The 17 Best Regina King Movies of All Time
- 1/16
The 17 Best Regina King Movies of All Time
When it comes to awards shows, Regina King is on a winning streak. In 2019, the actress won an Academy Award for playing a mother who does what must be done in If Beale Street Could Talk. In 2020, she won an Emmy for playing a masked vigilante fighting against entrenched racism in HBO's stunning Watchmen series. Making her directorial debut with One Night in Miami, King is yet again poised to sweep the 2021 awards season.
The multi-hyphenate first captured the attention of fans in 1987 with the sitcom 227, in which she starred as the rebellious teenager Brenda Jenkins. Although her film career took some time to gain momentum, King appeared in several small roles throughout the '90s—How Stella Got Her Groove Back, anyone? By 2003, she hit her stride with popular movies such as Legally Blonde 2, Miss Congeniality 2, and the biopic Ray. King has also appeared in acclaimed TV shows. Crime show fans will enjoy her Emmy award-winning turns in American Crime or the Netflix show Seven Seconds (both streaming now). Or, for HBO prestige fare, catch her in The Leftovers—just bring tissues.
In celebration of the star's dominion over awards seasons (long may she reign!), here's a look back at the movies that make King a household name.
- 2/16
1) One Night in Miami
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr.
King's Role: You won't see King on screen in One Night in Miami, but her influence is in every scene. The historical film is King's directorial debut (and it earned her a Golden Globe nom).
The movie envisions a fictional meeting between four luminaries from the 1960s—Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brow—all facing personal crossroads.
- 3/16
2) If Beale Street Could Talk
Release Date: December 25, 2018
Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Brian Tyree Henry, Dave Franco, and Teyonah Parris
King's Role: Sharon Rivers, an unwavering mother who loves both her daughter Tish (Layne) and her daughter's partner, Fonny (James).
In this epic love story, based on James Baldwin's 1974 novel of the same name, Sharon goes to great lengths to prove Fonny's innocence when he's falsely accused of rape. King's dramatic portrayal earned her a 2019 Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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- 4/16
3) The Gabby Douglas Story
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Starring: Imani Hakim, Sydney Mikayla, and Brian Tee
King's Role: Natalie Hawkins, the divorced mother of three-time Olympic gold medalist and gymnast Gabby Douglas.
The Lifetime network movie traces the story of Douglas's journey to the 2012 Olympics. It also sheds light on the sacrifices Hawkins made for her daughter's athletic career and for her other three children.
- 5/16
4) Our Family Wedding
Release Date: March 12, 2010
Starring: Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, Lance Gross, and Diana Maria Riva
King's Role: Angela, attorney and friend of the Boyd family.
In this multicultural comedy, a young couple, Lucia Rumirez (Ferrera) and Marcus Boyd (Gross), are getting married. But they have to convince their respective fathers (Whitaker and Mencia) to get over their longstanding feud before they say "I do." Angela is the level-headed one, serving as the voice of reason among the bickering families.
- 6/16
5) This Christmas
Release Date: November 21, 2007
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Keith Robinson, Laz Alonso, Columbus Short, Sharon Leal, and Lauren London
King's Role: Lisa Moore, a wife and mother who confronts her husband's (Alonso) infidelity during a holiday reunion.
Though the bloated film features a talented ensemble cast, King's character, Lisa, is the most impressive of the Whitfield family. Partly because she transforms from a weak-willed woman who gains the strength to teach her philandering hubby a lesson with baby oil.
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- 7/16
6) Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Release Date: March 24, 2005
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Enrique Murciano, William Shatner, and Heather Burns
King's Role: Sam Fuller, an undercover FBI agent and personal bodyguard with serious anger issues.
Sam and Bullock's character, Gracie Hart, team up in this buddy-cop flick to rescue a Miss U.S.A. pageant winner (Burns) and the pageant host (Shatner) in Las Vegas. King rises to the comedic occasion, including dressing as Tina Turner, to take down the kidnappers.
- 8/16
8) A Cinderella Story
Release Date: July 16, 2004
Starring: Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray, and Dan Byrd
King's Role: Rhonda, the head waitress at a local Los Angeles diner and Sam's (Duff) moral support.
A modern-day twist on Disney's animated fairy tale, Cinderella, King takes on the role of Sam's fairy godmother. However, she does it with a lot more grit and sass than any pumpkin carriage and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" ditty could live up to.
- 9/16
9) Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
Release Date: July 2, 2003
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Jennifer Coolidge, and Luke Wilson
King's Role: Grace Rossiter, the top aide for Congresswoman Victoria Rudd (Field).
The sequel to 2001's Legally Blonde sees Elle Woods (Witherspoon) heading to Washington to pass legislation banning animal testing. She faces opposition from the cold-hearted Grace, who writes her off as a ditzy, dumb blonde. Grace eventually comes around, just like many of Woods's detractors did in the first film. But King is the perfect foil to Witherspoon's bubbly Elle.
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- 10/16
10) Daddy Day Care
Release Date: May 9, 2003
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Khamani Griffin, Steve Zahn, and Kevin Nealon
King's Role: Kim Hinton, lawyer and wife of Charles "Charlie" Hinton (Murphy).
After Charlie is laid off from his marketing job, he spends his time taking care of his young son Ben (Griffin). While on babysitting duty, he gets the idea to open up his own children's day care, branded as "Daddy Day Care." King is a minor character in the comedy, but she does a lot with a little as the breadwinner of the Hinton family.
- 11/16
11) Enemy of the State
Release Date: November 20, 1998
Starring: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, and Lisa Bonet
King's Role: Carla Dean, wife of Robert Clayton Dean (Smith).
Big Brother is always watching, or, at least, that's what this action thriller wants its audience to believe when a D.C. lawyer (Smith) uncovers information about the government spying on everyday Americans. King's brief appearance as the dutiful wife is meant to serve as a reminder of all that's at stake for Smith's character, Robert.
- 12/16
12) How Stella Got Her Groove Back
Release Date: August 14, 1998
Starring: Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael J. Pagan, and Suzzanne Douglas
King's Role: Vanessa, a postal worker who always shoots it straight with her sister, Stella Payne (Bassett).
Bassett plays the 40-something stockbroker Stella who has a fling with a younger man named Winston Shakespeare (Diggs) while on vacation in Jamaica. King stands in as the funny and loyal sister who presses Stella for all the scandalous details from her trip and encourages her to follow her heart. King has a small part, but she commands every scene she's in.
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- 13/16
13) Jerry Maguire
Release Date: December 13, 1996
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger, Kelly Preston, and Jerry O'Connell
King's Role: Marcee Tidwell, the hilarious and loving wife of Rod Tidwell (Gooding Jr.).
Okay, King isn't responsible for delivering some of the film's most iconic lines, like "show me the money." But she still plays a critical part as Rod's biggest cheerleader on his way to the top as a wide receiver for a fictional sports team. This is the second film Gooding Jr. and King have been featured in, with the first being Boyz 'n the Hood.
- 14/16
15) A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Release Date: April 3, 1996
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, Bobby Brown, Della Reese, and Malinda Williams
King's Role: Mia, an Air Force veteran and longtime friend of ladies' man Darnell Wright (Lawrence).
The '90s dramedy brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." King's character Mia finds herself caught in a deadly love triangle with Darnell and Brandi, the woman who becomes obsessed with him after a one-night stand gone wrong.
- 15/16
16) Poetic Justice
Release Date: July 23, 1993
Starring: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Joe Torry, and Maya Angelou
King's Role: Iesha, a stubborn young woman who goes on a road trip with her hairdresser and best friend Justice (Jackson) as well as her self-absorbed boyfriend Chicago (Torry).
This gritty romantic drama boasts Maya Angelou's famous poems and follows the story of a pained poet (Jackson) who falls in love with a post office worker and aspiring rap artist (Shakur) while traveling to Oakland in a mail truck. King is flawless as she tackles her alcoholic demons and relationship problems.
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- 16/16
17) Boyz 'n the Hood
Release Date: July 12, 1991
Starring: Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut, and Ice Cube
King's Role: Shalika, an around-the-way girl who's not afraid to state her opinion.
The urban coming-of-age flick marked King's first debut on the big screen. Though she plays a minor role in the John Singleton-directed film, the few one-liners she utters in Doughboy's (Ice Cube) car and in the neighborhood barbecue scene clearly left a lasting impression—it was this movie that jumpstarted her career.
From If Beale Street Could Talk to Poetic Justice.