Many fans of Angela Bassett took issue with the acting legend not winning Best Supporting Actress at the 95th Academy Awards in March. In fact, Bassett has never won a competitive Oscar in her career.
According to a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization’s Board of Governors voted to present Angela Bassett with an Academy Honorary Award.
EGOT winner Mel Brooks and editor Carol Littleton will also receive honorary Oscars at the Academy’s 14th Governors Awards event on Saturday, November 18. In addition, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will go to the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter.
“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans,” said Academy President Janet Yang. “Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting.”
Yang continued, “Mel Brooks lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has made a lasting impact on every facet of entertainment. Carol Littleton’s career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her. A pillar of the independent film community, Michelle Satter has played a vital role in the careers of countless filmmakers around the world.”
AMPAS nominated Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress in 2023 for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She also garnered a Best Actress nod in 1994 for playing Tina Turner in the What’s Love Got to Do with It biopic.
During her five-decade run in Hollywood, Angela Bassett appeared in other films such as Boyz n the Hood, Malcolm X, Waiting to Exhale, Notorious, and Avengers: Endgame. She has won numerous industry awards, including multiple Golden Globe Awards and NAACP Image Awards.