Angela Bassett Receives Honorary Degree From Yale

Angela Bassett Receives Honorary Degree From Yale

Angela Bassett is adding the title of “doctor” her list of accomplishments. On Monday (May 21st), the “Black Panther” actress received her third degree from Yale University. Bassett took to Instagram and Twitter posting a touching video of her accepting her honorary doctorate degree during the commencement ceremony. She wrote,

Hey Everybody you good? My heart is full! God blessed me REAL good! Thank you @yale for this blessed honor! #mommawouldbesoproud #wakandaforeverthrougheducation #blessedandhighlyfavored

Hey Everybody you good? My heart is full! God blessed me REAL good! Thank you @yale for this blessed honor! #mommawouldbesoproud #wakandaforeverthrougheducation #blessedandhighlyfavored

A post shared by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett) on May 21, 2018 at 11:15am PDT

Bassett, 59, is one out of ten recipients this semester to receive the honorary degree. Popular astrophysicist, media personality and “Astrophysics For People In A Hurry” author Neil deGrasse Tyson, also received a degree alongside Bassett.

She graduated from the university in 1980, with a Bachelors in African American Studies and returned in 1983, obtaining Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.

Bassett is best known for her biographical film roles, most notably her performance as Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1993), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a corresponding Golden Globe Award. Bassett has additionally portrayed Betty Shabazz in both “Malcolm X” (1992) and “Panther” (1995), Katherine Jackson in “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (1992), Rosa Parks in “The Rosa Parks Story” (2002), Voletta Wallace in “Notorious” (2009) and Coretta Scott King in “Betty and Coretta” (2013). Bassett’s performance as Parks was honored with her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Bassett has starred in four seasons of Murphy’s hit show American Horror Story — “Coven,” “Freak Show,” “Hotel” and “Roanoke.”

She can be seen in Fox’s hit series 9-1-1 and in “Mission: Impossible 6” with Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames in theaters this summer.

By Jeanine Cruz