Angela Bassett and Her Husband, Courtney B. Vance, Have Been Together for More Than 25 Years 😭❤️

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Angela Bassett is a literal Hollywood legend, having worked in the entertainment industry since the late '70s and starred in movies and shows like Boyz N The Hood, Malcolm X, Jumping the Broom, and Black Panther. And right at her side for the past 25 years has been Angela's husband (and fellow actor!) Courtney B. Vance. Despite them both being famous celebs, Angela and Courtney keep their private life, well, fairly private! If you'd like to learn more about Courtney and his adorable relationship with Angela, here's some intel, from his own impressive résumé to how he and Angela first met.

Courtney also works in the entertainment industry

Fun fact: He got his start performing on Broadway and even won a Tony Award in 2013 for Best Featured Actor in a Play thanks to his role in Lucky Guy! After his run in the production, the actor then set his sights on pursuing projects in television and film. Just some of the things he's worked on over the years? Law & Order, Scandal, and Revenge, to name a few. He also played one of O.J. Simpson's defense attorneys, Johnnie Cochran, in the FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, a role he was highly-lauded for by basically everyone.

"I chose to try to do it through just reading as much as I can. I didn’t want to get into the imitation game," Courtney said when asked about the research he did prior to playing the real-life character in front of the cameras. "I knew once we started episode 3 we’d be running full-tilt so there wouldn’t be time to be like, 'Hold up, let me check the tape to make sure I’m saying this right; I had to be. I had to just be him and not concern myself with it. I was looking for his spirit. I wanted to catch his spirit and recognize that he and I had the same journey."

He and Angela first met in school

Angela and Courtney have known each other for a very long time since they both attended the Yale School of Drama together in the '80s. However, it apparently wasn't exaaaaaaactly love at first sight. In a 2007 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Courtney confessed that he didn't remember his now-wife "at all, really" from their days at the legendary institution.

But clearly these two were meant to be, because over a decade later they were both single and more than ready to take things from a friendship to a relationship. "He had a beautiful, beautiful girlfriend at the time, who was also in drama school with us," Angela dished to People about their time in school together. "So maybe about 14 years later, our paths crossed here in Los Angeles. And I was single, he was single. And I had such an appreciation for him over those years—of his consistency, how he treated other people, of what a supporter he is, what a connector of people and ideas he is, how passionate he is." And the rest is—como se dice—history!

They have two kids together

Though the couple didn't have the most straightforward journey to parenthood, it worked out they way they'd hoped for in the end. Back in 1997, just three years after their first date, Angela and Courtney got married and pretty quickly wanted to expand their family. They soon turned to IVF treatments in order to conceive before pivoting to surrogacy, which was ultimately successful!

In 2006, Angela and Courtney welcomed twins Bronwyn and Slater Vance. "Just standing there together, holding each other with the realization that this is the moment that we’ve been working toward, praying for…[it’s a dream come true]," Angela confessed to Oprah soon after the birth of her children.

^ Literal cuteness overload.

Courtney has collaborated on projects with Angela

Clearly the couple that works together, stays together! These two starred alongside each other in Courtney's stage production of His Girl Friday for a month-long run in 2005. But they have also teamed up for more international feats, including starting an entire production company together called Bassett Vance Productions. Just some of the projects the company has helped make happen? A remake of Courtney’s 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife and the docuseries 1000 Years of Slavery.

In 2009, the famous husband and wife duo also published the book Friends: A Love Story, an "up-close-and-personal, real-life love story" of how Angela and Courtney "navigate the fickle tides of fame while keeping their relationship fresh and true." *Immediately adds to cart*

Their secret to a happy marriage is quite simple

It's clearly effective, so get ready to take notes, people! "Staying together so long, whether in the industry or not, I think the important thing is that you gotta marry the right person. Make sure you're both looking in the same direction, basically," Angela told People in 2020 when speaking about how she and Courtney have been able to preserve their multi-decade 'ship.

"You're not clones of each other, but you have similar or closest similar belief systems and, you know, pleasant personalities. Because we all have strengths, strengths and weaknesses, and we want to support one another. But I think also recognizing that we are each individuals, we have our individual dreams and desires and hopes and ways of doing things," she added.

And just last month, the couple chatted again with People at the Critics Choice awards and revealed that "talking, communicating, and space" are the keys to a long-lasting union. Courtney then compared his and Angela's marriage to a rock band like The Temptations or The Rolling Stones. "Initially it was about, 'they made it,' and then 'what about my individual glory?' And 'I don't want to get so caught up in the band and talks about going our separate ways.' And then going, 'You know what? We're better together and stronger together,'" Vance confessed.

Now excuse me while I just:

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