Wonder Woman of the Week: Angela Bassett

This week's Wonder Woman is an actress who has helped establish a standard of diversity in American cinematography. Angela Bassett is a Hollywood actress that has helped break stereotypes for Black actors in US films is an inspiration for actors and actresses yearning for breaking into the field. Bassett started her career in Hollywood in the 1980's, but earned major praise for her early performance in Malcolm X. Bassett made a name for herself in cultural biopics at her start including a role in an early film about the Jackson family. Bassett's first major film in a lead role however came with the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got to Do With It. For her role in the film, Bassett became the first African-American woman to earn a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

Angela Bassett branched out and started working in several genres. The actress worked with legendary horror writer Wes Craven in Vampire in Brooklyn, the science fiction film Strange Days, and the romantic comedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Bassett's diversity in roles in the late 1990's helped further her career into the 2000's. The actress began turning down hyper-sexualized roles in favor empowering ones including portraying Rosa Parks in a biopic about the historical Civil Rights figure. In 2006, Bassett performed in the highly acclaimed Akeelah and the Bee as the mother of a spelling bee contestant.

In 2013, Angela Bassett portrayed Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau in American Horror Story as well as smaller roles in other television shows. Bassett even added her voice to cartoons and video games during the 2010's. Most well-known however of her 2010's roles was as the queen mother in Black Panther in which she played the mother of a new king and superhero T'challa. Bassett's hard work helped allow her to maintain control over the roles she received as an actress- giving her the opportunity and the skill to portray strong, independent women in film and television.