The Oscar-nominated actress, who turns 68 on Aug. 16, 2026, shares son Slater and daughter Bronwyn with her husband of nearly 30 years
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance have 30 years of love and two children between them!
The Oscar-nominated actress, who turns 68 on Aug. 16, 2026, met Vance in the ‘80s, when they were both students at the Yale School of Drama. They reconnected a decade later in Los Angeles and began dating, tying the knot on Oct. 12, 1997. Nine years later, on Jan. 27, 2006, they welcomed fraternal twins Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah via surrogate.
“I had a dream about seven years ago that we were going to have twins,” Vance told Oprah in 2007. “Just standing there together, holding each other with the realization that this is the moment that we’ve been working toward, praying for … [it’s a dream come true].”
In 2024, Bassett told PEOPLE that she often felt guilty about her long hours while filming a movie or television show, but she hopes that “what will come out of that is that they see a mama, a woman, a Black woman achieving her dreams, having success.”
She continued, “They’ll see that hard work pays off. And they’ll be about that life for themselves.”
As Bassett celebrates her 68th birthday, see the couple’s children grow up in photos.
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Things We Do Four Love
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Slater and Bronwyn, then 2, made their public debut at Bassett’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in March 2008.
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Wild Life
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Bassett did her best to round up Slater and Bronwyn, who attended the AIDS Foundation’s Dream Halloween benefit dressed as a giraffe and flamingo.
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Disney Magic
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Their twins became accustomed to red carpets at a young age, walking with their mom and dad to see The Princess and the Frog at its 2009 premiere.
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Winter Wonderland
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The four bundled up to attend the NASDAQ stock market closing bell in N.Y.C. in December 2011.
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Stay Animated
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The Golden Globe winner was more than happy to take her kids to the 2012 premiere of Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess.
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Prim and Proper
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She brought her twins as her plus-two to the Shall We Dance annual gala for the Coalition for At-Risk Youth in 2013.
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Baby’s First Awards Show
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Bassett and Bronwyn, then 7, stepped out at the 2013 Kids Choice Awards in L.A.
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Fatherly Duties
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Vance gave his children a fun movie night, bringing them to the premiere of the 2014 animated film The Nut Job.
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Theater Kids
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The twins went with their mom to the opening night performance of the play Fly in Pasadena, California, in 2016.
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Just Keep Swimming
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Then 11, Bronwyn and Slater attended the USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards with their parents in 2017.
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Family Forever
Credit: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan
The two popped in their colorful prints with Mom and Dad at the premiere of Bassett’s 2018 film Black Panther.
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Night at the Opera
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Bronwyn and Slater got all dressed up to go with their dad to the opening night gala of Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera House in N.Y.C. in 2019.
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Two with Nature
Credit: Angela Basset Instagram
“On a stretch of unspoiled California coastline with my beautiful daughter,” Bassett wrote in an Instagram post under a rare personal photo with Bronwyn.
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Green Glitz
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A glamorous Vance and Bassett took their son Slater to the WACO Wearable Art Gala in Santa Monica, California, in 2022.
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It Suits Them
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Vance twinned with his children in suits for the American Black Film Festival Honors in March 2023.
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Matching Moment
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Bronwyn and Slater mirrored their parents in a purple gown and black suit, respectively, for the 2023 Oscars, where Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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New Look
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Bassett then changed into a bright red ensemble for the Vanity Fair afterparty.
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Long Overdue
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In 2024, Vance and the twins supported Bassett at the Governors Awards, where she received an Honorary Academy Award.
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Fashionable Family
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The family of four arrived together at the haute couture show of designer Stephane Rolland, who would later create Bronwyn’s gown for Le Bal des Débutantes.
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Big Debut
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Bronwyn helped design her own gown for the Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris. The event’s official Instagram posted a photo of Bassett and Bronwyn smiling with Rolland.
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Full Circle
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Seventeen years after their mom’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Slater and Bronwyn returned for their dad’s special occasion, all grown up.
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