Actress. (Born In New York City.)
After working her way up from bits to supporting roles in films, Bassett landed the lead as soul singer Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), and scored a knockout with her electric, and totally credible, performance. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Bassett worked on Broadway and put in her time on a TV soap opera before winning small parts in films like F/X (1986), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and the John Sayles films City of Hope (1991) and Passion Fish (1992). Meatier roles finally came her way in Boyz N the Hood (1991, opposite her What's Love Got to Do With It costar Laurence Fishburne) and Malcolm X (1992, as Betty Shabazz, the black leader's wife). She also impressed as Michael Jackson's mom Katherine in the TV miniseries "The Jacksons: An American Dream" (1992), but it was the Tina Turner movie that propelled Bassett to the brink of stardom and an Oscar nomination.
Actress - filmography
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s)
Cosm (2001)
Ruby's Bucket of Blood (2001) (TV)
Score, The (2001) .... Actress
Boesman and Lena (2000) .... Lena
Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000) (voice) .... Groove
Supernova (2000) .... Kaela Evers
Our Friend, Martin (1999) (V) (voice) .... Miles' Mom
Wings Against the Wind (1999) .... Bessie Coleman
Music of the Heart (1999) .... Janet Williams
"Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery" (1998) (mini) TV Series .... Narrator
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) .... Stella Payne
Contact (1997) .... Rachel Constantine
Strange Days (1995) .... Lornette "Mace" Mason
Panther (1995) .... Betty Shabazz
Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) .... Rita
Waiting to Exhale (1995) .... Bernadine Harris
"Century of Women, A" (1994) (mini) TV Series (voice)
What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) .... Tina Turner (A.K.A. Anna Mae 'Little Ann/Ann' Bullock)
Heroes of Desert Storm, The (1992) (TV) .... Lieutenant Jeter
Innocent Blood (1992) .... U.S. Attorney Sinclair
... aka French Vampire in America, A (1992)
Locked Up: A Mother's Rage (1992) (TV) .... Willie
... aka Other Side of Love (1992) (TV)
Malcolm X (1992) .... Betty Shabazz
Jacksons: An American Dream, The (1992) (TV) .... Katherine Jackson
Passion Fish (1992) .... Dawn/Rhonda
City of Hope (1991) .... Reesha
Critters 4 (1991) (V) .... Fran
One Special Victory (1991) (TV)
Boyz N the Hood (1991) .... Reva Devereaux
... aka Boys in the Hood (1991)
Fire! Trapped on the 37th Floor (1991) (TV) .... Allison
Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story (1991) (TV) .... Pat
... aka Blind Hate (1991) (TV)
Kindergarten Cop (1990) .... Stewardess
In the Best Interest of the Child (1990) (TV) .... Lori
Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer (1990) (TV) .... Carla Peters
Challenger (1990) (TV) .... Cheryl McNair
Family of Spies (1990) (TV) .... Bev Andress
F/X (1986) .... T.V. Reporter
... aka F/X - Murder by Illusion (1986)
... aka Murder by Illusion (1986)
Doubletake (1985) (TV) .... Prostitute at Headquarters
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Filmography as: Actress, Notable TV guest appearances
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Notable TV guest appearances
"Reading Rainbow" (1983) playing "Herself" 1995
"Nightmare Cafe" (1992) playing "Evelyn" in episode: "Sanctuary for a Child" (episode # 1.5) 3/27/1992
"Flash, The" (1990) playing "Linda Lake" in episode: "Beat the Clock" (episode # 1.10) 1/30/1991
"Alien Nation" (1989) playing "Renee Longstreet" in episode: "Eyewitness News" (episode # 1.16) 2/5/1990
"thirtysomething" (1987) playing "Kate Harriton" in episode: "Legacy" (episode # 3.5) 10/24/1989
"Tour of Duty" (1987) playing "Lt. Camilla Patterson" in episode: "Volunteer, The" (episode # 2.16) 5/16/1989
"Tour of Duty" (1987) playing "Lt. Camilla Patterson" in episode: "Hard Stripe" (episode # 2.15) 5/9/1989
"Man Called Hawk, A" (1989) playing "Bailey Webster"
"Cosby Show, The" (1984) playing "Paula" in episode: "Bookworm" (episode # 4.10) 1/7/1988
"Spenser: For Hire" (1985) playing "Joe's Daughter" in episode: "Choice, The" (episode # 1.4) 10/4/1985
"Cosby Show, The" (1984) playing "Mrs. Mitchell" in episode: "Mr. Quiet" (episode # 1.23) 5/2/1985