# Cleo King

Cleo King (born August 21, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly Mike & Molly (2010–2016).

## Early life

King was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was the youngest of seven children. She graduated from University of Missouri and later moved to New York to pursue an acting career, first appearing in theatre productions.

## Career

In the mid-1990s, King moved to Los Angeles, California, and began appearing on television shows such as The Wayans Bros., Living Single, Malcolm & Eddie, Murphy Brown, and Any Day Now. She also appeared on Friends as a nurse.
King has appeared in a number of films, playing small parts, include Magnolia (1999), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Bubble Boy (2001), The Life of David Gale (2003), Dreamgirls (2006), Pineapple Express (2008), The Hangover (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). She guest-starred on more than 50 shows, including NYPD Blue, Ally McBeal, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, and Ugly Betty.
From 2001 to 2002, King had a recurring role as Helene Parks in the Fox drama series Boston Public, created by David E. Kelley. In 2003, she co-starred in the short-lived CBS drama The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, also created by Kelley. In 2006, she played Aunt Lou in the HBO drama series Deadwood during its third and final season. In 2009, King had the recurring role as Neeta, the nanny of Jax Teller's son in the FX drama series, Sons of Anarchy.
In 2010, King was cast in the series regular role as grandmother Rosetta "Nana" McMillan in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, even though she is only seven years older than Reno Wilson (who played her grandson, Carl).
In 2017 she appeared regularly in Netflix's adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which premiered in 2017. That same year she appeared as Mrs. Watkins in the film The Bye Bye Man.
On February 22, 2021, King made a cameo appearance in season 2, episode 6 of Fox's 9-1-1: Lone Star. She portrayed Paul Strickland's mother, Cynthia Strickland.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Lieutenant Price | |
| 1997 | White Lies | Alice | |
| 1997 | Touch Me | Gloria Kinney | |
| 1999 | Magnolia | Marcie | |
| 2000 | Road Trip | Tina | |
| 2000 | Dude, Where's My Car? | Officer Clark | |
| 2001 | Bubble Boy | Minister Walsh | |
| 2002 | Waking Up in Reno | June | |
| 2003 | National Security | June | |
| 2003 | The Life of David Gale | Barbara Kreuster | |
| 2003 | Dogville | Olivia | |
| 2003 | Dogville Confessions | Herself | Documentary |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Martha | |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Susan | |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | Janice | |
| 2007 | Towelhead | Marlene | |
| 2008 | Pineapple Express | Police Liaison Officer Harris | |
| 2008 | Sex Drive | Sonya | |
| 2009 | The Hangover | Officer Garden | |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day | TSA Supervisor Daisy Bell | |
| 2011 | Demoted | Betty | |
| 2012 | The Obama Effect | Rebecca Thomas | |
| 2014 | Just Before I Go | Berta | |
| 2014 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Anne | |
| 2017 | The Bye Bye Man | Mrs. Watkins | |
| 2019 | Justine | Cynthia | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | The Cosby Show | Cleo | Episode: "If the Dress Fits, Wear It" |
| 1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Ethel | Episode: "Getting It" |
| 1996 | Living Single | Geraldine | Episode: "Wake Up to the Breakup" |
| 1997 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Vivia | Episode: "The Argument" |
| 1997 | Hitz | Sabrina | Episode: "It Ain't Over Till..." |
| 1997 | 413 Hope St. | Adele | 2 episodes |
| 1997–1998 | Murphy Brown | Marsha | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Michael Hayes | Augusta Miller | Episode: "Mob Mentality" |
| 1998 | Malcolm & Eddie | Aunt Ruby | Episode: "Mixed Nuts" |
| 1998 | Promised Land | Teresa Landover | Episode: "Total Security" |
| 1998 | Night Man | Buddy's Mother | Episode: "Amazing Grace" |
| 1999 | Border Line | Patricia | Television film |
| 1999 | Becker | Mrs. Davis | Episode: "Saving Harvey Cohen" |
| 2000 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Valencia | Episode: "Partner fo' Life" |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Nana / Servant Woman #2 | Episode: "The Princess and the Pauper" |
| 2000 | Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane | Helen | Episode: "Kiss of Death" |
| 2000 | ER | Mrs. Davies | Episode: "Viable Options" |
| 2001 | Diagnosis: Murder | Nurse Sonya | Episode: "Sins of the Father: Part 1" |
| 2001 | Gilmore Girls | Esther | Episode: "Concert Interruptus" |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Claudia Falder | Episode: "Mortality" |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Helena | Episode: "Dying to Testify" |
| 2001 | Ally McBeal | Ms. Parks | Episode: "Queen Bee" |
| 2001–2002 | Boston Public | Helene Parks | 9 episodes |
| 2002 | Charmed | Tanya - Juror | Episode: "Trial by Magic" |
| 2002 | The Bernie Mac Show | Cheryl | Episode: "Handle Your Business" |
| 2002 | Six Feet Under | Life | Episode: "In the Game" |
| 2002 | Friends | Nurse Kitty | Episode: "The One Where No One Proposes" |
| 2002 | MDs | Leticia | Episode: "A La Casa" |
| 2003 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | Francine Hill | 7 episodes |
| 2004, 2005 | The West Wing | Marla Worisky | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Monk | 911 Operator Davis | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Kid" |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lucy | Episode: "Compulsion" |
| 2005 | NCIS | Della Robinson | Episode: "An Eye for an Eye" |
| 2006 | So Notorious | Nanny | 8 episodes |
| 2006 | Deadwood | Aunt Lou Marchbanks | 9 episodes |
| 2006 | Ugly Betty | Anne Fraiser | Episode: "Fey's Sleigh Ride" |
| 2006 | Numbers | Jenine | Episode: "Longshot" |
| 2007 | According to Jim | Suzanne | Episode: "In Case of Jimergency" |
| 2007 | Lost | Tamara Fry | Episode: "The Man from Tallahassee" |
| 2007 | Bones | Minister Sheila | Episode: "Stargazer in a Puddle" |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Deborah Brehe | Episode: "Heal the Pain" |
| 2009 | Sons of Anarchy | Neeta | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | American Dad! | Brenda's Cousin | Episode: "Bully for Steve" |
| 2010 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Nurse Wendy | Episode: "Dee Gives Birth" |
| 2010 | Rex Is Not Your Lawyer | Mable Howard | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2010–2016 | Mike & Molly | Grandma | 57 episodes |
| 2012 | I'm Not Dead Yet | Bev | Television film |
| 2014 | Jennifer Falls | Ronnie | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | New Girl | Sergeant Dorado | Episode: "Background Check" |
| 2015 | The Big Leaf | Parole Officer Marva | Television film |
| 2015 | Young & Hungry | Madame Paulette | Episode: "Young & Earthquake" |
| 2016 | Fresh Off the Boat | Judge Patty O'Brien | Episode: "The Taming of the Dads" |
| 2016, 2018 | Dream Corp LLC | General Jim Joynose Jr. | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | American Koko | Foxy | 3 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | Eleanora Poe | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Shameless | Registrar | Episode: "Shameless" |
| 2018 | Young Sheldon | Mrs. Costello | Episode: "A Mother, a Child, and a Blue Man's Backside" |
| 2018 | Mom | Sandy | Episode: "Puzzle Club and a Closet Party" |
| 2019 | Deadwood: The Movie | Aunt Lou | Television film |
| 2019 | Grey's Anatomy | Robin | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Hoops | Opal Lowry | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Cynthia Strickland | Episode: "Everyone and Their Brother" |