Regina King
Born on January 15, 1971 in Los Angeles, CA, Regina King grew up in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood of L.A. Her mother, Gloria, was a special education teacher, while her father, Thomas, was an electrician. She also had a younger sister, Reina. Her parents split in 1979, when King was eight years old. While attending Westchester High School, King began acting professionally: her first gig ever was a recurring role on the popular sitcom "227" (NBC, 1985-1990), playing Brenda Jenkins. She would play the role for the entire run of the series, graduating from high school in the middle of the show's fourth season. King continued to mix acting and academics: she began classes at University of Southern California while making her film debut in writer/director John Singleton's groundbreaking debut feature "Boyz n the Hood" (1991), a sobering look at teenage life in South Central L.A. King would go on to appear in Singleton's next two films as well, "Poetic Justice" (1993), and "Higher Learning" (1995). That same year, King also co-starred in another look at a day in the life of South Central, albeit a much more laid back and comedic one: "Friday" (1995) quickly became a comedic cult classic, and one of the most beloved stoner comedies of the decade. King next co-starred alongside Martin Lawrence in the dark romantic comedy "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (1996), before taking on a scene-stealing turn as Marcee Tidwell, wife to Cuba Gooding Jr.'s would-be football superstar in the smash hit "Jerry Maguire" (1996). King then went on a run of supporting roles alongside superstar black actors, playing Will Smith's wife in the espionage thriller "Enemy of the State" (1998), Chris Rock's love interest in the "Heaven Can Wait" remake "Down to Earth" (2001), and Eddie Murphy's wife in the family comedy "Daddy Day Care" (2003). In between supporting roles in two hit comedy sequels, "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" (2003) and "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005), King found time to play Margie Hendricks, backup singer and drug-addled mistress to Jamie Foxx's Ray Charles in the smash hit biopic "Ray" (2004). Around this time, King began to pivot back towards TV gigs: she voiced Riley and Huey Freeman on Adult Swim's subversive "The Boondocks" (Cartoon Network, 2005-2014), played Sandra Palmer, sister of slain president David Palmer, on season 6 of "24" (FOX, 2001-2010), starred as Detective Lydia Adams on the critically acclaimed police procedural "Southland" (ABC, 2009/TNT, 2010-13) (she also directed a few episodes), and took on a recurring role as Janine Davis, Human Resources administrator, on the smash hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS, 2007-2019). King then joined the cast of John Ridley's anthology series "American Crime" (ABC, 2015-2017), which told a different hot-button story every season using the same cast. King was awarded the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV movie or Limited Series for her work two years in a row, on seasons one and two. After "American Crime" was cancelled following its third season, King moved on to another socially conscious drama, playing the mother of a murdered black teenager on the Netflix series "Seven Seconds" (Netflix, 2018-), for which she won a third Primetime Emmy, this time for Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series. King would receive some of the best reviews of her career for her deeply humanistic performance in "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018). An adaptation of a 1974 novel by James Baldwin from "Moonlight" (2016) writer/director Barry Jenkins, King played Sharon, the matriarch who lead the charge to clear the name of Fonny (Stephan James), the true love of her daughter Tish (KiKi Layne), after his unjust arrest for a rape he could not have committed. Amongst the many accolades King received for her work was a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. King's first post-Oscars project was a lead role in the TV adaptation of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel "Watchmen" (HBO, 2019-).
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Regina King
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
74% |
|
Shirley |
Shirley Chisholm (Character), Producer |
- | 2024 |
88% |
|
The Harder They Fall | "Treacherous" Trudy Smith (Character) | - | 2021 |
98% |
|
One Night in Miami |
Director, Executive Producer |
- | 2020 |
95% |
|
If Beale Street Could Talk | Sharon Rivers (Character) | $14.9M | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | August 28th: A Day in the Life of a People | Unknown (Character) | - | 2018 |
No Score Yet |
|
Let the Church Say Amen | Director | - | 2015 |
44% |
|
Planes: Fire & Rescue | Dynamite (Voice) | $59.2M | 2014 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Gabby Douglas Story | Natalie Hawkins (Character) | - | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Samoloty 2 | Unknown (Character) | - | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Inside the Box | Stephanie Miles (Character) | - | 2013 |
15% |
|
Our Family Wedding | Angela (Character) | $20.2M | 2010 |
No Score Yet |
|
Living Proof | Unknown (Character) | - | 2008 |
56% |
|
This Christmas | Sistah (Character) | $49.1M | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Grindin' | Unknown (Character) | - | 2007 |
70% |
|
Year of the Dog | Layla (Character) | $1.5M | 2007 |
61% |
|
The Ant Bully | Kreela (Voice) | $28.1M | 2006 |
16% |
|
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Sam Fuller (Character) | $48.5M | 2005 |
79% |
|
Ray | Margie Hendricks (Character) | $75.3M | 2004 |
11% |
|
A Cinderella Story | Rhonda (Character) | $51.4M | 2004 |
35% |
|
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Grace Rossiter (Character) | $89.8M | 2003 |
27% |
|
Daddy Day Care | Kim Hinton (Character) | $104.1M | 2003 |
No Score Yet |
|
Final Breakdown | Rayne (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet |
|
Damaged Care | Cheryl Griffith (Character) | - | 2002 |
19% |
|
Down to Earth | Sontee Jenkins (Character) | $64.2M | 2001 |
60% |
|
If These Walls Could Talk 2 | Allie (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Where the Truth Lies | Lillian Rose-Martin (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Love and Action in Chicago | Lois Newton (Character) | - | 1999 |
54% |
|
Mighty Joe Young | Cecily Banks (Character) | $50.6M | 1998 |
50% |
|
How Stella Got Her Groove Back | Vanessa (Character) | $37.7M | 1998 |
71% |
|
Enemy of the State | Carla Dean (Character) | $111.5M | 1998 |
15% |
|
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate | Mia Williams (Character) | $34.8M | 1996 |
85% |
|
Jerry Maguire | Marcee Tidwell (Character) | $153.6M | 1996 |
46% |
|
Higher Learning | Monet (Character) | $36.8M | 1995 |
76% |
|
Friday | Dana Jones (Character) | $27.4M | 1995 |
35% |
|
Poetic Justice | Iesha (Character) | $27.5M | 1993 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
50% | 42% | A Man in Full |
Executive Producer, Director |
2024 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | 2016 2019-2021 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Beyond the CANVAS | Guest | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Finding Your Roots | Guest | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Guest | 2019-2020 2022 |
100% | No Score Yet | Phat Tuesdays | Self | 2022 |
68% | 95% | Janet Jackson. | Self | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 55% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2015 2020-2021 |
No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2019 2021 |
No Score Yet | 57% | Saturday Night Live | Host | 2021 |
No Score Yet | 18% | The Late Late Show With James Corden | Guest | 2019 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Big Interview With Dan Rather | Self | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Graham Norton Show | Guest | 2019-2021 |
96% | 57% | Watchmen | Angela Abar (Character) | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Talk | Guest | 2011-2013 2015-2016 2018-2019 |
81% | 84% | The Big Bang Theory | Janine Davis (Guest Star) | 2013-2014 2017 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter | Guest | 2019 |
0% | 12% | The Alec Baldwin Show | Guest | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who Do You Think You Are? | Guest | 2018 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2017-2018 |
97% | 82% | Insecure | Director | 2018 |
No Score Yet | 68% | The Good Doctor | Director | 2018 |
78% | 84% | Seven Seconds | Latrice Butler (Character) | 2018 |
41% | 61% | Chelsea | Guest | 2017 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tavis Smiley | Guest | 2017 |
91% | 90% | The Leftovers | Erika Murphy (Character) | 2015 2017 |
96% | 88% | American Crime |
Kimara Walters (Character), Terri LaCroix (Guest Star) |
2015-2017 |
No Score Yet | 11% | The View | Guest | 2017 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Chew | Guest | 2012-2013 2017 |
93% | 83% | Pitch | Director | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 81% | Greenleaf | Director | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 88% | Animal Kingdom | Director | 2016 |
74% | 71% | The Catch | Director | 2016 |
93% | 72% | Scandal | Director | 2015-2016 |
No Score Yet | 81% | Last Week Tonight With John Oliver | Guest | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wendy Williams Show | Guest | 2008-2009 2011 2014-2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Last Call With Carson Daly | Guest | 2015 |
48% | 81% | The Boondocks |
Riley/ |
2005-2008 2010 2014 |
82% | 82% | Shameless | Gail Johnson (Guest Star) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 106 & Park | Unknown (Character) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mo'Nique Show | Unknown (Character) | 2013 |
90% | 97% | Southland | Detective Lydia Adams (Character) | 2009-2013 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen | Guest | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Late Night With Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2010-2011 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Bonnie Hunt Show | Guest | 2009-2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lopez Tonight | Guest | 2010 |
50% | No Score Yet | The Wanda Sykes Show | Guest | 2010 |
87% | 87% | 24 | Sandra Palmer (Character) | 2007 |
40% | No Score Yet | Leap of Faith | Cynthia (Character) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | New York Undercover | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 227 | Brenda Jenkins (Character) | 1985-1990 |