Regina King is an Oscar-winning actress known for her roles in popular movies like "If Beale Street Could Talk" and "The Harder They Fall," in addition to television roles in "Southland," "The Boondocks" and "Watchmen."

King got her start in acting in the show "227," where she played Brenda Jenkins from 1985 through 1990. After that, she continued to act in movies like "Boyz n the Hood," "Poetic Justice," "Higher Learning" and "Friday," with appearances in television shows like "Northern Exposure," "New York Undercover" and "Living Single."

In 1996, King was in the movie "Jerry Maguire" and in following years acted in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Enemy of the State," "Mighty Joe Young," "Love and Action in Chicago," "Down to Earth" and "Turnaround."

In 2002, King played Cynthia in the television series "Leap of Faith" before she was in "Daddy Day Care," "A Cinderella Story" and "Ray." King also hopped on some movie sequels for "Legally Blond 2: Red, White & Blonde," with Reese Witherspoon, and "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous," with Sandra Bullock.

ACTRESS REGINA KING NEARLY TRAMPLED WHILE COURTSIDE DURING NBA GAME

King started acting in more television shows, with movie roles mixed in between. She played Sandra Palmer in the series "24" and Detective Lydia Adams from 2009 through 2013 in "Southland." She was in a few episodes of "Shameless" in 2014 and "The Boondocks." King was also in "The Leftovers," followed by "American Crime" and "Seven Seconds." She appeared in a series of episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and was also in "Watchmen" in 2019.

In 2018, King played Sharon Rivers in "If Beale Street Could Talk." Her performance won her the Academy Award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role. She also was in "Flag Day" and "The Harder They Fall" in 2021. 

King also has several directing credits to her name. She directed episodes of various television shows, starting with "Southland" in 2013. She went on to direct episodes of "Being Mary Jane," "Scandal," "Animal Kingdom," "Greenleaf," "Pitch' "This Is Us," "Shameless," "The Good Doctor" and "Insecure." In 2020, King had her film directorial debut with the movie "One Night in Miami…"

REGINA KING ON WEARING BREONNA TAYLOR SHIRT AT 2020 EMMYS: ‘THE COPS STILL HAVEN’T BEEN HELD ACCOUNTABLE'

Regina King at "The Harder They Fall" press conference

Regina King had directed episodes of television shows like "Shameless" and "This Is Us" before she got her directorial film debut with the movie "One Night in Miami…" (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Is Regina King related to Dr. Martin Luther King? 

Regina King is not related to Dr. Martin Luther King. She is the oldest daughter of Gloria and Thomas King, who divorced in 1979. Her mother worked as a special education teacher while her father was an electrician. 

Was Regina King on "What's Happening Now!!"?

King was not on the sitcom "What's Happening Now!!" but her sister Reina King was on the show. 

"What's Happening Now!!" was on from 1985 through 1988 and served as a sequel to the series "What's Happening!!"

Reina King has a few other acting credits to her name from "Maid to Order," "Scrooged" and "To Sleep with Anger," which all came out in the ‘80s and ’90s. 

Regina King and Ian Alexander Sr.

Regina Hall was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 until 2007. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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How many children does Regina King have?

King had one son, Ian Alexander Jr., with her previous husband Ian Alexander Sr. Her son passed away when he was 26 years old from a reported suicide in January 2022.  She was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 until 2007.