Regina King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Regina King
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King in 2018
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| Born |
Regina Rene King
January 15, 1971 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Ian Alexander Sr.
(m. 1997; div. 2007) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress, director, and producer. She has won many important awards. These include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, Time magazine said she was one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Regina King first became well-known for her role in the TV show 227 (1985–1990). She also starred in the movie Friday (1995). Kids might know her voice from the animated series The Boondocks (2005–2014). She also played a detective in the crime show Southland (2009–2013).
She won four Primetime Emmy Awards for her acting in different TV series. These include American Crime (2015–2017) and Seven Seconds. She also won for her role in Watchmen (2019). Other TV shows she appeared in are The Leftovers (2015–2017) and The Big Bang Theory (2013–2019).
Regina King has also acted in many movies. She was in dramas like Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Ray (2004). She also appeared in comedies such as Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) and A Cinderella Story (2004). She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her amazing role in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). More recently, she starred in the western movie The Harder They Fall (2021). She also played the main character in the movie Shirley (2024).
Besides acting, King is also a talented director. She has directed episodes for popular TV shows. These include Scandal and This Is Us. Her first movie as a director was One Night in Miami... (2020). This film earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
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Early Life & Education
Regina King was born in Los Angeles County, California. She grew up in a place called View Park–Windsor Hills. Her mother, Gloria Jean, was a special education teacher. Her father, Thomas Henry King Jr., was an electrician. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old. Regina has a younger sister named Reina King, who was also an actress.
King went to Westchester High School. She graduated in 1988. After high school, she studied Communications at the University of Southern California. However, she left college after two years. She realized her true passion was acting.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out in TV & Movies (1985–2004)
Regina King began her acting journey in 1985. Her first big role was Brenda Jenkins on the TV series 227. She played this character until the show ended in 1990. After that, she appeared in several movies directed by John Singleton. These films include Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, and Higher Learning.
In 1995, she was in the popular comedy movie Friday. The next year, she starred in Jerry Maguire as Marcee Tidwell. This role helped her become even more famous. In 1998, she was in the movie Enemy of the State. For this role, she received her first nomination at the NAACP Image Awards.
In 2001, King played Sontee Jenkins in the movie Down to Earth. Critics praised her performance in this film. She later took on a main role in the TV series Leap of Faith in 2002.
After appearing in the teen romantic comedy A Cinderella Story, King played Margie Hendrix in the movie Ray (2004). This film was about the life of musician Ray Charles. For her work in Ray, King won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Becoming a Well-Known Actress (2005–2017)
In 2005, Regina King starred in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. She also started voicing two main characters, Huey and Riley Freeman, in the animated series The Boondocks. In 2007, King played Sandra Palmer in the sixth season of the TV series 24.
From 2009 to 2013, King played Detective Lydia Adams in the police drama Southland. Her role earned her several awards, including two NAACP Image Awards. In 2013, King appeared in The Big Bang Theory as Janine Davis. She also took on roles in The Strain and Shameless in 2014.
From 2015 to 2017, King won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie twice. She won for her roles in American Crime. In 2015, King also starred in The Leftovers. This show earned her a Peabody Award.
During this time, Regina King also started directing. She directed six episodes of the drama series Being Mary Jane. In 2016, she directed episodes for other shows. These included Scandal, The Catch, and This Is Us.
Award-Winning Roles & Directing Debut (2018–Present)
In 2018, King played the mother of a murdered teenager in the Netflix series Seven Seconds. She won her third Primetime Emmy Award for this powerful role. Her performance in the 2018 movie If Beale Street Could Talk was highly praised. She won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for it. Many critics called her the most awarded actress of 2018 in film.
Regina King worked with The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof again. She starred in the 2019 series Watchmen. Her acting in this show was highly acclaimed. She won her fourth Primetime Emmy Award for it. Critics said King showed incredible range in her performance.
In July 2019, it was announced that King would direct the movie One Night in Miami.... The film was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 2020. It was the first time a movie directed by an African-American woman was chosen for the festival. King received many awards and nominations for directing this film. She was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
In October 2021, King starred in the Netflix western movie The Harder They Fall. She won several awards for this role, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.
King also produced the Netflix movie Shirley. This film is about Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman. King also starred as Shirley Chisholm in the movie. She is also set to direct and be an executive producer for the Netflix TV series A Man in Full.
Personal Life
Regina King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. They have one son together, Ian Alexander Jr. He was born in 1996 and later became a disc jockey and recording artist.
See also
In Spanish: Regina King para niños
