Regina Hall

Regina Lee Hall (born December 12, 1970)[1] is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous television series, most prominently in a regular role on the comedy series Ally McBeal (2001–2002) and Black Monday (2019–present). Hall became known for starring as Brenda in the Scary Movie film series (2000–2005), and her other significant film roles include The Best Man (1999) and its sequel The Best Man Holiday (2013), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), Think Like a Man (2012) and its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), About Last Night (2014), Vacation (2015), Girls Trip (2017), and The Hate U Give (2018).

Regina Hall
Hall in 2014
Born
Regina Lee Hall

December 1970 (age 49)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Actress
Years active1992–present

She received critical acclaim for starring as Lisa Conroy in the comedy film Support the Girls (2018), becoming the first African American to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, and received nominations for the Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress.

Early life

Hall was born on December 12, 1970, in Washington, D.C.,[1] the daughter of a contractor and electrician father, Odie Hall, and a teacher mother, Ruby.[2][3] After graduating from Immaculata College High School, Hall enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1992.[4][5] She later enrolled at New York University, where she earned a master's degree in journalism in 1997.[6] Reflecting on college, Hall said: "I loved being a student. I could've gone to school until I was 75 years old as long as somebody would've paid my rent. I would've been a professional student."[4]

She wanted a career with impact and envisioned a career in writing or journalism, but Hall's first semester of graduate school changed drastically when her father died of a stroke.[7] "It was sudden. And I think when sudden events that are painful happen in your life, you know, they redirect your course," Hall reflected. "When you’re young, you don’t grasp the gravity of life. But when you lose someone that you spend most of your life with, and you’re young, you do. And so I think that started me thinking about what I really wanted to do in life. And I know my father would have wanted me to finish school. So I did that."[8] She began a career in the entertainment industry, starting off with a guest appearance on Sadat X's 1996 album Wild Cowboys on the track, "The Interview".

Career

In 1997, Hall appeared in her first television commercial at the age of 26. Her television career began with a role on the soap opera Loving, and guest appearances on the Fox police drama New York Undercover. She played Kandy in the 1999 film The Best Man. She left a lasting impression on viewers with her portrayal of the character Candace "Candy" Sparks. Hall reflected: "It was my very first movie. I met Sanaa Lathan on it, and we did Love and Basketball together, which was my second film. And then, at that point, I was visiting L.A. to stay and it led to a third film and a fourth film. And it was really a big deal because I'd never been on a set before."[9] It signaled a pivotal point for Hall's career. As a key member of the all-star cast, she welcomed rising-star status in "black-Hollywood".

Hall gained more recognition with her role in the comedy-horror-spoof Scary Movie (and the sequels Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4) portraying the sex-crazed Brenda Meeks, and the TV movie Disappearing Acts. The Scary Movie films would become some of her best known roles.[10] In 2001, Hall landed the role of Coretta Lipp on the prime-time drama Ally McBeal, which was originally a recurring role over several episodes but was made a main character in the 5th season of the show. A year later, she starred in the action-drama Paid in Full, a film directed by Charles Stone III. Since then, she has appeared in leading roles in films such as Malibu's Most Wanted, King's Ransom and The Honeymooners.[11]

She appeared in the film Law Abiding Citizen in 2009.[12][13] She had a role in the 2010 Danneel Harris and Arielle Kebbel film Mardi Gras. From its fall 2010 debut until a series overhaul in January 2011, Regina Hall portrayed Deputy District Attorney Evelyn Price on Law & Order: LA. In addition to being an actress and advocate, Regina Hall announced in November 2010 that she is now writing for ABILITY Magazine.[14]

In 2012, she portrayed Candace Hall in Steve Harvey's movie Think Like a Man, a romantic comedy based on his book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. Hall reprised her role as Candace Sparks in The Best Man Holiday in 2013. She believed the characters had evolved from the first film. Hall felt The Best Man Holiday was different from any sequel she had ever done before since it was not "immediate" and it had been fourteen years since the release of the original. Hall felt the first film had "the joy of the wedding" and in the sequel "they come together for the holidays, but it's deeper than that. This one's definitely different, but we still laughed. There was so much laughter behind the scenes."[9] Hall joked about how all of the male members of the cast were married while all of the women were not, stating that Morris Chestnut was happily married while walking around "with his shirt off!"[15]

Hall appeared in the 2014 film About Last Night, costarring Kevin Hart.[16][17] She and Hart were seen as the film's highlight as they had a "great dynamic together" and the two were credited with having the funniest lines in the film. All of the cast was seen as having a "perfect mix of charisma and likability".[18] Jessica Herndon of the Associated Press stated "Hart and Hall are the best part of this film. They play the couple you know all too well: fiery, able to press one another's buttons and always caught in the makeup to breakup game." Negative reviews of the film also praised the pairing of Hall with Kevin Hart. Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle expressed that Hart was "well paired for Hall, who matches him for comedy."[19] At the time of the film's release, both Hall and Hart expressed interest in working on other projects together.[20] About Last Night was her third ensemble film and Hall reflected that she learned from actors she worked with in ensembles.[21]

Hall reprised her role as Candace Hall in Think Like a Man Too. She revealed what members of the cast partied the most in the film shortly before the movie's release. "Everyone kind of had their fun, I'm not gonna lie. We went out, we gambled. Kevin [Hart] parties. There were parties, and we all went. It was good fun".[22] In July 2014, it was announced Hall would star in a Lifetime film, entitled With This Ring, with Eve and Jill Scott.[23][24]

In the 2015 film People Place Things, Hall had a major role as the love interest of a newly divorced man.

In 2016, Hall was in Barbershop: The Next Cut. She played the role of Angie, one of the hair stylists, alongside Ice Cube, Common, and Eve.

In 2017, Hall co-starred in the comedy film Girls Trip, which became a critical and commercial success.

In 2018, Hall was part of the ensemble cast of the drama film The Hate U Give, based on the 2017 novel. She also had the lead in Support the Girls, a film directed by Andrew Bujalski. For the latter, she received critical praise, and was nominated for several awards, winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She is the first African-American to win the award.[25] In 2019, Hall hosted the 2019 BET Awards.

Personal life

Around 2004, Hall's mother was diagnosed with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease. When not working in Hollywood, Hall can be found volunteering for the care of senior citizens at a Sherman Oaks, California, convalescent home twice a week as well as raising public awareness for the disease. "When my mom was diagnosed, I didn’t know much about the condition. But Dana Delany, who is an actress and now a friend of mine, put me in touch with Bob Saget. Bob had made a television movie about scleroderma years ago because his sister had died from it. That was back when they didn’t even know what it was. Anyway, Bob had a group called the Scleroderma Research Foundation, so I donated to that and my mother even went to the doctor Bob had suggested, who happened to be over at Johns Hopkins."[26]

In 2010, when she was 40, Hall unsuccessfully tried to become a nun after a bad break-up, having previously wanted to become a nun at the age of 14. She was refused for being too old, as the cut-off age is 39.[27]

In 2014, she signed as an ambassador for Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds. Hall has also voiced her admiration for Taylor. "I love Elizabeth Taylor. The reason I always was such a fan, I read her The New York Times bestseller. She was one of the people who I felt equally possessed the same amount of talent as she did beauty. Her work that she did throughout her entire career–I watched her on General Hospital and what I always loved about her was that she was elegant. Whenever I do red carpet looks one of the things that I like is to always make sure that there’s a sense of elegance and class. And I felt like she always exuded that."[28]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1999 The Best Man Candace "Candy" Sparks
2000 Love & Basketball Lena Wright
Disappearing Acts Portia
Scary Movie Brenda Meeks
2001 Scary Movie 2
2002 The Other Brother Vicki
Paid in Full Keisha
2003 Malibu's Most Wanted Shondra
Scary Movie 3 Brenda Meeks
2005 King's Ransom Peaches Clarke
The Honeymooners Trixie Norton
Six Months Later Keri
2006 Scary Movie 4 Brenda Meeks
Danika Evelyn
The Elder Son Susan
2008 First Sunday Omunique
Superhero Movie Mrs. Xavier
2009 Law Abiding Citizen Kelly Rice
2010 Death at a Funeral Michelle Barnes
2011 Mardi Gras: Spring Break Ann Marie
2012 Think Like a Man Candace Hall
2013 The Best Man Holiday Candace "Candy" Sparks
2014 About Last Night Joan Derrickson
Think Like a Man Too Candace Hall
2015 People Places Things Diane
Vacation Nancy Peterson
2016 Barbershop: The Next Cut Angie
When the Bough Breaks Laura Taylor
2017 Girls Trip Ryan Pierce
Naked Megan Swope
2018 Support the Girls Lisa Conroy
The Hate U Give Lisa Carter
2019 Little Jordan Sanders Also executive producer
Shaft Maya Babanikos
TBA Breaking News in Yuba County Ramirez Post-production
TBA Master Gail Bishop Filming; Also executive producer [29]

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1992 Loving Unknown Episode: "13 August 1992"
1997 New York Undercover Tammy Episode: "No Place Like Hell"
2000 Disappearing Acts Portia Television movie
NYPD Blue Sharice Warner Episode: "Little Abner"
2001–2002 Ally McBeal Corretta Lipp 25 episodes
2010–2011 Law & Order: Los Angeles Deputy D.A. Evelyn Price 7 episodes
2013 Second Generation Wayans Regina 4 episodes
2014 Married Roxanne 2 episodes
2015 With This Ring Trista Miller Television movie
Key & Peele Wife #1 Episode: "Airplane Showdown"
2016 Grandfathered Catherine Sanders Recurring role; 5 episodes
Uncle Buck Jackie King Episode: "Pilot"
Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Lupita Nyong'o vs. Regina Hall"
2016–2017 Black-ish Vivian 3 episodes
2017 Crushed Celia Television movie
Insecure Ninny 4 episodes
2019–present Black Monday Dawn Darcy Main role
TBA Nine Perfect Strangers Carmel Upcoming miniseries

Awards
Year Work Award Result
2003 Ally McBeal NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
2005 Danika Best Actress – San Diego Film Festival[30] Won
2018 Girls Trip NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
Support the Girls African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Won
Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress Nominated
Boston Online Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast runner-up
Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress Nominated
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress runner-up
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Won
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated
Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

(tied with Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Olivia Colman for The Favourite)

 Won
Talk Film Society Award for Best Actress Pending
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated
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References
  1. Sloboda, Sarah (2009). "Regina Hall:Biography". MSN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  2. Regina Hall Biography (1971—)
  3. "Regina Hall". Ability Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. "Regina Hall Interview". The Breakfast Club. September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  5. "'People Places Things' stars Regina Hall and Jemaine Clement talk about the new comedy". Pix 11. August 11, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  6. Sloboda, Sarah, and Allmovie (January 10, 2008). "Regina Hall". The New York Times.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. King, Susan (August 12, 2015). "Regina Hall's well-ordered life as an actor, not a nun". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  8. Mays, Raqiyah (February 21, 2014). "SCREEN TIME: REGINA HALL". The Shadow League.
  9. Knolle, Sharon (November 12, 2013). "'Best Man Holiday' Star Regina Hall Talks Epic Catfights, Sequels, and Scandalous Videos".
  10. "'Think Like A Man Too's' Regina Hall Reenacts 'Scary Movie' Brenda Scene: Kevin Hart Needs to Keep It Down (Video)". The Wrap. June 22, 2014.
  11. Scary Movie 4: An Interview with Regina Hall
  12. "Regina Hall appears in 'Law Abiding Citizen'". CapeCodOnline.com. October 24, 2009. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014.
  13. "Life in Film: All About Regina Hall". BET.
  14. Regina Hall on the Mo'Nique Show ABILITY Magazine, November 2010
  15. Rogers, Jazmin Denise (November 11, 2013). "'The Best Man Holiday' Actress Regina Hall Talks Dating In Her 40s". MadameNoire.
  16. "'About Last Night' stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall argue about 'big panties'". FoxNews.com. February 14, 2014.
  17. Armstrong, Jenice (February 14, 2014). "Kevin Hart, Regina Hall on love, dating and girls who fight". Philly.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.
  18. "About Last Night Review". CinemaBlend.com.
  19. Gettell, Oliver (February 14, 2014). "Kevin Hart, Regina Hall spice up 'About Last Night,' reviews say". Los Angeles Times.
  20. Hailey, Jonathan (February 11, 2014). "Kevin Hart & Regina Hall Reveal The Trouble With Working Together [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]". Black America Web.
  21. "Regina Hall Talks Spanx, Sexuality, Yoga and Being Uninhibited in About Last Night". EurPublisher. February 13, 2014.
  22. Bennett, Anita (June 19, 2014). "'Think Like a Man Too' Star Regina Hall on Shooting in Las Vegas, Strippers and Jail (Video)". The Wrap.
  23. Jaffe, Eric (July 13, 2014). "Jill Scott, Eve, Regina Hall To Star In A Lifetime Movie". HotNewHipHop.com.
  24. Goldberg, Lesley. "Jill Scott, Eve, Regina Hall to Star in Lifetime Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  25. Sharf, Zach (November 29, 2018). "2018 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". IndieWire. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  26. Regina Hall Interview "Regina Hall Issue", ABILITY Magazine, April/May 2010
  27. "Regina Hall almost became a nun". 790 KGMI. January 23, 2015.
  28. Wells, Veroica (May 10, 2014). "Regina Hall Talks Womanhood, White Diamonds & Embracing Singleness". MadameNoire.
  29. N'Duka, Amanda (November 13, 2019). "Regina Hall To Executive Produce & Star In 'Master' Drama For Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  30. "san diego film festival 2007: award winners". July 3, 2007. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
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