Credit: Marvel StudiosAfter being snubbed twice at the Academy Awards, Angela Bassett is finally getting her due with an Honorary Oscar alongside other Hollywood icons.
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While the Academy Awards are often seen as the pinnacle of an artist’s achievement in film, there are times when truly deserving actors and filmmakers get passed by. This includes legendary actors like Peter O’Toole, Debora Kerr, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Lansbury, and Jackie Chan.
Fortunately, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has created an honorary award to give these people the recognition they deserve. This year, the Academy will be honoring writer and comedian Mel Brooks, film editor Carol Littleton, Sundance’s Michelle Satter, and, of course, Angela Bassett.
Angela Bassett is Finally Getting the Recognition She Deserves
Angela Bassett’s career started in 1985 in the made-for-TV movie Doubletake (1985). Since then, she has starred in some of the most important and historical films in Hollywood. This includes Boyz N The Hood (1991), Malcolm X (1992), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Akeelah and the Bee (2006), Black Panther (2018), and Soul (2020)
However, Bassett’s most iconic role was as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993). Here, she turned in a powerful performance as the Queen of Rock and Roll alongside Lawrence Fishburne as Ike Turner. The film earned Bassett her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. However, she wound up losing to Holly Hunter in The Piano (1993).
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Bassett’s second nomination came almost thirty years later for her performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). While she seemed like a sure thing early on in the Oscar race, Jamie Lee Curtis eventually won for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), which also took home Best Picture.
People still consider both of these losses some of the most surprising snubs in Oscar history. While fans and film snobs will debate for decades if Angela Bassett deserved those Academy Awards over Hunter and Curtis, no one can deny that she deserves this Honorary Oscar.
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