Regina Taylor, born August 22, 1960, in Dallas, Texas, is an acclaimed American actress, playwright, director, educator, and activist known for her versatile career across theater, television, film, and writing.[3][2] She grew up in a poor neighborhood, began acting in college at Southern Methodist University, and made her professional debut in the 1981 TV movie *Crisis at Central High*, portraying Minnijean Brown of the Little Rock Nine, earning early praise.[1][3][7] Taylor gained widespread recognition for her role as Lilly Harper in the NBC series *I'll Fly Away* (1991-1993), winning a **Golden Globe Award** for Best Actress in a Drama Series, three **NAACP Image Awards**, and two Emmy nominations.[1][2][3] Other notable TV roles include Anita Hill in HBO's *Strange Justice* (Peabody and Gracie Awards), the lead in Masterpiece Theatre's *Cora Unashamed*, four seasons on CBS's *The Unit*, and recent appearances in HBO's *Lovecraft Country*, Netflix's *All Day and a Night*, NBC's *Council of Dads*, CBS's *The Good Fight*, and *The Blacklist*.[2][3][4] In film, she has co-starred in *The Negotiator* (with Samuel L. Jackson), *Courage Under Fire* (Denzel Washington), *Clockers* (Spike Lee), *Lean on Me* (Morgan Freeman), *Losing Isaiah* (Halle Berry), and *A Family Thing*.[1][2][4] A trailblazer in theater, Taylor was the first Black woman to play Juliet in Broadway's *Romeo and Juliet* and has written acclaimed plays like *Crowns* (four Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Director; one of the most produced U.S. plays), *Oo-Bla-Dee* (Steinberg-ATCA Award), *Drowning Crow* (Broadway), *The Trinity River Plays* (Edgerton Award), *stop.reset.* (Signature Theatre Residency), and *Bread* (Edgerton Award).[1][2][4] She currently serves as playwright-in-residence at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (since 2020) and has held similar roles elsewhere.[2][7] Taylor remains active, blending acting, writing, and directing while advocating through her work on civil rights and Black experiences.[2][4]