Regina King was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gloria, a special
education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician. She began her
career in the television show 227 (1985),
followed by a role in
Boyz n the Hood (1991). She began
to be recognized by a mainstream audience after her role as
Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's wife in
Jerry Maguire (1996). She
co-starred in
Enemy of the State (1998) as
Will Smith's character's wife.