Interview: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance (2007)

A look back at our 2007 interview with Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance as the Hollywood couple discussed a book on their real-life love.

Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance (2007)

In a March 2007 interview, host Cindy Rhodes spoke to Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance about their start in the acting business, how they initially met and later fell in love, and about “Friends: A Love Story,” a non-fiction book that discuss their humble beginnings to past relationships to creating a loving family.

Mini-Biographies:

Born on August 16, 1958 in New York City, Angela Bassett found stardom as a single mother in the film “Boyz n the Hood” and her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in “Malcolm X.” Her breakthrough came with her critically praised performance as Tina Turner in the biopic, “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” for which she received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe. Some of her notable films are “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Vampire in Brooklyn,” “Music of the Heart,” “Black Panther” and its sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Some of Bassett’s notable TV roles include “9-1-1,” “American Horror Story,” miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” TV-movie “The Rosa Parks Story,” and the final season of “ER.”

Born on March 12, 1960 in Detroit, Michigan, Courtney B. Vance has a long and successful career across stage, film, and television. His career began on the stage, earning his first Tony Award nomination for his role in August Wilson’s “Fences,” followed by a Tony win for his performance in Nora Ephron’s “Lucky Guy.” On TV, Vance played Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver for several seasons on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” attorney Johnnie Cochran in “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story” (a primetime Emmy Award as for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie), George Freeman in “Lovecraft Country” (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), and public defender Franklin Roberts in “61st Street.” He is playing Zeus on the 2nd season of Disney+’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Additionally, he appeared in “ER,” “The Closer,” “Genius: Aretha,” TV-movies “The Tuskegee Airmen” and “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” and used his voice in animated series like “The Wild Thornberrys” and “The Spectacular Spider-Man.” In films, Vance was in “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “Space Cowboys,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Final Destination 5,” “Terminator Genisys,” “Hamburger Hill,” “Cookie’s Fortune,” “Heist 88,” and the voice of the narrator in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion film “Isle of Dogs.”