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Regina King

Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards.[1] In 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[2]

Regina King

Regina Rene King

(1971-01-15) January 15, 1971
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
  • Actress
  • director
  • producer

1985–present

Ian Alexander Sr.
(m. 1997; div. 2007)

1

King first gained attention for starring in the television sitcom 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). She received four Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the ABC anthology series American Crime (2015–2017), the Netflix miniseries Seven Seconds, and the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019). Her other television roles include the drama series The Leftovers (2015–2017) and the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2013–2019).


She has also played supporting roles in the drama films Boyz n the Hood (1991), Poetic Justice (1993), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), and Ray (2004), as well as in the comedies Down to Earth (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005). She earned critical acclaim for her performance in the 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk, earning the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has since starred in the western The Harder They Fall (2021).


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. King's feature film directorial debut came with the drama One Night in Miami... (2020), which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Early life and education[edit]

Regina Rene King was born on January 15, 1971,[3] in Los Angeles County, California,[4] and grew up in View Park–Windsor Hills. Her ancestors were part of the triangle slave trade; they originated in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Senegal. Her parents are both from the Southern United States.[5] She is the elder daughter of Gloria Jean (née Cain), a special education teacher, and Thomas Henry King Jr., an electrician.[4][6] King's younger sister Reina co-starred with her in the 2024 Netflix film Shirley.[7] Their parents divorced in 1979.[8]


King attended Westchester High School, graduating in 1988.[9] She later studied communications at the University of Southern California for two years before pursuing her passion for acting.[10]

Personal life[edit]

King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. They had one son, Ian Alexander Jr., who was born in 1996 and later became a disc jockey and recording artist.[61] Ian Jr. died by suicide on January 21, 2022, at age 26.[62][63]

at IMDb

Regina King

King, Regina. , The Huffington Post, September 3, 2010; retrieved October 9, 2010.

"The Emmys: As White As Ever"