Angela Bassett Finally Gets Her Well-Deserved Oscar as Academy Announces 2023 Honorary Winners

Angela Bassett - Cindy Ord

Angela Bassett will receive an honorary Oscar at the 2023 Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The statuette will be presented at the 14th annual ceremony on Saturday, November 18, 2023, held in Los Angeles.

Academy President Janet Yang stated that Angela Bassett "has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting throughout her decades-long career." The Honorary Award recognizes excellence in lifetime accomplishment, exceptional contributions to the condition of the arts and sciences of motion pictures, or service to the Academy.

For over 40 years, veteran actress Bassett has been a household name in Hollywood. In What's Love Got to Do With It? (1993), she earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her depiction of Tina Turner. She received a second nomination for Supporting Actress for her most recent portrayal as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), becoming the first actress from a Marvel Studios production, and the first woman from a superhero movie, to do so.

Many of her film credits are historical ones within the Academy’s history, such as Boyz N the Hood (1991), for which John Singleton became the first Black filmmaker, and youngest person ever, nominated for Best Director, and Black Panther, the first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture. Additional career highlights include Malcolm X (1992), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), The Rosa Parks Story (2003), and Soul (2020).

Last year’s Governors Awards ceremony honored Euzhan Palcy and three other contributors to motion pictures. The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024.