When you hear the name Angela Bassett, which one of her iconic roles comes to mind? The veteran actress has been stealing our hearts in roles for over four decades so trying to condense this list of iconic Angela Bassett roles to just a few is hard. She’s been on your favorite soap opera, has an Academy Award nomination in a Marvel movie and has taken on real life figures like Violetta Wallace, Rose Parks, Betty Shabazz, and Coretta Scott King, just to name a few.
So which is your favorite?
Is it her role as Tina Turner in the classic What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Is it Athena Nash in the hit series “9-1-1”? Or something else?
Bassett’s roles over the years have garnered her not only praise but recognition from the industry.
These roles have helped make her an unforgettable star and show why she is still one of the best in the business.
Tina Turner – What’s Love Got to Do with It?
When the biography of Tina Turner was going to be turned into a movie, many wondered who could play the role. The director and producers called on Angela Bassett to take on the role, and clearly, they knew what they were doing. Of course, those of you who remember the movie know it was about Turner’s long-term toxic relationship with ex-husband Ike Turner. Bassett gave the performance of a lifetime as Turner. Keep in mind, not only did she have to act, but she had to perform as well. A lot of the scenes called on Bassett’s athletic ability to carry off those scenes, and boy, did she. Audiences cheered her performance, and it’s her most iconic role to date.
Queen Ramonda – Black Panther Wakanda Forever
Bassett took on the role of Queen Ramonda in both Black Panther movies. Her performance garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the second movie, Bassett basically carried the movie as a grieving mother trying to grieve her son in the midst of trying to save her country. One can argue that she was the real superhero in this movie because of her acting. You could feel the loss of not only the King but of Chadwick Boseman, who passed after filming the first movie in the series. Bassett’s performance was elegant, profound, and touching, which is why she was nominated for another Oscar, the only actor from any of the Marvel franchises who has accomplished this feat so far.
Athena Grant Nash – “911”
This generation may know Bassett more as Athena Grant Nash on the hit series “911”. Bassett not only stars in the show but is also one of the producers with two spinoffs, “911 Longstar” and the upcoming “911 Nashville”. Athena is a police officer who falls in love with fireman Bobby Nash in season 2. Athena finds herself in a lot of perilous situations throughout the series. Still, as usual, Bassett’s acting chops shine through, especially recently, when she is dealing with losing her husband at the end of this past season. The audience grieved along with Athena, and Bassett’s acting made it feel like we had lost our good friend.
Bernadine Harris – Waiting To Exhale
Bassett had starring roles in other movies prior to this, but the movie that put her on the map was Waiting to Exhale as long-suffering wife, Bernadine “Bernie” Harris. Bernie discovers one day that her husband was having an affair with his secretary, and had planned to leave her after all these years, with nothing. But rather than just go away, she found her voice, got mad, and got even. One of the most iconic scenes in movie history was when Bernie set her husband’s car on fire with all his clothes in it as she walked away in a blaze of glory with just a robe on and a cigarette in her mouth. It was a powerful scene and still stands as one of Bassett’s greatest roles.
Stella Payne – How Stella Got Her Groove Back
In this movie, Bassett proved that you can find love at any age and that you can start over. Bassett played Stella Payne, an overworked stockbroker and divorcee trying to raise her son. After she is let go from her job, she decides to spice up her life by taking a vacation with her girlfriend to Jamaica and finds more than what she bargained for on this trip. She meets and falls in love with a much younger man, and while she thought it would be just a fling, it turns into much more. In this role, Bassett showed us not only her dramatic side but her comedic side as well with the help of Whoopi Goldberg. You can also tell she was having a blast showing a side of herself we rarely see in her movies. We also saw her fun, sexy side as well.
