Regina King

Early life and education

Regina Rene King was born on January 15, 1971, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in View Park–Windsor Hills. King's ancestors were part of the transatlantic slave trade; they originated from Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Both of her parents are from the Southern United States, and they later moved to Los Angeles during the Great Migration. Her mother, Gloria Jean (), was a special education teacher, and her father, Thomas Henry King Jr., was an electrician. King has a younger sister, Reina, who co-starred with her in the Shirley Chisholm Netflix biographical film Shirley. King first started in dance classes training in ballet and jazz before she began tagging along with her sister to acting classes. She soon began studying acting under her acting coach Betty Bridges. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old. King attended Westchester High School, graduating in 1989. She later studied communications at the University of Southern California for two years before pursuing her passion for acting.

Career

1985–2004: Early roles and breakthrough

King began her acting career in 1985, playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series 227, a role she played until the show ended in 1990. Her performance as Brenda Jenkins during the five-season run of the show was well-received and earned King two Young Artist Award nominations: one for Best Actress Starring in a New Television Series in 1986 and one for Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Long Running Series Comedy or Drama in 1987. She went on to appear in the John Singleton films Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, and Higher Learning. In 1995, she was featured in the hit comedy film Friday. The next year, she starred in the Martin Lawrence dark comedy-romance A Thin Line Between Love and Hate as Mia, and she gained fame starring in blockbuster romantic comedy film Jerry Maguire as Marcee Tidwell.

In 1998, she was cast in Tony Scott's film Enemy of the State, receiving her first nomination at the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. In the same year, King took part in the films How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young, and Love and Action in Chicago. In 2001, King played Sontee Jenkins in Chris and Paul Weitz's Down to Earth, receiving praise from critics for her performance. The following year, she played the main role in television series Leap of Faith.

After taking part in teen romantic comedy film A Cinderella Story, King was cast as Margie Hendrix in the Academy Awards nominated biographical film Ray, about Ray Charles. For her performance in Ray, King won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and was part of a cast nomination from the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

2005–2017: Established actress

In 2005, King was cast in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous and began voicing the characters Huey and Riley Freeman for the animated series The Boondocks. In 2007, King played the main role of Sandra Palmer in season six of television series 24 and acted in films Year of the Dog and This Christmas. From 2009 to 2013, King played Detective Lydia Adams in TNT police drama Southland, receiving multiple Critics' Choice Television Award nominations, and winning two NAACP Image Awards.

After taking part in Rick Famuyiwa's romantic comedy film Our Family Wedding, King appeared as guest judge in RuPaul's Drag Race. In 2013, King played Caltech HR manager Janine Davis in the television series The Big Bang Theory. In 2014, she was cast in two television series, The Strain and Shameless.

In 2015, King was a cast member on ABC's John Ridley-penned ensemble drama American Crime, playing three roles including a devout member of the Nation of Islam and the sister of a drug addict accused of murder. In 2015 and 2016, King won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her roles. Also in 2015, King starred in The Leftovers, which earned her a Peabody Award.

From 2015 to 2017, King began to pursue work as a director and writer, initially directing six episodes of the drama series Being Mary Jane. In 2016, she directed two episodes of Scandal, and single episodes of The Catch, Animal Kingdom, This Is Us and Shameless.

2018–present: Awards success and directorial debut

In 2018, King played the mother of a murdered black teenager in the Netflix original series Seven Seconds, winning her third Primetime Emmy Award. Her performance in the 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered critical acclaim and earned her the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. King additionally won the Critics' Choice, Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics, National Society of Film Critics, and numerous other critic awards for Supporting Actress, making her the most awarded actor of 2018 in film. In regards to King's performance, Richard Roeper for the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Regina King is blazingly good in a nomination-worthy performance as Tish's mother. Even when there's fire in her eyes as she defends her daughter, you can see her primary motivating force is love. The love she has for her child, and for the child of her child." In his review for The Observer, Mark Kermode wrote: "As for Regina King, her brilliantly modulated performance is a masterclass in physical understatement. One moment stands out [...] 'Mamma... ,' says Tish, tentatively, and even before she turns to face us, an almost imperceptible movement of King's neck and shoulders tells us that Sharon knows exactly what her daughter is about to say."

Re-teaming with The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof, King starred in the 2019 limited series Watchmen, for which she received acclaim and won the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and her fourth Primetime Emmy Award. In an IndieWire review for the series, Ben Travers wrote: "King is nothing short of amazing — yes, she's got an Oscar and three Emmys, but she puts even more range on display in a turn that effortlessly pivots between invulnerable and vulnerable." In a decade-end list by Caroline Framke and Daniel D'Addario for Variety, King's performance was amongst the best of the 2010s in television. In July 2019, it was announced King would direct One Night in Miami... based upon the play of the same name. In a CBS interview regarding the movie, King said taking on the project was daunting and "scary in a good way" and described the connection she felt to these characters saying, "I felt like I knew all of these men. I saw my son in these conversations. I saw my father in these conversations. They love, they're vulnerable, they're strong." When asked about her experience of directing in an interview with Rolling Stone, King says "I love being the person that the idea starts from. And then you give these thoughts to your department heads, and they get excited and take it even further, and then bring things to the table that you may not have thought about. It’s really fun. I love doing puzzles. Hardcore. I’m a puzzler. And so maybe a bit of that spirit is what’s exciting." The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2020, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival's history. King received numerous awards and nominations at major critics' prizes, earning a Best Director nomination at the Golden Globe Awards and being recognized with the Robert Altman Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.

In October 2021, King starred in Netflix's American Western film The Harder They Fall, directed by Jeymes Samuel, winning several awards including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

King next produced Netflix's Shirley, a biopic about the first black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm during her historic presidential campaign, and starred as the title character. It was written and directed by John Ridley, with whom she previously worked on American Crime. In May 2021, it was announced that King would direct race-themed monster movie Bitter Root for Legendary Entertainment. She served as an executive producer and directed the David E. Kelley–written television series A Man in Full for Netflix, based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name.

Styles and Themes

In her directorial projects, King has aimed to create movies about representation, advocacy for diversity and uplifting unseen storytellers. King has further cemented her passion in these themes onstage at the 2019 Golden Globes stating, "In the next two years, everything that I produce — I am making a vow and it's going to be tough — to make sure that everything I produce is 50% women."

Personal life

King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. They had one son, Ian Alexander Jr., who was born in 1996 and later became a disc jockey and recording artist. Ian Jr. died by suicide on January 21, 2022, at age 26. Since the loss of her son, King has brought up important conversations about the complexities of grief and loss as well as the importance of mental health awareness. On the subject of mental health in an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, King said, "When it comes to depression, people expect it to look a certain way and they expect it to look heavy. And people expect that…to have to experience this and not be able to have the time to just sit with Ian’s choice, which I respect and understand, you know, that he didn’t wanna be here anymore, that’s a hard thing for other people to receive because they did not live our experience, did not live Ian’s journey."

Filmography

Film

Television

As director

As music video director

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Regina King

References

References

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4. Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', April 12, 2022
5. Stewart, Chelsea. (August 4, 2023). "Jennifer Garner Is Going Viral After Her Question About Regina King's Family Ancestry Resurfaced Online". [[BuzzFeed]].
6. Stated on ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (American TV series). Who Do You Think You Are?]]'', December 17, 2018
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10. [http://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/2845?page=35 1989 Westchester High School Yearbook (Los Angeles, California)]
11. "The scene stealer". Vulture.
12. "It's Evening in America". ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine). Vanity Fair]]''. May 2012. p. 155.
13. "Regina King's Most Memorable Roles".
14. (March 31, 1996). "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate".
15. Morris, Wesley. (March 6, 2016). "Regina King Has So Many Stories to Tell". The New York Times.
16. (November 20, 1998). "Enemy of the State". The Austin Chronicle.
17. "How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)".
18. (February 22, 2011). "Perry Moore, 'Narnia' series executive producer, dies at 39; Don Peterman, Oscar-nominated cinematographer, dies at 79; Nancy Carr, network TV publicist, dies at 50". [[Los Angeles Times]].
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26. (March 23, 2005). "Review: Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous". Slant magazine.
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28. "This Christmas". Metacritic.
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42. "Regina King to Direct 'This Is Us' Episode". Entertainment Tonight.
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44. Petski, Denise. (September 17, 2018). "Regina King Lands Her Third Emmy; Portrays Mom Whose Son Is Killed By Police".
45. (February 24, 2019). "Regina King wins supporting actress Oscar for 'Beale Street'". Reuters.
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47. Dietz, Jason. "Best of 2018: Film Awards & Nominations Scorecard". [[Metacritic]].
48. Roeper, Richard. (December 23, 2018). "'If Beale Street Could Talk' a tender romance in a dark, all too recent reality". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
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51. (December 20, 2019). "The Best TV Performances of the Decade".
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53. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (January 7, 2020). "Regina King Directing Debut ''One Night In Miami'' Underway With Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge & Leslie Odom Jr As '60s Icons".
54. Jones, C. T.. (2024-03-21). "Regina King Wants People to Know Shirley Chisholm's Good Fight".
55. Bakare, Lanre. (September 7, 2020). "Regina King makes history at Venice film festival with One Night in Miami". [[The Guardian]].
56. Lewis, Hilary. (January 26, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', 'Minari', 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', 'Nomadland' Top Nominations".
57. Galuppo, Mia. (January 11, 2022). "Making of 'The Harder They Fall': How Jay-Z, Regina King and Idris Elba Helped the Ground-Breaking Western Reach the Big Screen".
58. (February 26, 2022). "NAACP Image Awards: Daniel Kaluuya, Regina King, Mary J. Blige and More Win Acting Awards on Final Night of Virtual Ceremonies".
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60. (December 16, 2021). ""Shirley" Heads To Netflix With All-Star Cast". [[Netflix]].
61. (May 11, 2021). "Regina King to Direct Race-Themed Monster Movie ''Bitter Root'' for Legendary".
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63. Malone, Audrey. (2023-10-30). "From Actress to Auteur: Regina King's Barrier-Busting Directorial Career".
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66. Campione, Katie. (January 22, 2022). "Regina King's Son Ian Alexander Jr. Dies by Suicide: He 'Cared So Deeply'".
67. (February 25, 2019). "Regina King wins Oscar for best supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk". The Guardian.
68. Hammond, Pete. (July 10, 2021). "''Flag Day'' Cannes Review: Sean Penn Directs And Stars In Powerful True Family Drama That Is Star-Making Showcase For Daughter Dylan Penn".
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71. Hampton, Shanola. (September 18, 2018). ""The queen has arrived to direct episode 4!!!! Yaaaaassss! #ReginaKing #Shameless"".
72. Ramos, Dino. (July 9, 2019). "Regina King To Direct Adaptation Of ''One Night In Miami''".
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74. (2025-09-29). "Forever (2025 TV series)". Wikipedia.
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76. "Explore the history of Regina King and their career".
77. Schaffstall, Katherine. (2025-08-21). "Regina King Reveals How Her Perspective Has Changed After Son's Death: “I'm Thinking of Him 24/7”".