Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance met in the 1980’s while they were post graduate college students at the prestigious Yale School of Drama in Connecticut. The couple met many years before they first went out together in 1996. A year later, the couple got engaged. In 1997, the couple married in a quiet ceremony held at a private residence in Los Angeles. Their wedding was attended by 225 friends and family members. Ms. Bassett wore a silk fitted gown with a 4-foot French lace.
The couple’s children, son Slater Josiah and daughter Bronwyn Golden, were born on January 27, 2006. During an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the couple confirmed that the twins were born via a surrogate mother after several years of unsuccessful attempts at conceiving naturally.
Bassett attended Yale University and received her B.A. in African-American studies in 1980. In 1983, she earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. After graduation, Bassett worked as a receptionist for a beauty salon and as a photo researcher. Bassett soon looked for acting work in the New York theater. One of her first New York performances came in 1985 when she appeared in J. E. Franklin’s Black Girl at Second Stage Theatre.
Courtney Vance graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor of arts degree. While attending Harvard, Vance was already working as an actor at the Boston Shakespeare Company. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Yale School of Drama in 1986.
Peep the video below of Angela and Courtney talking about how they first met and their acting careers.
