Angela Bassett’s Net Worth: How Much Does the ‘Black Panther’ Actress Make?
Angela Bassett, an American actress renowned for her roles in Black Panther, Strange Days, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, kick-started her acting career in Hollywood in the mid-1980s. With an impressive filmography, she has appeared in more than 100 movies and television series, captivating audiences with her exceptional talent and on-screen presence.
However, Angela Bassett’s net worth is not solely attributed to her on-screen performances. It has been greatly influenced by her diverse ventures, including voice acting, producing, lucrative brand endorsement deals, and smart real estate investments. Join us as we delve into her most successful projects, and trace her remarkable career from its inception to the present, uncovering the factors that have contributed to her impressive net worth.
Early Life
Angela Evelyn Bassett was born in New York City on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Betty Jane Gilbert, was a social worker, and her father, Daniel Benjamin Bassett, was the son of a preacher. Additionally, she has a younger sister named D’nette, who was born when Bassett was just a year old.
To ease the burden of raising two very young children, her parents sent her to live with her aunt Golden. Then, when Bassett was four years old, her parents divorced. Her mother came to get her, and they moved to St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bassett finished her elementary education at Jordan Park Elementary School. Then she went to Disston Middle School and Azalea Middle School. She graduated from Boca Ciega High School, where she excelled academically and in extracurricular work. Bassett went on to earn a degree in African American Studies at Yale University, where she also attended drama classes.
Acting Career
Angela Bassett’s first acting experiences were in the theater. She appeared in plays like Black Girl, Henry IV, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in the mid-1980s. In 1985, she had her television debut when she landed a recurring role in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. Bassett played the role of Salina McCulla for five episodes.
Early Projects
Bassett’s television career continued to grow through the rest of the decade. She had roles in popular series like The Cosby Show, Ryan’s Hope, Guiding Light, Tour of Duty, and Snoops. On the big screen, she made her first appearance as a TV reporter in the 1986 action thriller F/X. But it wasn’t until 1991 that critics started taking notice after her performance in Boyz n the Hood.
What’s Love Got to Do with It
Angela Bassett’s net worth began to rise early in her career when she was cast as Tina Turner in the film What’s Love Got to Do with It. Although her salary for this role was only $250,000, it was a significant amount of money at the time and helped to launch her into stardom.
Basset was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her riveting performance. She also got a well-deserved win from the Golden Globes and several other award-giving organizations. The movie was also a huge commercial success, with box office earnings of $39 million.
Bassett’s early success paved the way for more film roles. In the next couple of years, she would appear in films like Strange Days, Vampire in Brooklyn, and Waiting to Exhale.
Waiting to Exhale
The 1995 romance film Waiting to Exhale would have Bassett co-starring with Whitney Houston. It was a box office hit, drawing $14 million on opening weekend and earning $81.5 million from theaters globally. For her work, Bassett would get a $2.5 million paycheck.
Strange Days
Her next film in 1995, Strange Days, did not do as well at the box office. With a production budget of $45 million, the movie barely grossed $8 million. Nevertheless, the performances by actors Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Lewis got much critical praise. Bassett herself won the Saturn Best Actress award for her portrayal of Lornette Mason.
Contact
Bassett’s next box office hit would be the sci-fi drama Contact in 1997. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey, Contact garnered multiple awards that year. Bassett also received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
In theaters, the response was overwhelmingly positive as well. And with a budget of $90 million, the movie grossed over $171 million.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
In 1998, Bassett delivered a critically acclaimed performance in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, starring opposite Taye Diggs and Whoopi Goldberg. With a production budget of $20 million, the film grossed almost double, bringing in $39 million worldwide.
Angel Bassett’s net worth would grow substantially over the next few years, starring in movies like 2000’s Supernova and 2001’s The Score. Both films paid Bassett a reported salary of $3.5 million apiece.
In 2003, she was nominated for an Emmy for starring in The Rosa Parks Story. And from 2008 to 2009, Bassett joined the ER cast in the final season of the medical drama series.
Olympus Has Fallen
In 2013, Bassett portrayed a secret service officer in the thriller Olympus Has Fallen, starring Morgan Freeman. It was another successful project, earning $170.3 million over a production budget of $70 million.
American Horror Story
In the same year, Bassett was cast to play Marie Laveau in the third season of the Ryan Murphy horror anthology American Horror Story: Coven. It was a recurring role that had her appearing in 12 episodes for the season. Additionally, her work on the series also earned her another Emmy nomination. She’d receive yet another nomination the following season as well for American Horror Story: Freak Show.
Bassett took on several leading roles in additional seasons of the FX television series, including Hotel and Roanoke. She would also reprise her role as Marie Laveau in the 2018 season, Apocalypse, in addition to directing a couple of episodes of the series.
Black Panther
Although she has been a highly accomplished actress for years, Angela Bassett’s net worth soared even higher when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In 2018, she landed the role of Ramonda in Black Panther. She joined a powerful cast led by the late Chadwick Boseman, as well as Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o.
This 18th film in the MCU generated a record-breaking $202 million on the opening weekend alone in the US. And its total box office earnings added up to nearly $1.4 billion at the end of its theater run. Bassett’s performance earned her wide praise from critics. And the entire cast also won for their outstanding collective acting at the SAG Awards.
As of 2023, Black Panther is Bassett’s second-highest-grossing movie.
9-1-1
In the same year that Black Panther came out in theaters, the TV series 9-1-1 aired on Fox. The series was yet another creation from Ryan Murphy, who was also the creator of the American Horror Story. In 9-1-1, Bassett plays the main character and has reportedly earned $450,000 per episode for Season 5.
Avengers: Endgame
Bassett made a cameo appearance as Ramonda in Avengers: Endgame the following year. The film shattered the box office with its $2.8 billion gross revenues on a massive budget of $356 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film of all time and Bassett’s all-time highest-grossing movie.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
In 2022, Basset again starred as Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As expected, it was another MCU blockbuster, generating $181.3 million over the first weekend. It went on to make $579.7 million after its worldwide theater run.
Basset also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ramonda in the film. She also took home the Golden Globe award for the same category.
Recent Work
Bassett’s recent film appearances were in the 2021 thriller Gunpowder Milkshake and the 2019 comedy Otherhood. On TV, she appeared in an episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star, portraying her role as Sgt. Grant-Nash from the original 9-1-1 show.
Other Ventures
In addition to her very successful film and TV acting career, Bassett had also done considerable voice work over the years. Her voice could be heard in animated films like Meet the Robinsons, Curious George 3, and Bumblebee. She also voiced former First Lady Michelle Obama in an episode of The Simpsons.
Also adding to Angela Bassett’s net worth is her success as a producer. She and her husband had recently started Bassett Vance Productions in partnership with ViacomCBS. Her ongoing TV projects are 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Over the years, Bassett has endorsed a number of international brands like Airbnb, Boehringer Ingelheim, and the National Urban League. She has also been the face of Olay and has appeared in commercials for the cosmetic company.
Real Estate
A notable portion of Angela Bassett’s net worth also comes from her real estate investments.
In 2007, the actress listed her long-time Los Angeles residence on the market. Located in the Hancock Park neighborhood, this property, which Bassett had owned since the early 1990s, has nearly 5,000 square feet of living space. According to reports, Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance were looking to sell it for $5.99 million. However, when it did eventually sell in 2008, it went for $3.8 million.
Personal Life
Angela Bassett’s husband is fellow actor Courtney B. Vance. The two first met when they were enrolled at the Yale School of Drama. It wasn’t until ten years later that they became a couple. They tied the knot in 1997.
They are the parents of a set of twins born through surrogacy – a son, Slater Josiah Vance, and a daughter, Bronwyn Golden Vance.
Angela Bassett’s Net Worth Today
As of 2023, Angela Bassett’s net worth stands at an impressive $25 million. While her acting career is the primary driver behind this substantial figure, her net worth is further influenced by her successful endeavors as a producer, lucrative brand endorsement deals, and strategic real estate investments. Together, these diverse ventures have contributed to the growth and prosperity of Angela Bassett’s net worth.
Fans of Bassett can look forward to her upcoming projects, which include the 2023 adventure-fantasy Damsel, which also stars Millie Bobby Brown. The flick will debut on Netflix on October 13, 2023.
Additionally, she’ll also lend her voice to the animated action-adventure Wildwood. Joining Bassett on the project will be Carey Mulligan, Charlie Day, Mahershala Ali, and Awkwafina.
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