Regina King

Regina King
King in 2010.
Born	Regina Rene King (1971-01-15) January 15, 1971 Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actress, television director
Years active	1984–present
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[1]
Spouse(s)	Ian Alexander Sr. (m. 1997–2007)
Children	1

Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971)^[2] is an American actress and television director.^[3]She became known for her role as Brenda Jenkins on the NBC sitcom 227 (1985–90) and a supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire, then for her leading roles in two Peabody Award–winning television shows: The Boondocks and Southland. Her role in Southland earned her two Critics' Choice Award nominations for best supporting dramatic actress in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, she began starring in the ABC anthology series American Crime, for which she has received two Emmy Awards and was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Since 2015, she played Erika Murphy on the critically acclaimed HBO drama, The Leftovers, for which she has received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.

She has a recurring role as Janine Davis on The Big Bang Theory, and has starred in numerous films, including Ray, Poetic Justice, Friday, and Legally Blonde 2.

Early life

King was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in View Park-Windsor Hills, the elder daughter of Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician.^[4] The two divorced in 1979.^[5] Her younger sister is actress Reina King. King attended Westchester High School and the University of Southern California.

Career

King began her acting career in 1985 playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series 227,^[6] a role she played until the show ended in 1990. 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. In 1996, she starred in the Martin Lawrence dark comedy-romance A Thin Line Between Love and Hate as Mia. Later in 1996 she gained fame starring in the blockbuster romantic comedy film Jerry Maguire as Marcee Tidwell, the wife of Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character.

She played Will Smith's character's wife in Enemy of the State, and was also featured in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young, Down to Earth, Daddy Day Care, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, A Cinderella Story, Ray and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, she had ongoing roles on several TV series, including acclaimed work as the voice of Huey and Riley Freeman for the animated series The Boondocks and Detective Lydia Adams on the TNT police drama Southland. She also appeared in roles on 24, The Big Bang Theory, and Shameless. In 2007 she played Lisa Moore in This Christmas. She most recently joined the cast of ABC's John Ridley-penned ensemble drama American Crime as a devout member of the Nation of Islam and sister to a drug addict accused of murder. Her performance was praised by television critics. In September 2015, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Regina King.

• Regina King at the Internet Movie Database
• King, Regina. "The Emmys: As White As Ever", The Huffington Post, September 3, 2010; retrieved October 9, 2010.