For over 30 years, Angela Bassett has been gracing viewers with her undeniable talents both on and off camera. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including three Black Reel Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also the first Black American to win the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It.
Bassett has definitely proven herself as a legendary and timeless performer in multiple mediums, including stage, television, movies and documentaries. But acting isn’t Bassett’s only claim to fame. In fact, did you know that she’s an Ivy League graduate?
Check out some of Bassett’s other achievements and talents.
She has multiple degrees from Yale.
Bassett holds a B.A., an M.F.A. and an honorary doctorate from Yale. And in 2020, she was awarded with Yale’s Undergraduate Lifetime Achievement Award (YULAA). The award recognizes a Yale alumnus for their outstanding work in a particular field. Bassett is the first Black recipient of the award.
She’s a director and producer.
Bassett is not only a legendary actress, she’s also a director. Bassett made her feature directorial debut with the Lifetime TV movie Whitney in 2015. The film, which was based on the life of Whitney Houston, was a great undertaking for Bassett.
“I have such regard for both Whitney’s and Bobby’s amazing talents and accomplishments, and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story,” Bassett told The Hollywood Reporter. “Their humanity and bond fascinate us all. I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world.”
Bassett also has directorial credits on episodes of FX’s American Horror Story and National Geographic’s Breakthrough. And on top of directing, she also has various producing credits.
She co-wrote a book with her husband.
Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, co-wrote a book entitled Friends: A Love Story. The inspirational book recounts their real-life love story and chronicles their friendship, road to marriage and journey to becoming parents.
The powerhouse couple also has a production company together known as Bassett Vance Productions. Some notable productions the pair has worked on include The Smithsonian Channel’s One Thousand Years of Slavery, and a historical series on the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Bassett married Vance in 1997. They first met at the Yale School of Drama, then became a couple over a decade later, after their paths crossed again in Los Angeles. The couple has twins — son Slater Vance and daughter Bronwyn Vance.
She’s a talented voice actress.
Bassett has provided her voice for various projects throughout the years, from TV series to video games. Some notable voice performances include the role of Dorothea Williams in the 2020 Pixar animated film Soul. In 2010, Bassett lent her voice to portray former first lady Michelle Obama on an episode of The Simpsons, titled “Stealing First Base,” reports the episode’s IMDb page.
She also voiced a character in the 2007 film Meet the Robinsons. When asked about her motives for taking on the role, Bassett said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, “For one, it was a character I had never played before, which is always important to me, to keep me sharp. But it was also the desire to be part of a well-written movie that has something really positive to say about families and about all the different ways there can be to make a family.”
She is actively involved with UNICEF and various programs.
Bassett is an ambassador of UNICEF for the United States,, reports Yale News, as well as a member of West Angeles Church of God in Christ. Bassett is also an avid supporter of programs for the arts, especially for youth. She supports the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, according to TV Guide. She also annually attends events for children with diabetes.
