Angela Bassett is finally getting what she deserves.
The Hollywood veteran, 64, is set to receive an honorary Oscar, as confirmed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Her much-awaited recognition comes more than 30 years after her first nomination.
Bassett will be honored alongside comedy maestro Mel Brooks and esteemed editor Carol Littleton. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will also be awarded to the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter.
Often heralded as an under-recognized talent in Hollywood, Bassett previously won Golden Globe Awards for both her transformative performances in What's Love Got to Do With It? and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, the coveted Oscar eluded her both times.
Earlier this year, she was overlooked for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, which was awarded to Everything Everywhere All At Once actress Jamie Lee Curtis at the 2023 Oscars. (Relive Bassett's stoney-faced defeat in the video below...)
Her groundbreaking 2023 nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also marked her as the first actor to be nominated for a Marvel Studios superhero movie.
The first Oscar nomination for Bassett came in 1994 for her poignant portrayal of Tina Turner in the aforementioned What's Love Got to Do With It? Despite her incredible performance, she was pipped to the post by Holly Hunter for The Piano in 1994.
Oscar-winner Mel Brooks is perhaps best known for his 1968's The Producers screenplay, and Carol Littleton for her editing contribution to Steven Spielberg's E.T. Satter is also the founding director of the Sundance Institute.
"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," announced Academy President Janet Yang. "Angela Bassett's decades-long career continues to deliver transcendent performances that set new acting standards.
"Mel Brooks's humor and lasting legacy have shaped the entertainment industry, while Carol Littleton's career in film editing serves as a blueprint for future editors. Michelle Satter, as an integral part of the independent film community, has played a vital role in the careers of countless filmmakers globally."
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 18 at the Academy's Governors Awards - to be held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles - ahead of the 2024 Oscars ceremony set to air on ABC in March.
As the world mourned the passing of Tina Turner, Bassett paid tribute, to the singer that inspired her iconic 1993 role, saying: "Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like."
She quoted Turner's last words to her, recalling: "You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world."
Currently, Angela Bassett stars as Athena Grant in the popular Fox series 9-1-1, and she will be seen in the upcoming film Damsel, alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Robin Wright, releasing this October.
Congratulations to the Hollywood icon! You've 'done the thing!'
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