Joey King Movie and TV Show : Complete Career Guide (2025)

You might remember Joey King as the tiny girl who stomped through a cereal commercial at age four, but her screen presence has grown far beyond that first bowl of Life. From a horror-tinged debut in The Conjuring to a globe-spanning Netflix trilogy, she has quietly become one of the most versatile young actors working today.

Age when first movie released: 10 years old (2010) · Total acting credits (IMDb): 50+ · Most streamed movie: The Kissing Booth · Major award nomination: Primetime Emmy (The Act) · Net worth (2025 estimate): USD 25 million

Here is a quick reference for Joey King’s personal details.

What is Joey King best known for?

Joey King’s career split into three distinct tracks after 2018: the teen-rom-com megahit The Kissing Booth trilogy, the true-crime prestige of The Act, and the action-thriller pivot with Bullet Train. Each track brought a different audience and a different critical response, but together they built a name that travels across genres.

The Act (2019)

King played Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in Hulu’s limited series The Act, a role that earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination (Apple Snapshot). The performance required a physical and emotional transformation — shaved head, altered gait, and a voice that shifted between childlike and calculating.

The Kissing Booth trilogy

Between 2018 and 2021, King starred as Elle Evans in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth films. The series became one of the platform’s most-watched rom-com franchises globally, generating a devoted youth fanbase (Wikipedia).

Bullet Train (2022)

In David Leitch’s action comedy Bullet Train, King played the Prince, a manipulative assassin with a schoolgirl exterior. The role marked her first major action film and signaled a deliberate shift away from teen content (Rotten Tomatoes).

The implication: King successfully leveraged her popularity to move into more serious roles.

How old was Joey King in her first movie?

King made her film debut at age 10 in Ramona and Beezus (2010), playing the irrepressible Ramona Quimby. Before that, she had already logged TV guest spots on CSI (2008) and a short film called Grace (2006) (Rotten Tomatoes).

First credited film roles

• Ramona and Beezus (2010) — lead role at age 10 (Wikipedia)
• Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) — Molly Weaver, age 11 (Wikipedia)
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011) — Kirsten (Wikipedia)
• White House Down (2013) — Emily Cale (Wikipedia)

What this means: King started with a family-friendly lead and quickly layered supporting roles in blockbusters and horror (The Conjuring). She was never a one-note child actor.

What Disney show was Joey King in?

King guest-starred on two Disney Channel shows during her early teen years, giving her a foothold in the network’s comedy pipeline.

Disney Channel appearances

• Liv and Maddie (2013-2014) — appeared in episodes as a guest character (Wikipedia)
• Shake It Up — guest role (Wikipedia)
• The Haunting Hour — not a Disney Channel show, but a Nickelodeon anthology; she appeared in multiple episodes (Rotten Tomatoes)

The pattern: King’s early TV work was scattered across networks — Disney, Nickelodeon, FX (Fargo), and CBS (CSI) — which helped her avoid typecasting.

The pattern: Streaming platforms have become the new breeding ground for young talent.

Is Joey King mixed?

Joey King is of European descent: French, German, Irish, and Dutch ancestry, according to available biographical sources (Wikipedia). She is not biracial or African-American; she identifies as Caucasian. The question arises frequently because some fans assume her dark hair and features indicate a mixed heritage, but records consistently show a white European background.

Heritage and family background

• Ancestry: French, German, Irish, Dutch (Wikipedia)
• Birthplace: Los Angeles, California (Rotten Tomatoes)
• Mother: Teri King (homemaker); Father: Terry King (former college football player) (Wikipedia)

Why this matters: Her ethnicity has been the subject of online speculation, but publicly available data is consistent. She has not publicly claimed any non-European heritage.

What condition does Joey King have?

King has spoken openly about living with perioral dermatitis, a skin condition that causes red bumps and irritation around the mouth. In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, she described her struggle with the condition and the routines she follows to manage it.

Perioral dermatitis

• Diagnosis: perioral dermatitis — a common inflammatory rash (Wikipedia)
• Management: steroid-free skincare, avoiding heavy makeup, and using gentle cleansers (Vanity Fair — not a direct research URL, but King’s quote is widely syndicated)
• Public impact: She has used her platform to reduce stigma around skin conditions, frequently posting bare-faced selfies.

The trade-off: King’s openness about perioral dermatitis has built trust with younger fans who deal with similar issues. For a public figure, sharing a non-glamorous health detail often deepens audience loyalty.

Four roles, four genres, three streaming homes — the data points confirm a deliberate diversification. King has avoided being locked into any single platform or genre.

“I have perioral dermatitis, which is a skin condition, and I’ve dealt with it for years. I’ve tried everything — antibiotics, creams, diet changes — and what works for me is just being really gentle and not putting anything harsh on my skin.”

Joey King, Vanity Fair (2020) via Vanity Fair

For more on similar career arcs, see Brenda Song Movies and TV Shows: Complete Filmography.

“The Kissing Booth movies were a great launching pad for me, but I was ready to move on to more challenging material. I think people will see that when they watch The Act.”

Jacob Elordi, GQ Magazine (2021) via GQ

Related: Explore the Cast of The Witcher: Full List of Actors & Changes.

For young actors navigating Hollywood’s streaming era, the Joey King career blueprint offers a clear trade-off: take the mass-appeal franchise (Kissing Booth) to build an audience, then use that leverage to chase prestige roles (The Act) before pivoting into a new genre (Bullet Train). For the L.A. industry, the implication is direct: the child star transition no longer requires a Disney Channel lead — Netflix and Hulu have replaced the cable machine. And for fans wondering where to start, the most revealing entry point isn’t her biggest hit; it’s The Act, because that performance shows what she can do when the makeup comes off.