Angela Bassett to Speak at 2023 Chapman University Commencement Panthers will welcome the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star and Oscar-nominee during the May 19 ceremony, when Bassett will be awarded an honorary degree from the university.

Award-winning actress, director and executive producer Angela Bassett will speak at Chapman’s University Commencement on Friday, May 19. Bassett will receive a Doctor of the Arts, (honoris causa) during the commencement ceremony. 

Bassett received Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards as well as Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award nominations for her role as the beloved Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She’s also known for her performances in “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Boyz N the Hood,” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” for which she received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award Nomination.

“From her portrayal of pioneering women to her personal passion to mentor and elevate filmmakers through her own production company, Angela is truly inspirational. I am excited that she will share her journey with our students as they embark upon their own career paths,” said University President Daniele C. Struppa.

As principal of her own production company, Bassett Vance Productions, with her husband Courtney B. Vance, Bassett has a partnership with MTV Entertainment Studios, a Paramount Global Company. Their first project, “One Thousand Years of Slavery,” aired in February 2022 on the Smithsonian Channel with additional limited series and feature film projects in the production company’s pipeline.

She has received a SAG award, an African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Honors Award, 14 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards, two Golden Globe awards and a Black Girls Rock! Icon Award. She was recently honored with Time Magazine Women of the Year and Glamour Women of the Year awards.

Apple Original Films recently announced the documentary feature “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood,” directed by Shola Lynch with Bassett and Halle Berry as executive producers will debut globally on AppleTV+. Bassett recently wrapped production on the Netflix Originals feature film “Damsel,” in which she stars opposite Millie Bobby Brown.

Past Chapman University Commencement speakers include: Nobel Peace Laureate Nadia Murad, and “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer ’07.