Regina King

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King in 2010, photo by PrPhotos

Birth Name: Regina Rene King

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: January 15, 1971

Ethnicity: African-American

Regina King is an American actress and director. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). She is also known for her roles in the films Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, Friday (1995), A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Jerry Maguire, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, A Cinderella Story, Ray, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, This Christmas, and The Harder They Fall, and on the shows 227, The Boondocks, Southland, The Leftovers, American Crime, Seven Seconds, and Watchmen. She has directed the film One Night in Miami…, and episodes of the series Being Mary Jane and Scandal.

Regina is the daughter of Gloria Jean (Cain) and Thomas Henry King, Jr. She is the sister of actress Reina King. They both have first names that mean “Queen,” Regina’s in Latin and Reina’s in Spanish.

She had a son with her former husband Ian Alexander.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2022) stated that Regina’s genetic ancestry consists of:

*76% African
——–*30% Nigeria
——–*24% Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu
——–*9% Mali
——–*7% Benin & Togo
——–*4% Senegal
——–*2% Ivory Coast & Ghana
*24% European
——–*9% Ireland
——–*6% Scotland
——–*5% Norway
——–*4% England & Western Europe

Genetically, she was found to have a common ancestor with actress Kathryn Hahn, through Kathryn’s mother’s side, through shared European ancestry.

Regina’s paternal grandfather was Thomas Henry King, Sr. (the son of James Fletcher King and Callie Hardin). Thomas was born in Germantown, Shelby, Tennessee. James was the son of John King and Laura Logan. Callie was the daughter of Bath Hardin and Lucy A. Rilley.

Regina’s paternal grandmother was Ruby May/Mae “Little Mama” Brown (the daughter of Henry V. Brown and Allene Moore). Ruby was born in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee. Henry was the son of Abraham Brown and Virginia Adams. Allene was the daughter of Billie Sutton or Moore and Teresa/Theresa Moore or Sutton.

Regina’s maternal grandfather was Willie/Will Albert Cain (the son of Allie/Ollie Cain and Alice Crosby). Willie was born in Alabama. Regina’s great-grandfather Allie was the son of Henry Cain and Mary/Mollie Austin. Regina’s great-grandmother Alice was born in Wetumpka, Elmore, Alabama, the daughter of Mose/Moses Crosby/Hughes and Mary Meadow/Meadows/Meddows. Regina’s great-great-grandfather Mose Crosby was a member of the Freedmen’s Bureau, which helped freedmen during Reconstruction.

Regina’s maternal grandmother was named Beria Loretta Smith (the daughter of Janie Bell Hooks). Beria was born in Alabama. Janie was the daughter of Laurence/Lawrence Hooks and Lou Ann/Anna/Bell Caine.

Sources: Regina’s appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?, 2018 – https://www.youtube.com

Genealogy of Regina King – https://www.geni.com

Regina’s maternal grandfather, Willie/Will A. Cain, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

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