Regina King on Growing Up as a Black Woman in Hollywood

Emmy winner Regina King reflects on her personal experience both as a black woman and as a successful film and television actress. In Regina's all-female childhood home, the conversations often focused on "the importance and the beauty of being a woman" and what she and her sister dreamed of becoming.

"The beauty of being black, in my mother's eyes, is a given," Regina says, and so the topic rarely factored into typical family conversation. What Regina remembers as being extremely formative was the wealth of support she received from her family. That support influenced the types of people she would later surround herself with when she followed her dream of professional acting.

"Having agents and representation that didn't look at me as a black actor, looked at me as an actor—that I think was quite helpful in having the career that I've had."