CLASS ACT- 'IT'S FABULOUS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED IN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WAY'

ACTRESS ANGELA BASSETT HAILS THE VALUE OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARDS ON HER BIG NIGHT

- GEMMA MCCARTNEY and LISA BLAKE

Hollywood star Angela Bassett was ecstatic to pick up three gongs at last week's NAACP Image Awards, where she was the undoubted star of the night.

The actress collected the Entertainer Of The Year award at the Los Angeles bash, which honours outstanding representations and achievements of people of colour in motion pictures, television, music and literature.

In her heartfelt acceptance speech, Angela, 64, gave a cheeky nod to actress Ariana DeBose's viral Baftas rap - which namechecked her and an array of other top actresses - saying, "I guess Angela Bassett did the thing!"

And indeed she did. Angela, who wore a white jumpsuit by Canadian fashion house Greta Constantine, also picked up the award for Outstanding Actress In A Drama Series, for her role as police sergeant Athena Grant in 9-1-1, and the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture gong for her standout turn as Queen Ramonda in the hit Marvel flick Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Addressing the audience, Angela said, "When I think about my career I can't help but reflect that oftentimes when I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, there was someone there who looked like me, with open arms, assuring me there was a place for me as an actor."

The acclaimed star began her showbiz career in the late 80s after studying at the respected Yale School of Drama. With a master of fine arts degree and several stage appearances under her belt, by the early 90s the New Yorker was ready to make her move into film.

After featuring in cult movies Boyz N The Hood and Malcolm X, Angela took on the role of Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, in the Emmy Award-winning TV mini-series The Jacksons: An American Dream. And it wasn't the last time Angela would portray a real person. In 1993, her blistering performance as Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got To Do With It won her global plaudits and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.