Angela Bassett wins Honorary Oscar Award

Angela Bassett has finally won an Oscar Award.

Amid her influential television and film career and a 2023 award show upset, the Oscar distinction is long overdue.

The star has been nominated twice before, beginning with a ‘Best Actress’ nod in 1994 for What’s Love Got To Do With It, in which she played Tina Turner under the direction of Brian Gibson.

Her second nomination came in 2023, this time competing for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ after starring in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, Bassett has not won a golden statuette until now, giving a powerful speech as she collected her accolade.

Accepting the award from Regina King, Bassett said, “I have considered acting my calling and not just my career… to be recognised in this way for what I love doing is truly wonderful, and I am beyond grateful.”

She added, “I have had to let it sink in that I am the second Black actress to receive an honorary Academy Award [after Cicely Tyson] and I hope that she is smiling from the heavens that I’m able to join her in that circle of recognition.”

In a June 2023 press statement, Academy representatives said: “Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting.