed by her husband and in revenge she set fire to his entire wardrobe and vehicle, then sold what was left for one dollar.

In 1998, Bassett starred in the film How Stella Got Her Groove Back, once again collaborating with McMillan. She played Stella, a 40-year-old American professional woman who falls in love with a 20-year-old Jamaican man.

Bassett joined the regular cast of the medical drama series ER for the show's final season. She portrayed Dr. Catherine Banfield, an exacting Chief of the ER who was also working to recover from the death of a son and to bring another child into her family. Bassett's husband Courtney Vance also played her television husband on ER as Russell Banfield.

She will also lend her voice on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons.

Personal life

Bassett is a private person, often choosing not to discuss her personal life with the public. She attends LA's West Angeles Church of God in Christ along with fellow actor Denzel Washington. Bassett told the Los Angeles Times: "Loving God is like my being black. I just am. [No one says] 'You know what? I'm gonna be blacker today!' It's my culture. It's not something I put on or take off or show more. You just communicate that in the way you live your life."

Bassett married actor Courtney B. Vance in 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 children, son Slater Josiah and daughter Bronwyn Golden, were born on January 27, 2006.

Bassett is an avid supporter of programs for the Arts, especially for youth. She annually attends events for children with diabetes and those in foster homes. She is an active Ambassador of UNICEF for the United States. Bassett is a big supporter of the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. The Club is one of the first all performing arts Boys & Girls Clubs in the country.

Bassett is represented by the Executive Speakers Bureau of Memphis

, Tennessee

, and receives over $50,000 per appearance.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1986	F/X	TV Reporter
1990	Kindergarten Cop	Stewardess
1991	Critters 4	Fran	Released Straight-to-Video
	Boyz n the Hood	Reva Devereaux
	City of Hope	Reesha
1992	Passion Fish	Dawn/Rhonda
	Innocent Blood	U.S. Attorney Sinclair
	Malcolm X	Betty Shabazz
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Katherine Jackson
1993	What's Love Got to Do with It	Anna Mae Bullock/Tina Turner	Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress
1995	Vampire in Brooklyn	Det. Rita Veder
	Panther	Betty Shabazz
	Strange Days	Lornette 'Mace' Mason
	Waiting to Exhale	Bernadine 'Bernie' Harris
1997	Contact	Rachel Constantine
1998	How Stella Got Her Groove Back	Stella
1999	Our Friend, Martin	Miles' Mom	Voice Role Released Straight-to-Video
1999	Music of the Heart	Principal Janet Williams
2000	Supernova	Dr. Kaela Evers
	Whispers: An Elephant's Tale	Groove	Voice Role
	Boesman and Lena	Lena
2001	The Score	Diane
2002	Sunshine State	Desiree Stokes Perry
2003	Masked and Anonymous	Mistress
2004	The Lazarus Child	Dr. Elizabeth Chase
2004	Mr. 3000	Maureen 'Mo' Simmons
2005	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Mr. Smith's Boss	Uncredited Voice Role
2006	Akeelah and the Bee	Tanya Anderson
2007	Meet the Robinsons	Mildred	Voice Role
2008	Gospel Hill	Sarah Malcolm
	Of Boys and Men	Rieta Cole
	Meet the Browns	Brenda Brown
	Nothing But the Truth	Bonnie Benjamin
2009	Notorious	Voletta Wallace	Supporting Role
2009	The Princess and the Frog	Eudora

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Doubletake	Prostitute at Headquarters	CBS TV-Movie
1985	Spenser: For Hire	Joe's Daughter	Episode: The Choice
1985, 1988	The Cosby Show	Mrs. Mitchell Paula	Episode: Mr. Quiet Episode: Bookworm
1986	Liberty	Linda Thornton	NBC TV-Movie
1987	Ryan's Hope	Leonie Peach
1989	A Man Called Hawk	Bailey Webster	Episode: The Master's Mirror Episode: Never My Love
	Tour of Duty	Lt. Camilla Patterson	Episode: Hard Stripe Episode: The Volunteer
	227	Amy Burnett	Episode: A Pampered Tale
	Thirtysomething	Kate Harriton	Episode: Legacy
1990	Family of Spies	Bev Andress	CBS TV-Movie
	Alien Nation	Renee Longstreet	Episode: Eyewitness News
	Challenger	Cheryl McNair	ABC TV-Movie
	Equal Justice	Janet Fields	Episode: Goodbye, Judge Green
	In the Best Interest of the Child	Lori	CBS TV-Movie
	Perry Mason: In the Case of the Silenced Singer	Carla Peters	NBC TV-Movie
1991	Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story	Pat	NBC TV-Movie
	The Flash	Linda Lake	Episode: Beat the Clock
	Fire: Trapped on the 37th Floor	Allison	ABC TV-Movie
	Stat	Dr. Willie Burns	Episode: Ladyfinger
	The Heroes of Desert Storm	Lt. Phoebe Jeter	ABC TV-Movie
	Locked Up: A Mother's Rage	Willie	TV-Movie
	One Special Victory	Lois	NBC TV-Movie
1992	Nightmare Cafe	Evelyn	Episode: Sanctuary for a Child
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Katherine Jackson	ABC Miniseries
1995	Get Smart	Uncredited Role Runway Model	Episode: Pilot
2001	Ruby's Bucket of Blood	Ruby Delacroix	Showtime TV-Movie
2002	The Rosa Parks Story	Rosa Louise McCauley Parks	CBS TV-Movie
2003	Freedom: A History of Us	Sheyann Webb Melba Pattillo	PBS Miniseries Episode: Marching to Freedom Land Episode: Let Freedom Ring
2005	Alias	CIA Director Hayden Chase	Episode: Authorized Personnel Only Episode: The Index Episode: The Descent Episode: Search And Rescue
2006	Time Bomb	Jill Greco	CBS TV-Movie
2008-2009	ER	Dr. Cate Banfield