Regina King

Regina King: biography

The American actress Regina King became famous as a teenager: she played in the then popular sitcom 227. Today, the artist can boast a rich filmography and continues to star in movies and TV projects; she has also tried herself as a TV director.

Childhood and youth

Regina was born in January 1971 in Los Angeles, California. The girl’s father, Thomas, worked as an electrician, and the mother, Gloria, was a special education teacher. When Regina turned eight, the parents divorced. The actress has a younger sister Reina.

The girl showed her acting talent early, and the mother noticed that. King dreamed of participating in a movie or a series. She took up acting classes soon and learned the basics of work. Simultaneously, Regina attended Westchester High in her home town; after graduation, she continued her education at the University of Southern California.

Movies

As a teenager, King participated in the sitcom 227 broadcast by NBC in 1985-1990. Regina personified one of the main characters, Brenda Jenkins, and earned her fame.

Young Regina tried to obtain as many roles as possible; she rarely rejected directors’ offers. In the early 1990s, King appeared in the series Northern Exposure, John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood, and the melodrama Poetic Justice that grossed $27 million in the United States.

The 1995 iconic comedy Friday with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker turned out to be significant for the actress. This funny story shows the daily routine in South Central Los Angeles on Friday. Two friends like to spend time sitting on a porch, having a drink or smoke, and looking at people who are passing by. One day, they get some weed to sell but give in to temptation and try it; they have to find the money and return it to a drug dealer.

By the early 2000s, the woman had appeared in a dozen of movies, such as A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Enemy of the State, and If These Walls Could Talk 2. Although the actress participated in full-length projects more often, she also worked on series. For instance, in 2002, she played in Leap of Faith with Sarah Paulson, Lisa Edelstein, and Ken Marino.

In 2003, King personified Grace Rossiter in Charles Herman-Wurmfeld’s comedy Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. The second part of the popular movie grossed $124 million. The movie continues the story of Elle Woods who becomes a lawyer in a large organization and tries to combine her career and preparation for her wedding. She also learns that the mother of her pet dog Bruiser is a test subject at a cosmetics company.

2004 was marked with the movie Ray that grossed $123 million worldwide; the next year, the actress appeared in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Soon, King voiced characters in The Boondocks, The Ant Bully, and Planes: Fire & Rescue. In 2009, the woman tried herself in directing and worked on the series Southland, Shameless, Scandal, and so on.

At the same time, Regina did not cease to act. In 2007, she participated in Year of the Dog and This Christmas; in 2010, she appeared in Our Family Wedding and The Big Bang Theory where she got a role of Janine Davis. Later on, the series American Crime and the 2018 crime melodrama by Barry Jenkins If Beale Street Could Talk followed.

This is a story about a young couple who have celebrated their engagement and prepare for the wedding. While the woman learns she is pregnant, her fiancé is accused of rapping the Puerto-Rican woman Victoria. Although the man did not commit the crime, he is imprisoned. The fiancée’s mother tries to find Victoria to prove the young man’s innocence.

Critics appreciated the actress’s outstanding work. In 2016 and 2018, she received Emmy; 2019 brought the Golden Globe Award. Besides, King was nominated for Critics' Choice Movie Awards - Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award (If Beale Street Could Talk).

Personal life

The popular actress’s life has been full of romances and complicated family relationships. The woman used to date Curtis Baldwin and Quentin Richardson. In 1997, King married Ian Alexander Sr. and spent nine years with him. In 2006, she filed for divorce and accused him of physical abuse, drug addiction, and cheating; she did not want to tolerate those. The actress’s only son Ian Alexander, Jr. was born in this marriage.

In 2011, Regina dated Malcolm-Jamal Warner, but they split up in 2013. Today, there is no information about the artist’s romances: she is either single or keeps her new partner secret.

Present days

Nowadays, Regina King continues to star in movies. In 2019, the series Watchmen with Adelaide Clemens, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frances Fisher, and Louis Gossett Jr. will be released. The shooting started in September 2018. The date of the premiere remains unknown.

Despite her busy schedule, Regina King remembers about her fans and regularly posts on Instagram and Twitter pictures from movie sets and some personal photos, such as her son in his childhood.

Fans mark the actress’s slim figure and good looks. Although King does not go to the gym, she manages to keep fit: her height is 160 cm., and her weight is 55 kg.

Filmography

• 1985-1990 – 227
• 1993 – Poetic Justice
• 1996 – Jerry Maguire
• 1998 – Enemy of the State
• 2001 – Down to Earth
• 2003 – Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
• 2007 – Year of the Dog
• 2010 – Our Family Wedding
• 2014 – The Gabby Douglas Story
• 2018 – Seven Seconds
• 2018 – If Beale Street Could Talk
• 2019 – Watchmen

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