Regina King

Regina King is an Academy Award–winning actress and director known for her performances in If Beale Street Could Talk and HBO’s Watchmen. King was born in Los Angeles and was raised by her mother following her parents’ divorce. As a child, she expressed interest in acting and studied under Betty Bridges. She attended Westchester High School and later enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she studied communications before leaving to pursue a career in acting.

King began her career in the 1980s with a breakout role on the sitcom 227. She transitioned into film in the 1990s, appearing in movies like Boyz n the Hood (1991) and Jerry Maguire (1996), steadily building a reputation as a versatile performer. Her career reached new heights with critically acclaimed television roles in American Crime and Seven Seconds. The roles earned her Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, respectively.

Her performance as Sharon Rivers in 2018’s If Beale Street Could Talk earned her an Academy Award for best supporting actress, solidifying her status as one of Hollywood’s top actresses. She later appeared in projects including HBO’s adaptation of the graphic novel Watchmen and Netflix’s Western The Harder They Fall (2021). In addition to acting, she made her feature directorial debut with One Night in Miami … (2020).

In her personal life, King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. The former couple share one son, Ian Alexander Jr. (1996-2022). She later briefly dated actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner.