Jean E. Smart was born on September 13, 1951 in Seattle, Washington. She is the second of four children, and was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was thirteen. She was educated at University of Washington. Smart starred as the character Charlene Frazier Stillfield on Designing Women. On the big screen, she appeared in Disney's the Kid, Sweet Home Alabama, Bringing Down the House, and Garden State. She guest starred on Frasier and in 2006, she was cast for the role of the mentally-unhinged Martha Logan in the series 24. She was critically praised for this role, earning her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Regina is played by Jean Smart in the comedy series Samantha Who? Regina is the mother of Sam Newly, who got into a terrible accident, leaving her with no account of her past. Regina is just one of Sam’s clues to rediscover her old, ill-mannered self and change for the better.


(Photo courtesy of ABC)