Who Is Angela Bassett’s Husband Courtney B Vance? Know More About Him As He Opens Up About Wife Being Robbed Of Oscars Twice

Courtney B Vance expressed gratitude for his wife Angela Bassett's honorary Oscar, but believes the Academy voters missed the mark twice, denying her the chance to be celebrated by fans worldwide.

Updated on Jun 23, 2024  |  06:08 AM IST |  159.2K
Angela Bassett and Courtney B Vance
Exploring Who Courtney B Vance Is As He Opens Up About Wife Being Robbed Of Oscars Twice (PC: Instagram)

Courtney B Vance recently shared that while he is grateful that his wife, Angela Bassett was awarded an honorary Oscar earlier this year, he believes the Academy voters missed the mark twice when it came to Bassett and robbed her of the chance to be celebrated by her fans worldwide.

Who is Courtney B Vance?

Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He started his career on stage before moving to film and television. Vance has received various accolades, including a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.

In 1985, Vance began his acting career as Cory in August Wilson's play Fences, winning a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. He continued his Broadway role with James Earl Jones, winning awards and nominations. Vance's film debut was in 1987's Hamburger Hill, a war film about the Vietnam War's assault. He also appeared in TV shows First Affair, Thirtysomething, and Law & Order. He was nominated for his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Vance played Thami Mbikwarna in Athol Fugard's play My Children! My Africa! at the New York Theatre Workshop from 1989 to 1990. In 1991, he returned to Broadway as Paul in John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation, replacing James McDaniel. He acted alongside John Cunningham and Stockard Channing and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

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Vance starred in Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2001 to 2006, earning him the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. He also guest-starred in ER's final season and Hurricane Season. In 2008, he was cast as the Los Angeles bureau chief of the FBI in the ABC pilot FlashForward, based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel. In 2011, he starred in the American horror film Final Destination 5.

Vance was tapped for the lead in the German-American apocalypse thriller The Divide. He appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine, where he played the pastor Jacob Debarge, the main character's father, and co-starred with Tyler James Williams, Trevor Jackson, Coco Jones, Brandon Mychal Smith, and Dawnn Lewis. It was the third time Vance portrayed a pastor in a motion picture, after The Preacher's Wife and Joyful Noise

Vance gained fame for his roles in The Closer, Revenge, Lucky Guy, and Terminator Genisys. He played Chief Tommy Delk on TNT and Attorney Benjamin Brooks on ABC's Revenge. In 2013, he starred as Hap Hairston in Lucky Guy, a play by Nora Ephron, alongside Tom Hanks. Vance won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play at the 67th Tony Awards. In 2015, he portrayed Miles Dyson in Terminator Genisys alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke.

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In 2016, Vance starred as Johnnie Cochran in FX's American Crime Story, a critically acclaimed series about the O.J. Simpson murder case. His performance earned him numerous awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.

In 2019, Vance was appointed President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in HBO's Lovecraft Country. He also appeared in Netflix's Uncorked, National Geographic's Genius: Aretha, and Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch reimagining in 2023. Vance also appeared in National Geographic's Genius: Aretha in 2021.

Courtney B Vance opens up about Angela Bassett being robbed of Oscars twice

Courtney B Vance, who has been supporting his wife Angela Bassett since 1997, described her as shy and never toot her own horn. Bassett was awarded an honorary Oscar earlier this year and Vance he believes the Academy voters missed the mark twice when it came to Bassett and robbed her of the chance to be celebrated by her fans worldwide. He knows the impact of those losses and wishes his wife’s work was openly celebrated.

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“The honorary Oscar was a wonderful night, but I flashed back to 30 years ago when they didn’t call her name, and then when they didn’t call her name last March,” he said in an interview for Bassett’s cover issue of People magazine.

He added that the honorary Oscar “was an opportunity for her to stand up there” and that “a lot of people saw it,” but, “Not the billion people that would see it at the Oscars.”

In January 2024, Bassett received her only Oscar from the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was a special honor given to those who have made a significant contribution to the film and television industry.

The Waiting to Exhale actress accepted her award with a 15-minute speech, saying, “Thank you, thank you to the Academy and the Board of Governors for this award. I have considered acting my calling and not just my career. I do this work because I find it meaningful and I hope in some way that it makes a difference and has an impact."

She further added, “To be recognized in this way for what I love doing is truly wonderful and I am beyond grateful.”

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Bassett also mentioned that she was only the second Black actress in the history of the Academy to receive an honorary Oscar, the first one being her mentor and soror, Cecily Tyson, who won hers in 2018.

ALSO READ: Angela Bassett Opens Up About THIS Heartfelt Moment With Chadwick Boseman On Black Panther Set; See Here

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