Angela Bassett will soon do the thing: accept an Oscar.
The "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star is set to receive an honorary Oscar at this year's Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced.
"Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting," Academy President Janet Yang said.
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The Academy's Governors Awards honor individuals for their lifetime of contributions to cinema, and Yang said this year's recipients all "transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans." The awards are handed out at a separate ceremony from the televised Academy Awards. Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton will also receive honorary Oscars, while Michelle Satter, a "pillar of the independent film community," is getting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at this year's Oscars for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and some pundits thought she might win after she was awarded a Golden Globe for the role. But the Oscar ultimately went to Jamie Lee Curtis for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," and viewers noticed that Bassett appeared disappointed by her loss. But she still made history, as she became the first person to receive an acting nomination for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. She also earned BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for "Wakanda Forever." Bassett was previously nominated for the Best Actress Oscar in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do with It," ultimately losing to Holly Hunter for "The Piano." She has also been nominated for seven Primetime Emmys.
Past honorary Oscar recipients have included actors who surprisingly never won a competitive Oscar in their career, such as Samuel L. Jackson. Michael J. Fox also received the Humanitarian Award at 2022's ceremony, which was not televised. This year's Governor's Awards are scheduled for Nov. 18.
