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Angela Bassett Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
posted on Mar 21, 2008
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Academy Award nominated actress Angela Bassett was honored with the 2,358th
Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday.
Bassett, 49, was joined by husband Courtney B. Vance,
their children and guests, actors Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne and Rick
Fox. Fox is her co-star in Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns," which opens today.
Fishburne, starred alongside Bassett in "What's Love Got to Do With
It," highlighted her persistence saying "You
get a lot of no's in this business and you have to have that desire and
determination which is what Angela has.
Whitaker called Bassett was "a powerful artist, a beautiful person, a mother, a wife, a friend who illuminates my life."
Bassett spoke, recalling her move from NY to L.A. in 1988, "I
meant to stay six months but I stayed. Today my cup runneth over! I am crying now, I cried yesterday and the day before.
... This day is so, so special to me."
Angela Bassett has made a career out of alluring
audiences with emotionally tinged performances that
capture a sense of dignity and pride whenever she
appears on screen. Her talent and abilities as an
actress and executive producer in both television
and film have time and again earned her the respect
and acclaim from her peers and her fans, earning her
place as one of the industry’s premier leading
ladies.
She is perhaps best known for her intense portrayal of Tina
Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With
It”, Bassett earned an Academy Award nomination for
her powerful performance, and received the Golden
Globe for “Best Actress in a Drama” as well as the
NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Motion Picture".
Bassett recently starred opposite Laurence Fishburne
in the critically-acclaimed Lionsgate film "Akeelah
and the Bee" and received rave reviews for her work
with Fishburne in August Wilson’s classic play
"Fences "at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse. Her
next starring role on the big screen will be in
Tyler Perry’s "Meet
the Browns", with Rick Fox opening
nationwide on
March 21, 2008. She has also just
completed work on Giancarlo Esposito’s "Gospel Hill
and Nothing But the Truth," starring alongside Kate
Beckinsale and David Schwimmer.
In February, 2007, Angela showed yet another side of
her artistry with the release of her best-selling
book "FRIENDS: A Love Story ", that she co-wrote
with her husband, actor Courtney B. Vance. The
inspirational tome is the real-life love story of
Bassett and Vance, who were friends for many years
before marrying.
Bassett has received a total of nine NAACP Image
Awards for her performances in "How Stella Got Her
Groove Back"; opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Taye
Diggs; her supporting roles in "The Score "opposite
Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando; "
Music of the Heart " starring with Meryl Streep; "
Malcolm X" starring opposite Denzel Washington; as
well as for her leading role in the television movie
“Ruby’s Bucket of Blood.” In addition, she
received NAACP Image Award nominations for her work
in the sci-fi blockbuster "Contact" starring
opposite Jodie Foster and for "Boesman and Lena"
with Danny Glover. Bassett also received a Screen
Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance in
“Ruby’s Bucket of Blood.” and Emmy nominations for
her work in the television movie "The Rosa Parks
Story” and for the “Uncle Jed’s Barbershop” episode
of PBS’ Storytime.
A Yale School of Drama graduate, Bassett has made
her mark as both a dramatic actress and a master of
subtle comedy, creating memorable roles in film and
television. She staked her claim with a recurring
role in the hit television drama series “Alias,” ,
flexed her comedy chops in the movie "Mr. 3000" with
Bernie Mac, and made an indelible mark on audiences
with her work in John Sayles’ "Sunshine State" with
Edie Falco; Terry McMillan’s "Waiting to Exhale"
co-starring Whitney Houston,; James Cameron’s
futuristic "Strange Days" with Ralph Fiennes;
"Vampire in Brooklyn” starring opposite Eddie
Murphy; and "Supernova" "with James Spader. She was
recently heard in theaters across the country
voicing the character of "Mildred" in Disney’s
animated smash hit ""Meet the Robinsons," based on
the successful children’s book of the same name by
William Joyce.
Early in her career, Bassett made the successful
transition from stage to the silver screen when she
appeared in the pivotal role as the ambitious single
mother who sends her son to live with his father in
John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood." She received
critical raves for her touching performance as
Katherine Jackson in the ABC mini-series “The
Jacksons: An American Dream,” and overwhelming
recognition for her narration of the PBS miniseries,
“Africans in America.”
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