Angela Bassett

Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress, director, and producer. Known for her portrayals of strong African-American female leads, Bassett 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 nominations for an Academy Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

Bassett began her acting career in the 1980s, after graduating from Yale University. Following a few minor roles, including as Reva Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Bassett had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in numerous acclaimed and successful films, including; as Betty Shabazz in both Malcolm X (1992) and Panther (1995), as Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), as Voletta Wallace in Notorious (2009), as Amanda Waller in Green Lantern (2011), and as Coretta Scott King in Betty & Coretta (2013). Her other notable film roles include Bernie Harris in Waiting to Exhale (1995), Rachel Constantine in Contact (1997), Stella Payne in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Janet Williams in Music of the Heart (1999), Lynne Jacobs in Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016), and Queen Ramonda in Black Panther (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).