Angela Bassett

Bassett in 2011, Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Angela Evelyn Bassett

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 16, 1958

Ethnicity: African-American

Angela Bassett is an American actress, director, and activist. She is known for her performances in the films Boyz n the Hood, City of Hope, Malcolm X (1992), Passion Fish, What’s Love Got to Do with It, portraying singer Tina Turner; Panther, Strange Days, Vampire in Brooklyn, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Music of the Heart, The Score (2001), Sunshine State, Notorious (2009), Green Lantern (2011), Olympus Has Fallen, and its sequel, London Has Fallen; Black Panther, and its sequel; and Bumblebee, in voice role; and on television’s The Jacksons: An American Dream, The Rosa Parks Story, American Horror Story, which she has directed episodes of; and 9-1-1, which she produces. She also directed the made-for-tv movie Whitney (2015).

Angela is the daughter of Betty Jane, a social worker and civil servant, and Daniel Benjamin Bassett. She was partly raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and then in St. Petersburg, Florida, after her parents’ divorce. She is married to actor Courtney B. Vance, with whom she has two children. Her middle name is in honor of her aunt Evelyn. Angela was raised partly by her aunt (father’s sister) Golden.

Angela’s paternal grandfather was Daniel Benjamin Bassett, Sr. (the son of William Henry Bassett, who was born under the surname Ingram, and of Martha Jane Price). Daniel was born in Virginia. William was the son of George Ingram and Jinney. Martha was the daughter of Oscar Price and Charlotte.

Angela’s paternal grandmother was Brownie Younger (the daughter of Henderson Younger and Harriet Snow). Brownie was born in North Carolina.

Angela’s maternal grandfather was Leroy Gilbert (the son of Jimmie/Jim T. Gilbert and Annie Lee Bryant). Leroy was born in Georgia. Jimmie was the son of Louis Gilbert and Louisa Johnson.

Angela’s maternal grandmother was Emma Jean Stokes (the daughter of Slater Samuel Stokes and Miner/Mina/Minnie Lee Jackson). Emma was born in Georgia. Slater was the son of Judge/Jordan Stokes and Henrietta Miller. Miner was the daughter of Bryant Jackson and Emma Michael.

A DNA test taken by the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2014) stated that Angela’s genetic ancestry is:

*78% African
*21% European
*0.6% Native American

The DNA test stated that much of Angela’s African DNA was from Nigeria, with small parts from Benin and Togo, Cameroon and Congo, Mali, southeastern Bantu (Angola), Ivory Coast and Ghana, Senegal, and the South Central hunter-gatherers. Much of her European DNA was from Great Britain.

Genetically, she was found to have a common ancestor with singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash.

Sources: Genealogies of Angela Bassett – http://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com

Angela’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Angela’s maternal grandmother, Emma Jean Stokes, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org