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Dive into the inspiring life of Shirley Chisholm with Netflix's Shirley, which portrays her impactful journey in American politics. Regina King and John Ridley poured their hearts into this biopic, capturing Chisholm's resilience and dedication to breaking boundaries. From her formative years to her role as a mentor, Chisholm's legacy as a trailblazing Black politician continues to shape American politics.

Even though her name is unjustly overlooked, Shirley Chisholm has significantly shaped American politics and made a noteworthy impact on its history. The achievements attached to her name are more than worth mentioning, and Oscar-winning actress Regina King took a leap of faith in order to tell this outstanding woman's story in the recently released biopic Shirley.

Considering the importance of the subject, King, who not only co-directs but also steps into the role of Shirley Chisholm, carefully selected the contributors to the project and eventually brought John Ridley on board.

The 1972 Democratic presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm is the focus of writer/director John Ridley’s biopic, Shirley. Oscar-winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) delivers a commanding performance in the Netflix drama that shines the spotlight on one of the most dynamic and fiercely ambitious political trailblazers from the late 1960s, ’70s, and beyond. At the time, Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, was considered an outsider. She entered Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district, without much party support and often stood out with her “churchgoing” attire and outspokenness. The idea of a presidential run may have surprised even her, but once Chisholm took hold of the idea, there was no stopping the woman.

John Ridley keeps the pace steady throughout Shirley but opts for a more straightforward approach to telling this story. Chisholm’s fierce determination and drive are the main throughline here,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on March 22nd, 2024, reviewing “Shirley,” featuring Regina King as 1960s/70s Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Streaming on Netflix since March 22nd.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Ms. King portrayed Congresswoman Chisholm as she launches an impossible dream of running for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972. Behind Ms. Chisholm was her husband Conrad (Michael Cherrie), her advisors Arthur Hardwick (Terrence Howard) and Mac Holder (Lance Reddick), as well as colleagues Congressman Walter Fauntroy (André Holland) and future politico and congresswoman, Barbara Lee (Christina Jackson). The result of her run are obviously known, but it’s the insider process that is the guts of this impossible dream.

”Late Night with the Devil” is in select theaters on March 22nd. See local listings. Featuring David Dastmalchian, Rhys Auteri, Ian Bliss, Laura Gordon and Ingrid Torelli. Co-written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes.

Regina King shines as Shirley Chisholm, showcasing her fierce resolve and commitment to equality. A stellar cast including Lucas Hedges and Terrence Howard brings Chisholm's historic campaign to life. John Ridley's exceptional film documents and celebrates Chisholm's groundbreaking political trailblazing effort.

The new Netflix historical biopic Shirley follows the true story of Shirley Chisholm's historic 1972 U.S. presidential campaign. Chisholm became the first black American woman to run for President of the United States just one year after becoming the first black woman elected to Congress in 1971. Chisholm's true story marks a landmark trailblazing effort in American politics that is documented and celebrated in John Ridley's exceptional film. Regina King gives a transformative performance as the titular character, showcasing her fierce resolve and unyielding commitment to make history and never give up fighting for equal representation.

The historical biopic stars an outstanding cast led by Regina King, Lucas Hedges,...

Actors are drawn to biopics like moths to a particularly bright, often gold-tinted flame because it allows them to test their impressionistic mettle, to inhabit the real life of someone who’s often larger than life, to chart how an extraordinary human being is transformed into an emblem of their moment. Audiences are drawn to biopics because we love actors, or at the very least we like seeing them trying to fill the shoes of these renowned figures and find the person beneath the symbolic purpose, shouted slogans, and prosthetic schnozzes.

Editor’s note: Running until the final general election results come in, the Deadline ElectionLine podcast spotlights the 2024 campaign and the blurred lines between politics and entertainment in modern America. Hosted by Deadline’s political editor Ted Johnson and executive editor Dominic Patten, the podcast features commentary and interviews with top lawmakers and entertainment figures. At the same time, you can follow all the news in Biden & Trump rematch and more on the ElectionLine hub on Deadline.

“She’s one of those politicians that actually gave a damn about the people, her constituents and the people of the country that she is a citizen of,” Regina King says of former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm on today’s Deadline ElectionLine podcast – as you can hear above.

Perfectly timed for the 2024 election and the pivotal juncture America finds itself at, the King starring, and John Ridley directed Shirley launches today on Netflix.

“This is a legendary person,...

Regina King is starring in a new movie with her sister Reina!

The sisters walked the red carpet together at the premiere of their new film Shirley on Tuesday (March 19) at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Regina stars as Shirley Chisholm in the story of the first Black congresswoman and her trailblazing run for president of the United States in 1972.

Also in attendance at the premiere were co-stars Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Dorian Crossmond Missick, Michael Cherrie, and W. Earl Brown. Shirley is one of the last films made by the late Lance Reddick.

Shirley will be released on Netflix on March 22. The movie currently has an 83% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Watch the trailer below!

Fyi: Regina is wearing a Schiaparelli dress and Le Silla shoes.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had two obvious reasons to attend Tuesday night’s Netflix premiere of John Ridley’s Shirley starring Regina King as trailblazing politico Shirley Chisolm.

“Shirley Chisholm is a woman who impacted me and influenced me when I was a child. She gave me the courage and the stamina and the fortitude,” Bass explained to The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet outside the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. “But I’m also here because my friend, representative Barbara Lee, is a character in the movie and I want to see young Barbara Lee.”

Lee, who is played in the film by actress Christina Jackson, was also on the scene. Congresswoman Lee has been representing California’s 12th District (previously the 13th) since 1998, and she is the highest ranking African American woman appointed to Democratic leadership, thanks to her role as co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee,...

Chicago – One of the great lesser known pioneers of social and civil rights history is Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. As a black woman in the 1960s/70s, she not only was elected to the House of Representatives but also ran for president in 1972 against all odds. Actor Christina Jackson was in Chicago on behalf of the new biopic, “Shirley.”

Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, and within the political atmosphere in 1972 decided to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Behind Ms. Chisholm was her husband Conrad (Michael Cherrie), her advisors Arthur Hardwick (Terrence Howard) and Mac Holder (Lance Reddick), as well as colleagues Congressman Walter Fauntroy (André Holland) and future politico Barbara Lee (Christina Jackson).

Actor Christina Jackson at Chicago Humanities Fest Night, March 18, 2024

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Christina Jackson has been a veteran character actress since her TV series...

At a glance, Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 campaign for president was the definition of quixotic. She was 47 years old; at the time, she had served only one term (starting in 1968) as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. (Her district centered on the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.) To say that Chisholm wasn’t a seasoned Washington, D.C., player would be putting it mildly. And she looked like an outsider. She wore puffy wigs, schoolmarm glasses, and tasteful print dresses. There was a slightly prim stoicism about her, though she lit up whenever she flashed her smile with the gap tooth on the right side. She looked like who she was — a day-care supervisor from Bed-Stuy, and a devout Christian.

But her persona didn’t end there. This church lady was a fighter, of Guyanese and Bajan descent, and she spoke with a pristine propriety that carried a hint...

Many may not know the name Shirley Chisholm, but it is not for lack of Hollywood trying to keep her flame alive. The seven-term Brooklyn congresswoman, who became the first African American woman elected to Congress when she won in 1968, also became the first woman and first African American to seek the nomination for President of either major party when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972. She defined the word “trailblazer” and her story is indeed inspiring, if also frustrating for all the obstacles she had to overcome in a male-dominated business of governing. Uzo Aduba won an Emmy for her supporting role as Chisholm the 2020 limited series Mrs. America, even as the series itself was focused on conservative gadfly Phyllis Schaffly played by Cate Blanchett. That series touched on the 1972 campaign and thus Chisholm as well, but now, after 15 years of trying, Regina King has realized a longtime...

John Ridley won an Oscar for his screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, but his projects since have been far less impressive. The new Netflix biopic Shirley, starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, should herald Ridley’s return to the realm of prestige fare. Unfortunately, the film all too often takes the easy way out, making it yet another biopic about an unforgettable person.

Shirley tells the story of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, as she embarks on a campaign to receive the Democratic nomination to become President of the United States. Shockingly, despite her importance, there hasn’t been a major biopic about Chisholm yet, but this isn’t the tribute she deserves.

Unlike many biopics, Shirley is mercifully brief at under 2 hours long. However, perhaps ironically, this also causes the film to feel like a truncated, Wikipedia-esque telling of the details of Chisolm’s presidential campaign.

Netflix’s Shirley is in so many ways a companion piece to the streaming platform’s recent Rustin that the two films could be entries in the same anthology series. Both shed light on influential Black political figures too long undervalued in historical accounts of their era. Both are driven by commanding performances from first-rate actors in the title roles. Both focus on specific chapters of the lives they depict, mostly skirting the clichés of cradle-to-grave biopics. But both also struggle to frame their subjects in the forceful dramatic terms they merit, getting stuck in too much expository talk and at times nudging reclamation into hagiography.

There’s a moment late in the film, where after long resisting the notion of campaigning in California as a waste of time and resources in her run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (Regina King) finally agrees to make a play...

There’s no doubt that John Ridley’s Shirley is trying to make a statement about marginalized peoples’ role in shaping America and their power when it comes to making their presence known to those who would never see them otherwise. But the film also uses one of our greatest and most complex Black leaders to make that statement, and it’s cheaper for it, reducing the arc of Shirley Chisholm’s life to a handful of easy platitudes and inspirational movie clichés. In the end, this sub-Sorkin-esque political potboiler sidelines her most meaningful community work to the fact that she tried and failed to run for president.

The film’s first scenes speed run through roughly a decade of Chisholm’s political life, largely glossing over her time as a teacher and years of activism for equal rights. Much of that time saw her struggling to be heard as a woman of color.

Regina King shines as Shirley Chisholm, leading a powerhouse cast in a captivating exploration of her historic presidential campaign. Co-stars Christina Jackson and Lucas Hedges share how King's immersive approach and collaboration elevated their performances. Shirley not only honors Chisholm's legacy but also highlights the impact of working with talented and dedicated actors like Lance Reddick.

Shirley follows Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman, on her historic run for President. The movie explores the challenges she faced during her campaign, including low funds and challenges to her own morals at every turn. Although Shirley may not have won the election, she left an indelible mark on history and helped inspire a generation of voters and activists.

John Ridley helms Shirley as writer and director. Regina King disappears into the role of Shirley Chisholm, leading the movie as both the star and a producer, alongside her sister Reina King, who plays Shirley's sister as well.

Shirley Chisholm's groundbreaking story inspires young voters for real change in politics. Regina King leads an incredible cast in the biopic "Shirley" about Chisholm's historic presidential run. The film showcases Chisholm's audacious 1972 campaign, highlighting her legacy as a political icon.

Shirley Chisholm had a truly amazing life, becoming the first black congresswoman after being a teacher in New York, and the new biopic Shirley follows her historic run for President of the United States. Although her campaign funds are low, Shirley will travel across the country to speak with young voters who will be able to use their voices for real change in politics for the first time. Shirley may not have won, but she inspired a generation of voters, activists, and politicians to follow in her footsteps.

Shirley is led by Regina King, with an incredible performance as the titular Shirley Chisholm as well as producer, along with her sister,...

Oscar winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) stars as Shirley Chisholm, the United States’ first Black congresswoman who dedicated her life to breaking down barriers and paved the way for generations to follow, in Shirley. The official trailer just dropped, showing King as Chisholm announcing her groundbreaking run for president in 1972.

Netflix also released a new poster for the biopic which is set to premiere on March 22, 2024.

Oscar winner John Ridley wrote and directed the biopic, with Jeff Skoll and Ted Gidlow executive producing. King, Ridley, Reina King, Anikah McLaren, and Elizabeth Haggard served as producers.

In addition to King, the cast of the 2024 release includes Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, and Michael Cherrie. Dorian Crossmond Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, Brad James, Reina King, André Holland, and Terrence Howard also star.

Regina King’s recent credits include Seven Seconds, Watchmen (the series), Flag Day,...

Netflix have released the first trailer for Shirley, which stars Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.

Netflix really has become the home of the biopic. Bradley Cooper and Colman Domingo both have their eyes on the Best Actor Oscar this year for their respective roles in Maestro and Rustin. Anette Bening and True Detective: Night Country star Jodie Foster are also up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their turns in Nyad.

The latest real life person to get the Netflix biopic treatment is Shirley Chisholm. She was the first ever Black woman to be elected to Congress but Shirley, John Ridley’s film, is more concerned with her 1972 Presidential campaign run.

Take a look at the Shirley trailer below.

Regina King plays Shirley in the film and she is joined by Lucas Hedges, Amirah Vahn, André Holland, Christina Jackson,...

Oscar winner Regina King transforms into the “unbought and unbossed” politician Shirley Chisholm in Netflix’s Shirley trailer, released Monday.

The trailer follows Chisholm along her 1972 presidential campaign, marking the first Black candidate to seek a major party’s nomination for president, and the overt discrimination she faced along her campaign trail. John Ridley, who took home an Oscar for his 12 Years a Slave screenplay, pens and directs the film with a cast including the likes of Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, André Holland, and Terrence Howard. In the trailer,...

"Fearless. Fierce. First." Netflix has revealed the official trailer for their upoming biopic film titled Shirley, from filmmaker John Ridley following his Nola hospital thriller series Five Days at Memorial just before this. The film is now set for streaming in March on Netflix, and based on early test screening reviews, it's not going to make much of an impact (which is why it didn't open in last year's awards season). Shirley tells the story of the first Black congresswoman in America's history and a political icon, Shirley Chisholm, and her trailblazing run for President of the United States years ago. It chronicles her audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign. The film stars Regina King in the lead role as Shirley Chisholm, with Lance Reddick (Rip), Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Cherrie, Christina Jackson, Dorian Crossmond Missick, Amirah Vann, and André Holland. This looks like a by-the-numbers biopic in every way.

Exclusive: Lance Reddick (John Wick franchise), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), André Holland (Passing), Terrence Howard (Empire), Christina Jackson (Swagger), Michael Cherrie (Home Again), Dorian Missick (For Life), Amirah Vann (Underground), W. Earl Brown (Deadwood) and newcomer Ethan Jones Romero have joined the cast of Shirley, an upcoming film from Participant and Regina King’s Royal Ties Productions, which has landed at Netflix.

The feature from writer-director John Ridley tells the story of trailblazing political icon Shirley Chisholm (King)—the first Black Congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for President of the U.S.—and the cost of accomplishment for Shirley herself. It will draw on exclusive and extensive conversations with Chisholm’s family and friends, following her amidst her boundary-breaking and historic presidential campaign.

Ridley is producing alongside Anikah McLaren and Elizabeth Haggard for Participant, and Regina King and Reina King for Royal Ties Productions. Jeff Skoll...