Angela Bassett
© AFP Robyn Beck

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A delighted Bassett, best known for her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993 film "What's Love Got to do With It?", said she had shed tears after learning of the award.

"Today my cup runneth over," Bassett, 49, told a crowd of well-wishers and stars that included Forest Whitaker and Laurence Fishburne. "I am crying now, I cried yesterday and the day before."

"Who would have thought that a little girl in pigtails from St. Petersburg, Florida, would grow up to find herself gazing at a star with her name on it, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? This day is so, so special to me."

The award came one day before the release of Bassett's latest film "Meet the Browns."

©AFP