Regina Rene King ( born January 15 , 1971 ) is an American actress and television director . She became known for her role as Brenda Jenkins on the NBC sitcom 227 ( 1985 -- 90 ) and a supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire , then for her roles in the television shows The Boondocks and Southland . Her role in Southland earned her two Critics ' Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2012 and 2013 . Since 2015 , she played Erika Murphy on the critically acclaimed HBO drama , The Leftovers , for which she has received a Critics ' Choice Television Award nomination . She has a recurring role as Janine Davis on The Big Bang Theory , and has starred in numerous films , including Ray , Poetic Justice , Friday , and Legally Blonde 2 .
Regina King is an actress.