Angela Bassett Net Worth, Early Life, Education, Career Highlights, Awards, Personal Life and Activism

American actress and activist, Angela Bassett net worth increased as she became a prominent star through her role in What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) which won her a Golden Globe Award.

Synopsis

Born in 1958, Angela Bassett won Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for her performance in What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993). Similarly, Angela Bassett net worth grew as she won Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as Parks in The Rosa Parks Story (2002).

The Fine Arts degree holder from Yale drama school, Angela Bassett net worth hiked as she earned nominations for her roles in movies The Score (2001), Meet  the Browns (2008) and others. Similarly, she won awards through her performances in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) and Music of the Heart (1999).

Early Life and Education

Angela Bassett was born Angela Evelyn Bassett on August 16, 1958 in New York City, New York. The American actress was born as the daughter of Betty Jane and Daniel Benjamin Bassett. When she was 10 months old, her mother gave got pregnant with her sister, D’nette.

The second pregnancy made things difficult for her parents, as a result of which they shipped Bassett to live with her aunt. Her aunt, Golden, was sister of her father with no children of her own. Therefore, Golden loved Bassett a lot.

Later, Bassett’s parents separated. After this, she relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There, social worker mother raised her and her sister. After several years, she met her father at her grandmother’s funeral with her step sister who was much older than her.

Bassett went to Jordan Park Elementary School and then attended Disston Middle School where she completed her seventh grade. After that, she went to Azalea Middle School. During this time, her mother got serious about the two Bassett girls studies and stayed determined to send them to college.

She was a very active student at Boca Ciega High School. She was a cheerleader and a member of the Upward Bound college prep program. Additionally, she was in the debate team, drama club, student government and choir. During her high school, she got a ‘C’ however, her pride knocked up and did not get another ‘C’ in her high school days.

Bassett earned her B.A. in African-American studies from Yale University in 1980 and Masters degree in Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama. She became the only one in Bassett family to go to undergrad and graduate school.

After graduating, she worked as receptionist for a beauty salon and also a photo researcher. Soon, she started looking for acting career in New York Theater and landed her first role in Black Girl (1985). Similarly, she played in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1986). Angela Bassett net worth rose as landed starring role in Fences in 2006.

Professional Career Highlights

Bassett got a role of prostitute in TV movie Doubletake in 1985. The following year, she made a debut in F/X. Soon, she moved to Los Angeles and gained recognition through her appearances in Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Malcolm X (1992).

Fond of Michael Jackson as a child, Angela Bassett played Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream in 1992. Even though her agents discouraged her to play the role citing negative reception Michael Jackson had, she took the role not caring about the negativities. Later, she recalled her being blessed to get such a high-profile role.

For her role as Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It, she received critical acclamation. Angela Bassett net worth increased as Entertainment Weekly praised her performance as “gave the best performance of the lifetime”.

In 1995, Bassett starred in Vampire in Brooklyn, Strange Days and Waiting to Exhale. These roles garnered her mixed reviews. Angela Bassett net worth heightened as she starred in How Stella Got Her Groove Back in 1998.

Bassett was the cast of The Rosa Parks Story as Rosa Parks for which Entertainment Weekly praised her as “takes her physical strength and turns it inward to portray Parks”.

Her another remarkable appearance came up in 2008 film Gospel Hill. For her performance in the film, The New York Times wrote “fiery self-possession brings a spark of passion to her stick-figure character”. The same year, she joined television cast of ER for a year where she portrayed Dr. Catherine Banfield.

In 2011, she co-starred in The Mountaintop with Samuel L. Jackson. The film is about the fictional depiction of the night before Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Her most recent appearances are in American Horror Story: Roanoke (2016) and an episode in TV series Underground (2017).

Awards and Nominations

Angela Bassett net worth rose swiftly as she bagged an Image Award for portraying Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X.

Furthermore, Angela Bassett net worth accelerated as she won a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award. She won the nomination for The Rosa Parks Story. Her movie The Mountaintop won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play.

For 2013 FX TV Show American Horror Story: Coven, Angela Bassett portrayed Marie Laveau for which she gained critical acclamations. In addition, Angela Bassett net worth rose for she won Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She received the award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Apart from the awards Bassett received through her acting career, Angela Bassett net worth also grew through an honor she got out of acting career. She became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority on July, 2013.

Personal Life and Relationship

The remarkable actress, Angela Bassett married actor Courtney B. Vance in 1997. They have twin children, son Slater Josiah Vance and daughter Brownyn Golden Vance, born on January 27, 2006.

Advocacy and Activism

Bassett shows strong support to programs of art. Similarly, the actress attends events for children with diabetes, and those living in foster homes. Furthermore, she is also an active ambassador of UNICEF for the US. She is additionally a supporter of the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Clubs located in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 2007, Bassett donated more than $2000 to presidential campaign of Barack Obama. She even made an appearance at St. Petersburg office of his campaign and attended second inauguration of Obama in 2013.

Similarly, she endorsed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 and spoke at 2016 Democratic National Convention. As a spokesperson, she introduced Charleston church shooting survivors.

Salary and Net Worth

The award winning actress, Angela Bassett net worth is $20 million. She garnered this good fortune through her extensive interest and skill in acting.