Caitlin Amanda Bassett (born March 16, 1990) is an American actress and US Army veteran, best known for her work as a lead on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

''.

Early life

Caitlin Bassett was born on March 16, 1990 to Stephen Bassett, a Vietnam veteran and former TV and radio sportscaster, and Judith Bassett, a manager with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. She grew up on a horse farm in Maryland where she was an equestrian and sang in the choir. Despite an interest in theater, she never took part in plays in high school.

Education

In 2011, while serving in the Army and deployed to FOB Shank,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, Bassett enrolled in the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in College Park, Maryland, and the largest institution in the University System of Maryland. Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the U ...

.
/ref> In 2015 she graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree and left the US Army to attend

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

until 2017 before deciding to pursue a career in acting. Her formal acting education began at

Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.

where she was a conservatory student from 2017 to 2020. In 2023 she returned to the University of Maryland to give a homecoming address to non-traditional students and alumni.

Military service

In 2008, a week after her 18th birthday, Bassett enlisted in the US Army as Signals Intelligence Analyst. She completed Basic Combat Training (BCT) at

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army, U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri The Ozarks, Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert, Missouri, St. Robert. The post was created in De ...

, Missouri, and her AIT Advanced Individual Training at

Goodfellow Air Force Base Goodfellow Air Force Base is a nonflying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. As part of Air Education and Training Command, Goodfellow's main mission is cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Forc ...

in San Angelo, Texas. She was then stationed at NSA Hawaii where she volunteered for her first deployment to FOB Shank, Afghanistan, in support of

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...

. At 21 years old she was promoted to Sergeant. She was then transferred to

Fort Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,324 at the 2020 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command an ...

and completed two more deployments - one to Afghanistan and one to Qatar supporting Special Forces. She ultimately attained the rank of Staff Sergeant and was honorably discharged in 2015.

Acting career

After graduating from

Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.

, Bassett was selected out of over 40,000 applicants to be a part of the Disney/ABC Discovers Showcase in 2020. In 2022 TV producer

Martin Gero Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co- executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''. Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontari ...

, calling her a "once-in-a-lifetime discovery," selected Bassett for her first major role as Addison Augustine on NBC's continuation of the ''

'' series.

Philanthropy

Bassett routinely volunteers for philanthropic work, most notably helping evacuate Afghan refugees during the Fall of Kabul in 2021. She also is active in the charitable organization Veterans in Media and Entertainment, which focuses on helping other veterans find careers in the entertainment industry.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bassett, Caitlin 21st-century American actresses 1990 births Living people Stella Adler Studio of Acting alumni University System of Maryland alumni Actresses from Maryland