1980s After graduation, Bassett worked as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher to support herself while looking 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; these were ''
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984), and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986). Decades later 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. In 1985, Bassett made her first television appearance, as a prostitute in the television film
Doubletake. She made her film debut as a news reporter in
F/X (1986), for which she was required to join the
Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Bassett moved to
Los Angeles in 1988 for more acting jobs. She had early guest spots on
A Man Called Hawk and
227 (both 1989). Bassett worried that after her role as Betty Shabazz in
Malcolm X, she would not find another role "as satisfying." At the time of the film's release, she expressed her worry that she would not have such a role again. "I think I have been incredibly blessed and it is probably just all downhill from here." Bassett also starred as
Katherine Jackson in
The Jacksons: An American Dream, which premiered on ABC-TV in the same week as the theatrical release of
Malcolm X. After returning to Los Angeles following completion of her work for
Malcolm X, Bassett got a call to audition for a film about Tina Turner, based on her memoir
I, Tina. Bassett won the lead role over
Halle Berry and
Robin Givens, but had only one month to prepare before filming began. She met with Turner twice, who advised her on details of her interpretation, from wigs and outfits to dancing styles. Turner also did Bassett's make-up, leading Bassett to call her "supportive" and her "biggest fan." In an interview with the
Orlando Sentinel, Bassett described going to one of Turner's concerts and, after realizing that she knew some of Turner's dance moves, she cried and was "almost a river of tears." Marc Bernardin of
Entertainment Weekly wrote that Bassett "gave the performance of a lifetime" portraying Turner in the biopic. Bassett won a
Golden Globe for her portrayal, and was the first African American to win this
Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for an
Academy Award as Best Actress, but lost to
Holly Hunter for
The Piano. (Despite the acclaim, Bassett later said in a 2022 interview on
Today with Hoda & Jenna, that after portraying Turner, she did not receive acting calls for about a year and a half.) Bassett starred in three films in 1995, which received varying reviews:
Vampire in Brooklyn,
Strange Days, and
Waiting to Exhale. (For the latter she worked with author
Terry McMillan, who had written the book of the same title that was adapted for film.) In
Strange Days, Bassett played Lornette "Mace" Mason, a chauffeur and bodyguard. In
Vampire in Brooklyn, she played Rita Veder, a tortured cop with a dark secret. She was excited to work with
Eddie Murphy in the film, and director
Wes Craven. Bassett had previously worked with Craven on television shows. Bassett's character in
Waiting to Exhale, Bernadine Harris, is betrayed by her husband. In revenge she sets fire to his entire wardrobe and vehicle, then sells what is left for one dollar. Bassett described the scene and her character in this film to the
Orlando Sentinel as follows: "The thing is that my character is thinking about how her husband has left her. I have a cigarette in one hand, and I'm drinking. Basically, the four of us are sitting there talking about men and having some fun." In 1997, Bassett starred as the President's advisor in
Contact. Stephen Holden of
The New York Times opined that Bassett was "largely wasted as a Presidential assistant." In 1998, Bassett starred in
How Stella Got Her Groove Back, once again collaborating with McMillan. She played Stella, a 40-year-old professional American woman who falls in love with a 20-year-old Jamaican man. She was praised for her performance by
Variety and the
Washington Post. Stephen Holden of
The New York Times said Bassett's character was "the best thing in the movie" and wrote the actress "portrays this high-strung superwoman with such intensity that she makes her almost believable." In 1999, Bassett starred in
Music of the Heart, once again collaborating with horror director Wes Craven. Matthew Eng wrote of her "terrifically specific chemistry" with
Meryl Streep.
2000s In 2000, Bassett turned down the lead role in ''
Monster's Ball'' because of the script's sexual content. Halle Berry won the
Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the role. The first film Bassett appeared in that year was
Supernova, where she played a medical officer. Her other two films released in 2000 were ''
Whispers: An Elephant's Tale and Boesman and Lena, the latter adapted from the play of the same name by South African Athol Fugard. Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote that in Boesman and Lena'' Bassett "abandons her recently cultivated glamorous image to dig to the core of Lena's fierce, probing, contentious, compassionate character." Kevin Thomas of the
Los Angeles Times wrote that Bassett captured all of her character's "mercurial mood swings", and both Bassett and her costar
Danny Glover "rise to the challenge of these larger-than-life roles, just as you would expect." She appeared in the 2001 film
The Score. Her character was in a relationship with
Robert De Niro's. She read the film's script and became interested. She was telephoned by director
Frank Oz, who told her Robert De Niro would "like to meet with you". Bassett met with De Niro and later realized the conversation was meant to break the ice before they started filming. In addition to
The Score, that year she also had a role in the television film ''Ruby's Bucket of Blood''. The following year, in 2002, Bassett acted in
Sunshine State and
The Rosa Parks Story. In
The Rosa Parks Story, Bassett was cast as
Rosa Parks. Laura Fries of
Entertainment Weekly wrote that Bassett "takes her physical strength and turns it inward to portray Parks" and expressed her belief that "lesser hands" would allow for misinterpretation or gross underplay of Parks's personality. In addition to positive reception of her role, Bassett was seen as the "star" of the film due to her performance and earned a nomination for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her performance. In 2003, she read from the WPA slave narratives in
Unchained Memories. In the 1930s, about 100,000 former enslaved African Americans were still alive. As part of the
Federal Writers' Project during the Great Depression, writers interviewed some 2,300, capturing their memories of slavery times. The transcripts of the Slave Narratives collection of the Library of Congress is a record of slavery, bondage and misery. That year she also appeared in the film
Masked and Anonymous, playing a mistress. Ann Hornaday noted her as among the "endless parade of actors who show up even for the briefest of appearances". In 2004, she had roles in the films
The Lazarus Child and
Mr. 3000.
Mr. 3000 was a comedy in which Bassett costarred with
Bernie Mac. When asked if the film was easier to act in than the more intense roles she had in the past, Bassett said, "This was much easier. This was a walk in the park. It was pretty easy compared to some of the roles I've done that call for so much emotion or physicality." At the time of the film's release, she described both Bernie Mac and
Laurence Fishburne, whom she had worked with in the past, her "favorites" and said the pair were both "highly professional and extraordinarily talented." The only film she appeared in during the following year was
Mr. and Mrs. Smith in an uncredited voice role. In the 2006 film
Akeelah and the Bee, Bassett portrayed Tanya Anderson, the mother of the film's lead, Akeelah, played by
Keke Palmer. Bassett said she loved the story, She described working with Palmer as being "really wonderful." According to Bassett, the two bonded and she said that Palmer was as good an actress as any adult she had worked with. Bassett appeared in the television film
Time Bomb the same year. Her role was seen as an "extended cameo" by Brian Lowry of
Variety. 's fashion show in 2007 Bassett provided her voice for the 2007 film
Meet the Robinsons. When asked about her motives in taking on the role, Bassett said, "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 appeared in the 2008 film
Gospel Hill. Stephen Holden of
The New York Times wrote that Bassett's "fiery self-possession brings a spark of passion to her stick-figure character". She next appeared in
Of Boys and Men, portraying Rieta Cole, the matriarch of a Chicago family who is killed in an accident in the beginning of the film; she appears in flashbacks for the remainder of the film. She and her costars
Robert Townsend and
Victoria Rowell were praised by Robert Gillard of
LA Sentinel for "capturing the emotions of a family stricken by grief." Bassett also had a role in
Nothing But the Truth in 2008. Bassett joined the regular cast of
ER for the show's final season (2008–2009). 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, played her television husband on
ER as Russell Banfield. Also in 2008, she played the character Brenda in the film ''
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.'' In the 2009 film
Notorious, Bassett portrayed Voletta Wallace, the mother of
The Notorious B.I.G.. To portray Wallace's Jamaican accent, Bassett conversed with her on and off the film set, and she practiced her accent using tapes that Wallace made. Bassett said she jumped at the chance to be part of the film after reading the script. She felt it did a "wonderful job of bringing" The Notorious B.I.G.'s "life to the page." Bassett earned positive reviews for her performance in the film, noted as being one of the more experienced actors involved.
2010s in 2015 In 2010, Bassett lent her voice to portray
First Lady Michelle Obama on an episode of
The Simpsons titled "
Stealing First Base". Bassett was seen as a "terrific" fill in for Obama. Bassett was also cast in the superhero film
Green Lantern, released in 2011, as
Amanda Waller. Bassett said working on the film was "a lot of fun" and that she enjoyed being a part of it. In 2011, Bassett co-starred with
Samuel L. Jackson in the play
The Mountaintop a fictionalized depiction of the night before the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (Jackson portrays MLK) while at the
Lorraine Motel. The critically acclaimed play by
Katori Hall originally debuted in London's
West End in 2009 and went on to win the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. The production opened on Broadway on October 13, 2011. In March 2011, it was reported that Bassett had signed up for a lead role in the ABC pilot
Identity. She also appeared in the 2011 film
Jumping the Broom, playing the matriarch of a wealthy family. Bassett had a good feeling about the film from "the start", and believed her character had a "real presence" in the film and felt she was active in the plot. Bassett's and
Loretta Devine's performances in the film were called "in some ways too fierce for the room, offering nuances of hostility and hurt that the movie cannot really handle" and contributing to the "unevenness of the performances" in the film. Bassett and Devine were noted as "superb, distinguished actresses" by Kirk Honeycutt of
The Hollywood Reporter, but were seen as having been "asked to overdo every moment with permanent scowls and body language more suitable to
Mortal Kombat." Despite this, her performance was given some positive attention, with Elizabeth Weitzman of
New York Daily News saying Bassett "makes the movie hers". The film was Bassett's second time working with Devine, as the pair had worked together previously in
Waiting to Exhale. Director Salim Akil said Bassett's presence quietly makes a big difference. having been known to be attached to the film since two years prior. Tambay A. Obenson of
IndieWire attributed Bassett's lack of appearances in promotional material to her having a small role and her demographic not being targeted by the film. Bassett also appeared as herself in ''I Ain't Scared Of You''. Bassett portrayed
Coretta Scott King in the television film
Betty and Coretta, which aired on February 2, 2013, continuing her trend of portraying real women. Bassett had previously played Shabazz in both
Malcolm X and
Panther, but instead played
Coretta Scott King opposite to
Mary J. Blige, who played Shabazz. Bassett was surprised to learn after researching that Coretta initially refused
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "advances" and called Mrs. King a "modern day iconic heroine." While being asked about what drew her to play real-life women, Bassett answered "The respect that I have for their lives—their stories, vulnerabilities, strength, and resolve." Bassett began filming her scenes during the latter part of the previous year.
Mary J. Blige, when asked about what kind of experience it was to work with Bassett, said that she was "one of Angela's biggest fans" while calling her an "amazing woman." The film received mixed reviews, including negative reactions from
Ilyasah Shabazz and
Bernice King, the daughters of
Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King. Bassett appeared as Secret Service director Lynne Jacobs in the action thriller
Olympus Has Fallen, released on March 22, 2013. Bassett was reported to have a role in the film in June 2012, the month before filming began. In an interview with
The Huffington Post, Bassett noted that there had "never been a female head of the Secret Service, much less a woman of color". She called the decision to have a female African-American Secret Service director "a bold casting choice". Overall, Bassett viewed the film as authentic. Bassett described working with
Morgan Freeman as wonderful, but she admitted to being intimidated by him. She was impressed with the preparation of director
Antoine Fuqua, who she said "was just preparation to the hilt" and expressed her interest in working with him again. She appeared in the 2013 film
Black Nativity. She sang and it was seen as contributing to the film's "blissful unreality". She was asked by the film's director,
Kasi Lemmons, if she could sing and Bassett admitted to lying to get the role. She joked to reporter Jennifer H. Cunningham, "Yes, I can sing — you didn't ask how well!" Singing in a film was a new experience for Bassett, who had never had to sing before and had always lip-synced. '' at the 2014
PaleyFest In 2013, Bassett appeared on FX TV show
American Horror Story: Coven Her agent approached
Ryan Murphy about her having a role in the series and he told the agent that she was the person he had in mind for Marie Laveau. Bassett watched the previous seasons of the series before meeting with Murphy and found the writing "wonderful" and the characters "so realized". Bassett's performance earned her a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She returned to the show for its fourth season
American Horror Story: Freak Show, playing Desiree Dupree, a three-breasted woman. She received another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. It was announced in May 2014 that Bassett would make her directorial debut with
Whitney, a TV film based on the life of
Whitney Houston, who Bassett had worked with previously. Bassett had previously expressed interest in directing the year before. On June 11, 2014,
Ruby Dee died from natural causes. Bassett had previously worked with her on
Betty and Coretta and was reported to attend the Riverside Church memorial for Dee on September 20, 2014. In the 2015 film
Survivor, Bassett portrayed
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Maureen Crane. In a negative review of the film, Mark Kermode lamented Bassett "appears from behind closed doors like a celebrity guest on
Stars in Their Eyes." Bassett also voiced the character Six in the first-person shooter game, ''
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege,
as well as Ana Spanikopita in the Netflix series BoJack Horseman''. In March 2016, Bassett appeared in
London Has Fallen, reprising her role as Lynne Jacobs. Bassett noted it was "the very first sequel I've ever done" and that she had been excited at the prospect of another film after the initial success of
Olympus Has Fallen. In June 2016, the
Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the
Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Bassett and others told the stories of the people killed there. Bassett appeared in
American Horror Story: Roanoke. She also directed its sixth episode, which aired on October 19, 2016. The episode marks the third time a woman has directed the show. Co-creator Ryan Murphy praised Bassett in an interview with E! News, saying he told her she would do this big, big episode and you're going to knock it out of the park,' and she did. And I've seen it time and time again with these women that we brought into this directing world that they're just killing it, and they're working twice as hard because they know they have a lot to prove." In March 2017, Bassett appeared in "Ache", an episode of the television series
Underground. Executive producer and director Anthony Hemingway said her character "was written with Angela in mind" and that the entire cast came to see Bassett the day she filmed her performance. In May 2017, Bassett appeared in an episode of
Master of None, portraying major character Denise's mother Catherine. Lena Waithe wanted Bassett after being impressed by her previous work though was convinced she would turn down the role and said Bassett's inclusion influenced the series drastically with "another layer" of tension. The writers of the series also favored Bassett for the role after seeing her performance in
The Jacksons: An American Dream and related her character's evolution in that feature to Catherine. In January 2018, Bassett joined the
Fox first responder procedural drama
9–1–1, of which she is also an executive producer. She plays officer Athena Grant, wife to Robert Nash, and during the show's fifth season in 2022, the character made an appearance in an episode of its spin-off,
9-1-1: Lone Star. In February 2018, Bassett starred in the acclaimed
Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film
Black Panther as
Queen Ramonda, mother of the
titular character; she briefly reprised the role the following year in
Avengers: Endgame. In July 2018, she portrayed CIA Director Erika Sloane in the action spy film
Mission: Impossible – Fallout. In December 2018, she voiced the
Decepticon villain 'Shatter' from the
Transformers live-action film
Bumblebee. In 2019, she joined the cast of
Gunpowder Milkshake.
2020s Bassett provided the voice of Dorothea Williams in the
Pixar animated film
Soul, which was released on
Disney+ on December 25, 2020. She also became narrator of the
Magic Kingdom nighttime spectacular
Disney Enchantment that premiered on October 1, 2021. In November 2022, she reprised her role as Ramonda in
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her performance in the sequel garnered her Best Supporting Actress awards at the
80th Golden Globe Awards—making her the first actor to win a major individual acting award for a film based on
Marvel Comics—and at the
28th Critics' Choice Awards. She was also nominated for an
Academy Award in the same category, which made her the first person in a
Marvel Studios film to be nominated for an Academy Award in any acting category. She then appeared alongside
Millie Bobby Brown in the
Netflix film
Damsel, released in March 2024 to mixed reviews. Bassett also starred as the
President of the United States in
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, released in May 2025. == Media image ==