Honorary Oscar
Bassett was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her contributions to the film industry.
This marks a year after what many people believe Bassett being robbed of the Oscar for best supporting actress, now she has finally got the golden statute in her hands.
On Tuesday, the 65-year-old actor delivered a powerful speech was awarded an honorary Oscar at the 2024 Governors Awards in Los Angeles.
Key pieces in the speech:
Great. I love you. Regina My dear dear Regina My sister. Thank you for being here tonight as a source of support and encouragement. Enjoy Working alongside you has been one of the highlights of my career. You are for me and for so many a bright, bright light. Thank you. It is because of the love and support of my friends and my family that I stand here this evening.
I offer a lifetime and beyond of gratitude to my sister. Donette, my husband, Courtney, and our beautiful children, Bronwyn and Slater, whom I’m blessed to have with me this evening. Rest on your feet. Look at them.
We are not makers of history. We are made by history. To put what this moment means to me in historical context my mind traveled back to February 29th 1940 the 12th annual annual Academy Award. The ceremony when actor -singer -songwriter Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to ever win an Oscar. Before she took the stage, the actress Faye Bainter said, “It is more than a plaque of gold.” It opens the doors of this room.
It moves back the walls and enables us to embrace the whole of America, an America that almost is alone in the world today. It recognizes and pays tribute to those who have given their best. regardless of creed, race, or color.” It was at this point that Ms. McDaniel walked from the back of that coconut grove restaurant past the table where her fellow, gone with the wind cast mates and studio executives were seated, that she historically tore down a barrier, making it possible for black actresses to be seen and recognized at the highest levels in our industry for their contribution on film.
And it would be another 50 years before another black woman would win an Oscar, that extraordinary woman being my dear sister, friend. Whoopi, and still more than a decade before the next historical milestone with Hallie’s win as Best Actress….”
Bassett’s career has established her as one of the most esteemed actors of her time. Her breakthrough role as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do with It” earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Her film credits include “Boyz N the Hood,” “Malcolm X,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Music of the Heart,” “Sunshine State,” “Black Panther,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Soul” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” in which her supporting performance earned her a second Oscar nomination. Her television credits include “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” “The Rosa Parks Story,” “American Horror Story” and “9-1-1.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) governors award the honorary statues to individuals who have exemplified “extraordinary lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy,” per the Oscars website.
Bassett’s second Oscar nomination last year for her spine-tingling performance in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” in which her matriarch character, Queen Ramonda, deals with losing her son, King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman).
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