12 Reasons "Wakanda Forever" Star Angela Bassett, AKA Queen Ramonda, DESERVES An Oscar Nomination
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
I think it's safe to say that Angela Bassett, who returned as Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, is long overdue for an Academy Award for her Oscar-worthy performance as a grieving but powerful ruler of the elusive kingdom.
Granted, every actor involved in the film was phenomenal, but Angela Bassett carried this incredible film on her back from start to finish.
With 88 award nominations in Angela's career, only one is an Academy Award nomination. It's wild to believe that this amazing actor has yet to receive an Oscar with a career spanning more than three decades as a notable actor, director, and producer.
Throughout her illustrious career, she's collected tons of awards, but no Academy Award or Emmy, which is interesting since she's dominated both the silver screen and small screen in some of the biggest roles of our time.
I had a feeling Wakanda Forever was going to showcase her talent, but it was the moment when Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) and Queen Ramonda left every emotion in existence on the floor that I realized this was Angela Bassett's year.
Here are 12 reasons why Angela Bassett should get an Oscar nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever:
VH1 / Via BuzzFeed/MykeThompson
1.Angela played Betty Shabazz, the wife of one of the most notable civil rights leaders in American history. In the film Malcolm X (1992), she starred alongside Denzel Washington, and she reprised her role as Betty in Panther (1995).
She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Malcolm X.
2.She played Coretta Scott King, the wife of the other most notable civil rights leader in American history, Martin Luther King Jr., in the TV movie Betty & Coretta (2013). She starred alongside R&B singer Mary J. Blige.
She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.
She was nominated for Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series.
She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
3.She played Katherine, mother of the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson, in the TV miniseries, The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992).
While The Jacksons: An American Dream won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Choreography, no actors were recognized for their performance in the awards circuit.
4.In the role that would be considered her breakout, she played the "Queen of Rock and Roll" Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It (1993) alongside Laurence Fishburne.
Buena Vista Pictures / Via giphy.com
She was nominated for a 1993 Academy Award for Best Actress. This is her only Oscar nomination.
She won a 1994 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.
She won a 1995 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.
She was nominated by the Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association for Best Actress.
5.She teamed up with acclaimed author Terry McMillan twice for two of the most iconic roles in Black American cinema. First, in Waiting to Exhale (1995) with Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon. Then, in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) with Taye Diggs.
20th Century Fox / Via giphy.com
Don't sit here and pretend like you don't remember this iconic scene when Bernadette showed her cheating husband (Michael Beach) she wasn't playing games. If you don't know, educate yourself — it's streaming somewhere.
She won a 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.
6.She moved my soul and portrayed yet another remarkable civil rights leader, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, in the TV movie The Rosa Parks Story (2002). She was involved in bringing three of the most well-known civil rights legacies to the cinema.
She was nominated for the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.
She was nominated for a 2002 BET Award for Best Actress.
She won a 2003 Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress — TV Movie or Limited Series.
She won a 2003 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
7.She held it down for the hip-hop community at large and played the resilient Voletta Wallace, mother of deceased rapper Christopher "Biggie" Wallace, in Notorious (2009).
To portray the mothers of music legends like Michael Jackson and Notorious B.I.G. was a power move that deserves more credit. Angela became a fixture in Black culture by giving new life to unsung stories of women in American entertainment.
She was nominated for a 2009 BET Award for Best Actress.
8.American Horror Story fans will know that Angela Bassett started appearing in seasons of the anthology while the show was at its peak. From Maire Laveau in American Horror Story: Coven to Ramona Royale in American Horror Story: Hotel, Angela delivered scene-stealing performances.
For American Horror Story: Coven, she was nominated for a 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She was nominated for a 2014 BET Award. She was also nominated for a 2014 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
For American Horror Story: Freak Show, she was nominated for a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She was also nominated for a 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
For American Horror Story: Hotel, she was nominated for a 2016 Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress — TV Movie or Limited Series. She was also nominated for a 2016 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.
For American Horror Story: Roanoke, she was nominated for two 2017 Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Director — TV Movie or Limited Series.
For American Horror Story: Cult, she was nominated for a 2017 Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director — TV Movie or Limited Series.
9.And she's had many more notable roles in film and television portraying important leaders and powerful women — all garnering award nominations and wins, but no Oscar or Emmy in sight. It's ridiculous.
In 2018, she became the producer and star of the first responder series 9-1-1, which earned her three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in Drama Series, a People's Choice Award, and a Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in an Action Series as LAPD patrol sergeant Athena Grant.
She won an African-American Film Critics Association TV Award.
10.On March 20, 2008, Angela Bassett was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So, we're getting close!
11.Angela holds her family down like no other. Her husband is an accomplished actor as well. Courtney B. Vance is a two-time Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-winning actor. The pair met while attending the Yale School of Drama for a master's in fine arts degree.
They have two children together, twins Slater Josiah and Bronwyn Golden Vance.
12.And finally, speaking of Yale, Angela attended Yale University for a bachelor's in African-American studies before continuing her master's degree. In 2018, she received an honorary doctorate from Yale. If her impressive filmography wasn't enough, she has the crisp education to back it up.
So, without receiving the acclaimed Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Awards — I believe Angela's career speaks for itself. She is a true queen on and off the screen, so when she's FINALLY nominated again after dozens of award-winning performances, I will let out the biggest sigh of relief and say, "I knew it."
Ms. Angela Bassett, "show them who you are!"
BET/Viacom / Via giphy.com
YOU inspire us, queen. I can't wait for you to receive all the awards.
