Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in
Baby BoyBaby Boy is a 2001 American urban drama film written, produced, and directed by John Singleton. It has been considered a sequel of sorts to Singleton's earlier, more famous work Boyz n the Hood released ten years earlier...
(2001), Shug in Hustle and Flow (2005) and Queenie in
The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
(2008), for which she was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
in 2009. In 2009, she appeared in Tyler Perry's
I Can Do Bad All By MyselfTyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself is a 2009 romantic musical comedy-drama film which was released on September 11, 2009. The film was directed, produced, and written by Tyler Perry, who also makes an appearance in the film as his signature character Madea...
as April, an alcoholic singer. She currently co-stars in the CBS series
Person of InterestPerson of Interest is an American crime drama television series broadcasting on CBS. It is based on a screenplay developed by J. J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan. The series was officially picked up by CBS on May 13, 2011, and debuted on September 22, 2011. On October 25, 2011 the show was picked up...
.
Early life
Henson was born in Southeast
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the daughter of Bernice Gordon, a corporate manager at
Woodward & LothropWoodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. Woodward & Lothrop was Washington, D.C.'s first department store, opening in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States...
, and Boris Henson, a janitor and fabricator. She is a relative of
Matthew HensonMatthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which it was discovered that he was the the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy,...
, discoverer of the Geographic
North PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. Her first and middle name are of
SwahiliSwahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
origin.
Henson spent summers at her grandparents' house in suburban Southern Maryland. She attended
Oxon Hill High SchoolOxon Hill High School is a public senior high school located in Oxon Hill, an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a suburb of Washington, D.C...
in
Oxon Hill, MarylandOxon Hill is part of the Oxon Hill-Glassmanor census-designated place in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a suburb of Washington, DC located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virginia...
. She first attended
NC A&TNorth Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
, where she started a major in Electrical Engineering. She later transferred to
Howard UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. She worked two jobs—in the morning as a secretary at the
PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
and in the night as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship—The Spirit of Washington—to pay for Howard University. She won the Triple Threat Award and graduated with a degree in Theater Arts.
Career
Henson has appeared in the films
Four BrothersFour Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
(2005),
Talk To MeTalk to Me is a 1996 made-for-TV drama film that features Yasmine Bleeth and Ricky Paull Goldin.-Plot:The movie involves Diane Shepherd who is an idealistic talk-showproducer who is conscience-stricken when she clashes with her...
(2007),
Smokin' AcesSmokin' Aces is a 2006 crime film, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. It stars Jeremy Piven as a Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant and Ryan Reynolds as the FBI agent assigned to protect him...
(2007), The Family That Preys, and
Hurricane SeasonHurricane Season is a sports drama film directed by Tim Story and starring Forest Whitaker, Taraji P. Henson, Lil Wayne, and Bow Wow. The screenplay was written by Robert Eisele and the film was produced by Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold...
(2009). In late 2008, she starred opposite
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
in
The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
. Henson plays the role of Queenie, Benjamin's mother, in a performance which has garnered critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for
Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. She noted in an interview that, "Queenie is the embodiment of unconditional love."
Henson has also been a cast member on several television shows, including Lifetime Television's
The DivisionThe Division is an American Lifetime Television original series about a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.-Synopsis:...
and
ABC'sThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Boston LegalBoston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
for one season. Her recurring appearances in television include the character Angela Scott on ABC's
Eli StoneEli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
in December 2008. She has guest-starred on several television shows, such as the WB Television Network's
Smart GuySmart Guy is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis. The series ran on The WB for three seasons from April 2, 1997 to May 16, 1999.-Premise:The show centers on the misadventures of boy genius T.J...
, playing the role of Monique (1997–1998); the
FoxFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series
HouseHouse is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
in 2005; and
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
in 2006. She also starred on an episode of
Sister, SisterSister, Sister is an American television sitcom about identical twin girls Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell , who were separated and adopted at birth, when one day they come face-to-face after 14 years apart....
. In 2011, Henson was cast in the CBS crime-suspense series
Person of InterestPerson of Interest is an American crime drama television series broadcasting on CBS. It is based on a screenplay developed by J. J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan. The series was officially picked up by CBS on May 13, 2011, and debuted on September 22, 2011. On October 25, 2011 the show was picked up...
.
Henson made her singing debut in
Hustle & FlowHustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper...
; she provided the vocals for the
Three 6 MafiaThree 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning, American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as Triple 6 Mafia, by DJ Paul, Juicy J, & Lord Infamous, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca...
track "
It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is an Oscar winning song, written by hip hop band Three 6 Mafia and Cedric Coleman, for the film, Hustle & Flow. It was ranked #80 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".-Academy Award:...
". The song won an
Academy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
in 2006, giving Three 6 Mafia the distinction of becoming the first Black hip-hop act to win in that category. Henson performed the song at the live Oscar ceremony on March 5, 2006 with the group. Additionally, she performed the song "In My Daughter's Eyes" on the 2006 charity album
Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the StarsUnexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars is a 2006 compilation album featuring various actors singing lullabies and other songs.-Album information:...
.
Henson has made several appearances in music videos. For example, she starred in the rapper Common's music video called "
Testify"Testify" is the fourth single from rapper Common's 2005 album Be. Clocking in at just above two and a half minutes, it is the second shortest track on Be . It is produced by Kanye West, whose beat heavily utilizes vocal samples from "Innocent Til Proven Guilty" by Honey Cone. Spence D...
" in 2005 as the wife of a soon to be convicted murderer.
Henson joined PETA in its campaign against the use of animal products in clothing. Henson has stated "I don't think a living being should suffer for the sake of fashion, period. End of story... You don't have to kill an animal just because you want to be hot and fly. And I really stand by that." A nude ad for the Fur? I'd Rather Go Naked campaign has been released with Taraji P. Henson as the latest celebrity model.
Filmography
Film
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 2000 |
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle |
Left-Wing Student |
|
| 2001 |
Baby Boy Baby Boy is a 2001 American urban drama film written, produced, and directed by John Singleton. It has been considered a sequel of sorts to Singleton's earlier, more famous work Boyz n the Hood released ten years earlier...
|
Yvette |
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress |
| 2004 |
Hair Show Hair Show is a 2004 comedy film directed by Leslie Small that stars Mo'Nique and Kellita Smith.-Plot:Peaches , a hair stylist from Baltimore, and her estranged sister, Angela , the owner of an upscale salon in Beverly Hills, get reacquainted when Peaches decides to attend a celebration for Angela...
|
Tiffany |
|
| 2005 |
Hustle & Flow Hustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper...
|
Shug |
BET Award for Best Actress
Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress
Black Movie Award for Best Supporting ActressAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureThe NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:-Stats:Performances that earned Oscar nominations or wins* Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda* Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls [won Image Award]...
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough PerformanceThis is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Breakthrough Performance. In many years, the awards were split into Male and Female categories...
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best KissThis is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss.This is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss....
(Shared with Terrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
)
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Four Brothers Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
|
Camille Mercer |
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble |
| Animal Animal is a 2005 direct-to-video film starring Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Jim Brown and Chazz Palminteri. It was directed by David J. Burke and written by David C. Johnson. The film's profits were the subject of a lawsuit against the film's distributor, DEJ Productions. The case was still active...
|
Ramona |
|
| 2006 |
Something New Something New is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri. The screenplay by Kriss Turner focuses on interracial relationships and traditional African American family values and social customs.-Plot:...
|
Nedra |
|
| 2007 |
Smokin' Aces Smokin' Aces is a 2006 crime film, written and directed by Joe Carnahan. It stars Jeremy Piven as a Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant and Ryan Reynolds as the FBI agent assigned to protect him...
|
Sharice Watters |
|
| Talk to Me Talk To Me is a 2007 biographical film about Washington, D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist, and Dewey Hughes, his friend and manager...
|
Vernell Watson |
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture:Number of Performances that won or nominated for Oscars:*1. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple*2. Angela Bassett - What's Love Got to Do With It?...
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |
| 2008 |
The Family That Preys The Family That Preys is a 2008 American drama written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. The screenplay, focuses on two families, one wealthy and the other working class, whose lives are intertwined in both love and business....
|
Pam |
|
The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
|
Queenie |
Austin Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress The 4th Austin Film Critics Association Awards honored the best filmmaking of 2008.-Top 10 Films:* The Dark Knight* Slumdog Millionaire* Milk* Synecdoche, New York* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* The Wrestler* WALL-E...
BET Award for Best Actress
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting ActressAn NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressThe Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association to honor the best achievements in filmmaking.-2000s:-2010s:-References:...
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Female PerformanceThis is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Performance from 1992 onward. In all but two years, the awards are separated into Male and Female categories.-1992:...
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2009 |
Not Easily Broken Not Easily Broken is an 2009 drama film directed by Bill Duke. The film is written by Brian Bird based on T. D. Jakes' 2006 novel of the same name.-Plot:...
|
Clarice Clark-Johnson |
|
| Hurricane Season Hurricane Season is a sports drama film directed by Tim Story and starring Forest Whitaker, Taraji P. Henson, Lil Wayne, and Bow Wow. The screenplay was written by Robert Eisele and the film was produced by Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold...
|
Dayna Collins |
|
| I Can Do Bad All By Myself Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself is a 2009 romantic musical comedy-drama film which was released on September 11, 2009. The film was directed, produced, and written by Tyler Perry, who also makes an appearance in the film as his signature character Madea...
|
April |
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture |
| 2010 |
Date Night Date Night is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was released in the United States on April 9, 2010...
|
Detective Arroyo |
|
| The Karate Kid The Karate Kid is a 2010 American martial arts film and remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan...
|
Sherry Parker |
|
| Peep World Peep World is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Barry W. Blaustein and starring an ensemble cast, including Ron Rifkin, Lesley Ann Warren, Ben Schwartz, Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Kate Mara, Judy Greer, Stephen Tobolowsky, Taraji P...
|
Mary |
post-production |
| Once Fallen Once Fallen is a 2010 crime film starring Brian Presley, Taraji P. Henson, and Ed Harris. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California.-Plot:...
|
Pearl |
|
| The Good Doctor The Good Doctor is a 2011 American thriller film written and directed by Lance Daly, and starring Orlando Bloom as the eponymous "good doctor".-Plot:...
|
Nurse Theresa |
post-production |
| 2011 |
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story |
Tiffany Rubin |
Nominated - Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| Larry Crowne Larry Crowne is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film was directed by Hanks, who co-wrote its screenplay with Nia Vardalos...
|
B'Ella |
|
| From the Rough From the Rough is an upcoming sports drama film directed by Pierre Bagley. It is based on the true story of Catana Starks, a former swim coach, who became the first woman ever to coach a college men’s golf team. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Tom Felton, Michael Clarke Duncan and LeToya Luckett.-...
|
Catana Starks |
|
Television
| Year |
Title |
Role(s) |
Notes |
| 1997 |
Sister, Sister Sister, Sister may refer to:* Sister, Sister , a TV movie starring Diahann Carroll* Sister, Sister , a thriller starring Eric Stoltz* Sister, Sister , by Andrew Neiderman...
|
Briana |
episode: "Two's Company" |
| 1997-1998 |
Smart GuySmart Guy is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis. The series ran on The WB for three seasons from April 2, 1997 to May 16, 1999.-Premise:The show centers on the misadventures of boy genius T.J...
|
Monique, Leslie |
episodes: "Big Picture", "Boomerang", and "Break Up Not to Make Up" |
| 2004 |
All of Us All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the now-defunct UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB All of Us is an American sitcom that...
|
Kim |
episode: "In Through the Out Door" |
| 2005 |
HouseHouse is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
|
Moira |
episode: "Spin" |
| 2006 |
CSI Las Vegas |
Christina |
episode: "I Like to Watch" |
| 2011–present |
Person of Interest Person of Interest is an American crime drama television series broadcasting on CBS. It is based on a screenplay developed by J. J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan. The series was officially picked up by CBS on May 13, 2011, and debuted on September 22, 2011. On October 25, 2011 the show was picked up...
|
Detective Carter |
|
External links