Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance met at the Yale School of Drama in the ’80s

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

The two actors met as graduate students at the Yale School of Drama in the 1980s. However, it was not love at first sight as Vance had a girlfriend at the time. Years later, the What’s Love Got to Do with It actress and the Tony-winning actor would meet again when they were both single.

“I got pinpricks and chills up the back of my thighs and across my butt, up my neck and across my scalp,” she wrote in her and Vance’s book Friends: A Love Story.

“He had a beautiful, beautiful girlfriend at the time, who was also in drama school with us,” Bassett later told PEOPLE. As she recalled on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she thought he was “tall, lithe, dark, skinny and just alluring.”

“So maybe about 14 years later, our paths crossed here in Los Angeles. And I was single; he was single,” the Black Panther star told PEOPLE. “And I had such an appreciation for him over those years — of his consistency, how he treated other people, of what a supporter he is, what a connector of people and ideas he is, how passionate he is.”

However, during a 2007 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Bassett revealed that she and Vance almost didn’t make it past their first date.

October 12, 1997: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance get marriedRon Galella/Ron Galella Collection

Bassett and Vance tied the knot on Oct. 12, 1997, just before Bassett was set to begin work on How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Amid the chaos, Vance proved to be a supportive partner.

December 5, 2005: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance are expecting twinsJoe S𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥horn/Patrick McMullan

They later discussed their surrogacy experience on Oprah, including undergoing seven years of unsuccessful fertility treatments.

February 2007: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance write a book togetherJesse Grant/WireImage

Bassett and Vance decided to share their love story for Valentine’s Day. In February 2007, the couple published Friends: A Love Story, a joint memoir of their relationship.

March 20, 2008: Angela Bassett celebrates Hollywood Walk of Fame honor with Courtney B. Vance and their twinsNoel Vasquez/Getty

February 16, 2009: Angela Bassett says she and Courtney B. Vance feel blessed by the flexibility of an acting careerGregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

During her run on ER, Bassett reflected on her hectic schedule and work-life balance.

But she acknowledged her family being “blessed” by the flexibility of an acting career, which allowed Vance to be at home with the kids after he finished his arc on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

In American Horror Story: Hotel, Bassett starred as Ramona Royale, an actress and former lover of Lady Gaga’s character Countess Elizabeth. When the characters were written into a steamy 𝓈ℯ𝓍 scene, Bassett refrained from telling Vance and instead “eased him into” viewing the episode later on.

September 18, 2016: Courtney B. Vance praises Angela Bassett in his Emmy speechLester Cohen/WireImage

At the 68th annual Emmy Awards in 2016, Vance took home the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie for his role as Johnnie Cochran in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. After thanking those who contributed to his success, including his kids, Vance gave his wife a shout-out.

January 29, 2018: Courtney B. Vance and their twins join Angela Bassett at the Black Panther premiereDavid Crotty/Patrick McMullan

Bassett was joined by Vance and their twins on the purple carpet for the premiere of Black Panther in 2018. In the Marvel film, Bassett portrays Ramonda, the Queen of Wakanda.

September 22, 2019: Courtney B. Vance hypes up Angela Bassett before the EmmysFOX Image Collection

Bassett paired a bright red jumpsuit with a swirl-patterned purse as she and Vance attended the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2019, where she was nominated for outstanding narration for National Geographic’s documentary special The Flood. Vance shared his appreciation for his wife’s fiery look on Instagram.

During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Bassett explained her and Vance’s different roles when it comes to disciplining their kids.

To commemorate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre’s centenary, the couple’s company Bassett Vance Productions announced a partnership with MTV for a limited-series drama based on the event, per Variety.

“Angela and I have always had a deep appreciation for history, especially when it comes to stories that are rooted in the Black community,” Vance told Variety. “We look forward to working on this series with MTV Entertainment Studios that will explore an important slice of American history as we look to reflect on events that changed the lives of countless Black families in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one hundred years ago.”

April 4, 2022: Courtney B. Vance recalls protecting Angela Bassett during a difficult fan encounterTommaso Boddi/Getty

In an interview with Power 105.1 FM’s The Breakfast Club, Vance recounted a time when a fan behaved inappropriately toward Bassett as they were leaving the airport.

October 26, 2022: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance attend Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiereAxelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Vance was on hand to support his wife at the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. The film’s release was especially sentimental as it marked the first film of the Black Panther series since the death of its star, Chadwick Boseman.

That night, Bassett took home the best supporting actress award for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The actress told PEOPLE that her success is “all the more sweeter” because of Vance.

Ahead of the 2023 Oscars, where Bassett is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the actress spoke to PEOPLE about her loving relationship with Vance.

September 26, 2023: Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett attend opening night at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City

The couple attended the opening night gala of the Metropolitan Opera’s Dead Man Walking at the Lincoln Center. Vance and Bassett, who coordinated in all-black ensembles, were joined at the event by several celebrities, including Jon Hamm and his wife, Anna Osceola, and Al Roker and his wife, Deborah Roberts.

November 15, 2023: Courtney B. Vance reveals how he proposed to Angela Bassett

Vance proposed to Bassett on Dec. 9, 1996, at the New York City premiere of his film The Preacher’s Wife, in which he starred alongside Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.

“That was a transitional moment in my life,” he told PEOPLE. “She, Whitney, The Preacher’s Wife, Penny Marshall — the whole [experience] was a turning point in my life.”

March 2, 2024: Angela Bassett discusses how Courtney B. Vance got out of the friend zone

During an appearance on The Talk, Vance shared what happened when he and Bassett got home from dropping their kids off at college, realizing that they had become empty nesters. They marked those first few moments alone by spending time in Bronwyn and Slater’s bedrooms.