Regina King
Born 1971 · Age 54
American actress, director and producer known for film and television roles (227, Boyz n the Hood, If Beale Street Could Talk, Watchmen) and for directing One Night in Miami.... Winner of an Academy Award, Golden Globe and four Primetime Emmys.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Los Angeles, California
Regina Rene King born to Gloria Jean (special education teacher) and Thomas Henry King Jr. (electrician) in Los Angeles County.
Started acting on sitcom 227 (Brenda Jenkins)
Began professional acting career in recurring / main role as Brenda Jenkins on NBC sitcom 227.
Graduated Westchester High School
Graduated from Westchester High School (Los Angeles).
Attended University of Southern California
Studied communications at USC for two years before leaving to pursue acting full-time.
227 ended after five seasons
Television series 227 ended after its run (Regina had been on it from 1985).
Film role: Boyz n the Hood
Played Shalika in John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood, one of her early film credits.
Film role: Poetic Justice
Appeared in Poetic Justice (directed by John Singleton).
Film roles: Higher Learning and Friday
Appeared in Higher Learning and in the cult-comedy Friday (1995).
Roles: A Thin Line Between Love and Hate; Jerry Maguire
Co-starred as Mia in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and had a breakout scene-stealing role as Marcee Tidwell in Jerry Maguire.
Son Ian Alexander Jr. born
Regina King's son Ian Alexander Jr. was born (1996).
Married Ian Alexander Sr.
Married Ian Alexander Sr.; marriage later ended in divorce in 2007.
Multiple 1998 film roles (Enemy of the State, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young)
Appeared in blockbuster and studio films including Enemy of the State and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Film role: Love and Action in Chicago
Appeared in Love and Action in Chicago.
Film role: Down to Earth
Played Sontee Jenkins in Down to Earth; received positive critical notice.
Starred in TV series Leap of Faith
Played the main role (season 1) in the television series Leap of Faith.
Film roles: Legally Blonde 2 and Daddy Day Care
Appeared in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and Daddy Day Care.
Film role: Ray (Margie Hendricks) and awards for Ray
Portrayed Margie Hendricks in Ray; won Satellite Award (Best Supporting Actress) and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress; part of cast SAG nomination.
Miss Congeniality 2; began voicing The Boondocks
Appeared in Miss Congeniality 2 and started voicing Huey and Riley Freeman on animated series The Boondocks (2005–2014).
Television: 24 (season 6) and films Year of the Dog / This Christmas
Played Sandra Palmer on season six of 24 and acted in Year of the Dog and This Christmas.
Cast as Detective Lydia Adams on Southland
Joined TNT/ABC police drama Southland (2009–2013) as Detective Lydia Adams; earned Critics' Choice nominations and two NAACP Image Awards.
Directed music video 'Finding My Way Back' (Jaheim)
Directed the music video for Jaheim's song 'Finding My Way Back' (2010).
Directed music video 'Not My Daddy' (Kelly Price feat. Stokley)
Directed Kelly Price's 'Not My Daddy' (2011).
Recurring role: The Big Bang Theory (Janine Davis)
Played Janine Davis on The Big Bang Theory (recurring across 6 episodes spanning 2013–2019).
Cast in The Strain and Shameless (recurring)
Took roles on The Strain and had recurring arc on Shameless.
Directed Being Mary Jane episodes (began)
Began directing career for television, directing six episodes of Being Mary Jane.
Starred in American Crime (began)
Joined John Ridley's ABC anthology series American Crime (2015–2017), portraying multiple different characters across seasons.
Primetime Emmy Award win (American Crime)
Won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for American Crime (season 1).
Starred in The Leftovers
Joined the cast of HBO drama The Leftovers (season 2 main role; guest in season 3); involvement contributed to Peabody recognition.
Directed episodes across multiple series (Scandal, The Catch, Animal Kingdom, This Is Us, Shameless)
Directed two episodes of Scandal and single episodes of The Catch, Animal Kingdom, This Is Us and Shameless as she expanded directing credits.
Second consecutive Primetime Emmy win (American Crime)
Won Primetime Emmy Award again for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for American Crime (season 2 / different role).
Starred in Seven Seconds (Netflix)
Played Latrice Butler in Netflix limited series Seven Seconds and won a Primetime Emmy for the role.
Film: If Beale Street Could Talk (critically acclaimed)
Played Sharon Rivers in Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk; performance widely praised and won multiple critics awards.
Won Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress
Won Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk (Golden Globe season 2019).
Named to Time's 100 Most Influential People
Time magazine included Regina King on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2019).
Starred in Watchmen (HBO)
Played Angela Abar / Sister Night in Damon Lindelof's Watchmen limited series, receiving critical acclaim.
Won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk (ceremony February 24, 2019).
Feature directorial debut One Night in Miami... world premiere
One Night in Miami... (Regina King’s feature directorial debut) had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2020 — first film by an African-American woman selected in Venice festival history.
Announced to direct Bitter Root
Announced in May 2021 that she would direct race-themed monster movie Bitter Root for Legendary Entertainment.
Golden Globe nomination for Best Director (One Night in Miami...)
Regina King was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director for her feature directorial debut.
Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award (One Night in Miami...)
Recognized with the Robert Altman Award at the Independent Spirit Awards (film credited as director/EP).
Starred in The Harder They Fall (Netflix)
Played Trudy Smith in the Netflix western The Harder They Fall, released October 2021.
Hosted Saturday Night Live
Hosted Saturday Night Live (Regina King / Nathaniel Rateliff episode in 2021).
Served as executive producer on One Night in Miami...
Regina King credited as executive producer on her feature directorial debut.
Flag Day appearance
Appeared in the film Flag Day (2021).
Won fourth Primetime Emmy (Watchmen) – recognition
Her performance in Watchmen (2019) resulted in wide recognition; Emmy win for Watchmen credited in award tallies (Television Academy lists win for Watchmen).
Announced as producer and star of Shirley biopic
Regina King to produce and star as Shirley Chisholm in Netflix biopic Shirley (announced 2021; film released 2024).
Executive producer / director involvement on Netflix's A Man in Full
Served as executive producer and directed episodes of the David E. Kelley–written Netflix series A Man in Full (project announced Nov 4, 2021).
NAACP Image Award for The Harder They Fall
Won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for The Harder They Fall.
Death of son Ian Alexander Jr.
Ian Alexander Jr. died by suicide on January 21, 2022, at age 26. Regina King publicly mourned his death.
Portrayed Shirley Chisholm (collaboration with John Ridley)
Worked with writer-director John Ridley (previous collaborator from American Crime) on the Shirley biopic.
Starred and produced Shirley (released)
Played title role and served as producer on Shirley, Netflix biopic about Shirley Chisholm (released 2024).
Casting: Joined Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing
Reported to have joined the cast of Caught Stealing (news item July 12, 2024).
Listed for film Caught Stealing (completed credit)
IMDb lists Caught Stealing as completed (2025 credit).
Filming: Children of Blood and Bone
Listed as attached to Children of Blood and Bone (role: Queen Nehanda) with filming status reported 2027.
Key Achievement Ages
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