Regina King

Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971)[3] is an American actress and television director.[4] She became known for her role as Dana in the film Friday (1995), a supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire (1996), and for her roles in the television shows The Boondocks and Southland. Her role in Southland earned her two Critics' Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2012 and 2013.
From 2015 to 2017, she starred in the ABC anthology series American Crime, for which she received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award. From 2015 to 2017, she also played Erika Murphy in the HBO drama The Leftovers, for which she received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination. In 2018, she starred in the Netflix miniseries Seven Seconds, for which she won her third Emmy. King has a recurring role as Janine Davis in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, and has starred in various films, including Ray, Poetic Justice, Friday, and Legally Blonde 2.
== 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. She is the eldest daughter of Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician.[5] King's parents divorced in 1979.[6] King's younger sister is former actress Reina King. King attended Westchester High School; graduating in 1988[7] and later attending University of Southern California.
== Career ==
King began her acting career in 1985 playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series 227,[8] 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.[9] In 1995, she was featured in the hit comedy film Friday.[9] 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.[9] 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.[10]
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 was a cast member on ABC's John Ridley-penned ensemble drama American Crime, and played a devout member of the Nation of Islam and sister to a drug addict accused of murder. In September 2015 and September 2016, King won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for American Crime.[11] In 2018, she played the role of the mother of a murdered black teenager in Netflix original series Seven Seconds.
== Personal life ==
In 1997, King married Ian Alexander but they divorced in 2007. They have one son, Ian Alexander Jr., born January 21, 1996. King dated actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner from 2011[12] until March 2013.[13][14]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1991	Boyz n the Hood 	Shalika 	
1993	Poetic Justice 	Iesha 	
1995	Higher Learning 	Monet 	
1995	Friday 	Dana Jones 	
1996	A Thin Line Between Love and Hate 	Mia 	
1996	Jerry Maguire 	Marcee Tidwell 	
1998	Rituals 	N/A 	Short film
1998	How Stella Got Her Groove Back 	Vanessa 	
1998	Enemy of the State 	Carla Dean 	
1998	Mighty Joe Young 	Cecily Banks 	
1999	Love and Action in Chicago 	Lois Newton 	
2001	Down to Earth 	Sontee Jenkins 	
2002	Truth Be Told 	Rayne 	
2003	Daddy Day Care 	Kim Hinton 	
2003	Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde 	Grace Rossiter 	
2004	A Cinderella Story 	Rhonda 	
2004	Ray 	Margie Hendricks 	
2005	Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous	Sam Fuller 	
2006	The Ant Bully 	Kreela (voice) 	
2007	Year of the Dog 	Layla 	
2007	This Christmas 	Lisa Whitfield-Moore	
2010	Our Family Wedding 	Angela 	
2013	Let the Church Say Amen 	Director 	
2014	Planes: Fire & Rescue 	Dynamite (voice) 	
2018	If Beale Street Could Talk 	Sharon Rivers 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1985–90	227 	Brenda Jenkins 	Main role, 107 episodes
1994 	Northern Exposure 	Mother Nature 	Episode: "Baby Blues"
1994 	New York Undercover 	Marah 	Episode: "Tasha"
1995 	Living Single 	Zina 	Episode: "The Shake-Up"
1999 	Where the Truth Lies 	Lillian Rose-Martin 	Television film
2000 	If These Walls Could Talk 2	Allie 	Television film
2002 	Leap of Faith 	Cynthia 	Main role, 6 episodes
2002 	Damaged Care 	Cheryl Griffith 	Television film
2005–14	The Boondocks 	Riley and Huey Freeman (voice)	Main role, 55 episodes
2006 	Women in Law 	N/A 	Episode: "Pilot"
2007 	24 	Sandra Palmer 	Main role, 9 episodes
2008 	Living Proof 	Ellie Jackson 	Television film
2009–13	Southland 	Detective Lydia Adams 	Main role, 43 episodes
2012 	RuPaul's Drag Race 	Herself (guest judge) 	Episode: "Dragazines"
2013–17	The Big Bang Theory 	Janine Davis 	Recurring role; 5 episodes (seasons 6–11)
2014 	The Strain 	Ruby Wain 	3 episodes
2014 	Shameless 	Gail Johnson 	4 episodes
2014 	The Gabby Douglas Story 	Natalie Hawkins 	Television film
2015–17	American Crime 	Aliyah Shadeed 	Season 1 (recurring role; 7 episodes)
2015–17	American Crime 	Terri LaCroix 	Season 2 (main role; 10 episodes)
2015–17	American Crime 	Kimara Walters 	Season 3 (main role; 8 episodes)
2015–17	The Leftovers 	Erika Murphy 	Main role, 6 episodes
2018 	Seven Seconds 	Latrice Butler 	Main role, 10 episodes
2019 	Watchmen 	Unknown 	Main role
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Association 	Category 	Nominated work 	Result
1999	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture 	Enemy of the State 	Nominated
2001	BET Awards 	Best Actress 	Down to Earth 	Nominated
2002	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture 	Down to Earth 	Nominated
2005	BET Awards 	Best Actress 	A Cinderella Story 	Won
2005	BET Awards 	Best Actress 	Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous	Won
2005	BET Awards 	Best Actress 	Ray 	Won
2005	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture 	Ray 	Won
2005	Satellite Awards 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	Ray 	Won
2005	Screen Actors Guild Awards 	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 	Ray 	Nominated
2005	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice Movie Dance Scene (shared with Sandra Bullock) 	Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous	Nominated
2010	BET Awards 	Best Actress on Television 	Southland 	Nominated
2010	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Nominated
2011	BET Awards 	Best Actress on Television 	Southland 	Nominated
2011	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Won
2012	BET Awards 	Best Actress on Television 	Southland 	Nominated
2012	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Nominated
2012	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Won
2013	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Nominated
2013	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Nominated
2014	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 	Southland 	Nominated
2015	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie 	American Crime 	Won
2016	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie 	American Crime 	Won
2016	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film	American Crime 	Nominated
2016	NAACP Image Awards 	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 	American Crime 	Won
2016	Satellite Awards 	Best Cast – Television Series 	American Crime 	Won
2016	Satellite Awards 	Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film	American Crime 	Nominated
2016	Critics' Choice Television Award 	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 	The Leftovers 	Nominated
2017	Critics' Choice Television Award 	Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Limited Series[17] 	American Crime 	Won
2017	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie 	American Crime 	Nominated
2018	Primetime Emmy Awards 	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie 	Seven Seconds 	Won
2019	Independent Spirit Awards 	Best Supporting Female 	If Beale Street Could Talk 	Pending
2019	National Board of Review 	Best Supporting Actress 	If Beale Street Could Talk 	Won