Regina King
Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Peabody Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, the most Primetime Emmy wins for an African-American performer. In 2019, "Time" magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. King first gained attention for playing Brenda Jenkins in the television series "227" (1985–1990). Her subsequent roles included the film "Friday" (1995), the animated series "The Boondocks" (2005–2014), and the crime television series "Southland" (2009–2013). From  2015 to 2017, King starred in the ABC anthology series "American Crime", for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards, and in 2018, she starred in the Netflix miniseries "Seven Seconds", for which she won her third Primetime Emmy Award. She starred in Barry Jenkins' film adaptation of the James Baldwin novel "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018). For her performance, she won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. King won her fourth Primetime Emmy Award for starring in the dystopian superhero limited series "Watchmen" (2019). King has also played supporting roles in the films  Boyz n the Hood (1991), "Poetic Justice" (1993), "Ray" (2004), "A Cinderella Story" (2004), as well as in the comedies "" (2003), and "" (2005). Her other television roles include the drama series "The Leftovers" (2015–2017) and the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (2013–2019). King has directed episodes for several television shows, including "Scandal" in 2015 and 2016 and "This Is Us" in 2017. She has also directed the music video for the 2010 song "Finding My Way Back" by Jaheim. Her feature film directorial debut came with the drama "One Night in Miami..." (2020), for which she was nominated for a  Golden Globe Award for Best Director and a Directors Guild of America Award for First Time Feature Film. She became the second black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Early life and education. King was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in View Park–Windsor Hills, California. She is the eldest daughter of Gloria Jean (Cain), a special education teacher, and Thomas Henry King Jr., an electrician. King's parents divorced in 1979. Her younger sister is former actress Reina King, who appeared on "What's Happening Now!!". King attended Westchester High  School, graduating in 1988. She later studied Communications at the University of Southern California, dropping out after two years when she realized her passion for acting. Career. 1985–2004: Beginnings as an actress and breakthrough with "Ray". King began her acting career in 1985, playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series "227", 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". The next year, she starred in  the Martin Lawrence dark comedy-romance "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" as Mia, and she gained fame starring in blockbuster romantic comedy film "Jerry Maguire" as Marcee Tidwell. In 1998, she was cast in Tony Scott's film "Enemy of the State," receiving her first nomination at the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. In the same year, King took part in the films "How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young," and "Love and Action in Chicago." In 2001, King played Sontee Jenkins in Chris and Paul Weitz's "Down to Earth ," receiving praise from critics for her performance. The following year, she played the main role in television series "Leap of Faith." After taking part in teen romantic comedy film "A Cinderella Story", King was cast as Margie Hendrix in the Academy Awards nominated biographical film "Ray", about Ray Charles. For her performance in "Ray", King won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and was part of a cast nomination from the Screen Actors Guild Awards. 2005–2017: Acting, "American Crime" and first works as a director. In 2005, King was cast in   and began voicing the characters Huey and Riley Freeman for the animated series "The Boondocks." In 2007, King played the main role of Sandra Palmer in season six of television series "24" and acted in films "Year of the Dog" and "This Christmas." From 2009 to 2013, King played Detective Lydia Adams in TNT police drama "Southland," receiving multiple Critics' Choice Television Award nominations, and winning two NAACP Image Awards. After taking part in Rick Famuyiwa's romantic comedy film "Our Family Wedding," King appeared as guest judge in "RuPaul's Drag Race." In 2013, King played Janine Davis in  the television series "The Big Bang Theory." In 2014, she was cast in two television series, "The Strain" and "Shameless." In 2015, King was a cast member on ABC's John Ridley-penned ensemble drama "American Crime", playing three roles, including a devout member of the Nation of Islam and the sister of a drug addict accused of murder. In 2015 and 2016, King won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her roles. Also in 2015, King starred in "The Leftovers", which earned her a Peabody Award. From 2015 to  2017, King began to pursue work as a director and writer, initially directing six episodes of the drama series "Being Mary Jane". In 2016, she directed two episodes of "Scandal", and single episodes of "The Catch", "Animal Kingdom, This Is Us" and "Shameless." 2018–present: "If Beale Street Could Talk" and success directing with "One Night in Miami". In 2018, King played the role of the mother of a murdered black teenager in the Netflix original series "Seven Seconds", winning her third Primetime Emmy Award. Her performance in the 2018 film "If Beale Street Could Talk", directed by Barry Jenkins , garnered critical acclaim and earned her the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. King starred in the 2019 series "Watchmen", for which she won her fourth Primetime Emmy Award. In July 2019, it was announced King would direct "One Night in Miami..." based upon the play of the same name. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2020, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival's history. King received numerous awards and nominations at major critics' prizes, earning a Best Director  nomination at the Golden Globe Awards and being recognized with the Robert Altman Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. In May 2021, it was announced that King would direct race-themed monster movie "Bitter Root" for Legendary Entertainment. In October 2021, King starred in American Western film "The Harder They Fall", directed by Jeymes Samuel, winning several awards including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Personal life. King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. Their son, Ian Alexander Jr., was born in 1996 and later became a disc jockey and  recording artist. Her son died on January 21, 2022, at age 26, after committing suicide. External links. ! | BET Award ! | NAACP Image Award ! | Satellite Award