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IMDbPro

Taraji P. Henson

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000615
Taraji P. Henson at an event for Larry Crowne (2011)
Musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about the life-long struggles of an African American woman living in the south during the early 1900s.
Play trailer2:25
The Color Purple (2023)
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy (2001). She played a prostitute in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received Academy Award, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In 2010, she appeared in the action comedy Date Night, and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid.
BornSeptember 11, 1970
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornSeptember 11, 1970
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000615
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 37 wins & 84 nominations total

Photos872

Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese Gibson in Baby Boy (2001)
Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese Gibson in Baby Boy (2001)
Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese Gibson in Baby Boy (2001)
Taraji P. Henson in Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 4 (2022)
Taraji P. Henson and Ed Helms in Coffee & Kareem (2020)
Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, and Ed Helms in Coffee & Kareem (2020)
Taraji P. Henson, The Kid Mero, and Desus Nice in Tech Flex (2019)
Stephen Colbert and Taraji P. Henson in Taraji P. Henson/Aasif Mandvi/Kevin Camia (2019)
Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in The Roughest Day (2019)
Taraji P. Henson and Tracy Morgan in Conan (2010)
Taraji P. Henson in Conan (2010)
Conan O'Brien, Taraji P. Henson, and Tracy Morgan in Conan (2010)

Known for

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7.8
  • Queenie
  • 2008
Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Mahershala Ali, Glen Powell, Jim Parsons, and Janelle Monáe in Hidden Figures (2016)
Hidden Figures
7.8
  • Katherine G. Johnson
  • 2016
Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris, and Taryn Manning in Hustle & Flow (2005)
Hustle & Flow
7.3
  • Shug
  • 2005
Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith in The Karate Kid (2010)
The Karate Kid
6.2
  • Sherry Parker
  • 2010

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Queenie
    • Queenie
    • In Production
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
    • (voice)
    • In Production
    • 2023
  • The Color Purple
    • Shug Avery
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Time Alone
    • Anna
    • Pre-production
  • Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, William Stanford Davis, Tyler James Williams, Chris Perfetti, Quinta Brunson, and Janelle James in Abbott Elementary (2021)
    Abbott Elementary
    • Vanetta
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
    Minions: The Rise of Gru
    • Belle Bottom (voice)
    • 2022
  • Harry Connick Jr., Taraji P. Henson, and Celina Smith in Annie Live! (2021)
    Annie Live!
    • Miss Hannigan
    • TV Movie
    • 2021
  • Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Matt Vogel, and Eric Jacobson in Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
    Muppets Haunted Mansion
    • The Bride
    • TV Special
    • 2021
  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Empire (2015)
    Empire
    • Cookie Lyon
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2020
  • David Alan Grier, Taraji P. Henson, RonReaco Lee, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Ed Helms, William 'Big Sleeps' Stewart, Betty Gilpin, and Andrew Bachelor in Coffee & Kareem (2020)
    Coffee & Kareem
    • Vanessa Manning
    • 2020
  • Tuca & Bertie (2019)
    Tuca & Bertie
    • Terry (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson in The Best of Enemies (2019)
    The Best of Enemies
    • Ann Atwater
    • 2019
  • Taraji P. Henson and Tracy Morgan in What Men Want (2019)
    What Men Want
    • Ali Davis
    • 2019
  • John C. Reilly, Ming-Na Wen, Brad Garrett, Irene Bedard, Kristen Bell, Jodi Benson, Corey Burton, Bill Hader, Jennifer Hale, Taraji P. Henson, Linda Larkin, Jane Lynch, Kelly Macdonald, Idina Menzel, Mandy Moore, Paige O'Hara, Anika Noni Rose, Sarah Silverman, Alan Tudyk, Pamela Ribon, Jack McBrayer, Kate Higgins, Gal Gadot, Timothy Simons, Ali Wong, Sean Giambrone, and Auli'i Cravalho in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
    Ralph Breaks the Internet
    • Yesss (voice)
    • 2018
  • Proud Mary: If Looks Could Kill (2018)
    Proud Mary: If Looks Could Kill
    • Mary
    • Short
    • 2018
  • Taraji P. Henson in Acrimony (2018)
    Acrimony
    • Melinda
    • 2018
  • Taraji P. Henson in Proud Mary (2018)
    Proud Mary
    • Mary
    • 2018
  • Hidden Figures (2016)
    Hidden Figures: It All Adds Up - The Making of Hidden Figures
    • Katherine Johnson
    • Video
    • 2017
  • Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)
    The Simpsons
    • Praline (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2017

Producer

  • Queenie
    • executive producer
    • In Production
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Time Alone
    • producer
    • Pre-production
  • Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2023)
    Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
    • executive producer
    • 2023
  • BET Awards 2022 (2022)
    BET Awards 2022
    • executive producer
    • TV Special
    • 2022
  • Empire Spin-Off
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Peace of Mind with Taraji (2020)
    Peace of Mind with Taraji
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2020–2021
  • Taraji P. Henson and Tracy Morgan in What Men Want (2019)
    What Men Want
    • executive producer
    • 2019
  • Taraji P. Henson in Proud Mary (2018)
    Proud Mary
    • executive producer
    • 2018
  • Taraji P. Henson in Taraji's White Hot Holidays (2017)
    Taraji's White Hot Holidays
    • executive producer
    • TV Special
    • 2017
  • Taraji P. Henson and Wanda Sykes in Taraji's White Hot Holidays (2016)
    Taraji's White Hot Holidays
    • producer
    • TV Special
    • 2016
  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Taraji and Terrence's White Hot Holidays (2015)
    Taraji and Terrence's White Hot Holidays
    • executive producer
    • TV Special
    • 2015
  • Seasons of Love (2014)
    Seasons of Love
    • executive producer
    • TV Movie
    • 2014
  • Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson in No Good Deed (2014)
    No Good Deed
    • executive producer
    • 2014

Director

  • Marcia Gay Harden, Margherita Buy, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Hudson, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anne Watanabe, and Cara Delevingne in Tell It Like a Woman (2022)
    Tell It Like a Woman
    • Director ("Pepcy & Kim")
    • 2022
  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Empire (2015)
    Empire
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos183

Exclusive: Gru and the Minions Escape From the Vicious 6
Clip 0:50
Exclusive: Gru and the Minions Escape From the Vicious 6
Taraji P. Henson | IMDb Supercut
Clip 1:26
Taraji P. Henson | IMDb Supercut
Now Playing
Clip 1:03
Now Playing
"Twice a Week" from Date Night
Clip 0:48
"Twice a Week" from Date Night
"Meeting Holbrooke" from Date Night
Clip 3:06
"Meeting Holbrooke" from Date Night
"Dinner Story" from Date Night
Clip 1:43
"Dinner Story" from Date Night
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 0:40
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 1:03
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 1:33
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 0:43
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 1:02
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clip 1:01
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Alternative name
    • Taraji Henson
  • Height
    • 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
  • Born
    • September 11, 1970
    • Washington D.C., USA
  • Children
    • Marcell Johnson
  • Parents
      Bernice Gordon
  • Other works
    Appears in the music video "Testify" for rap artist Common.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Interview
    • 12 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 8 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Henson first attended North Carolina Agric & Tech, where she attempted to study electrical engineering. She failed precalculus, so she transferred to Howard University. To pay for Howard, she worked two jobs: in the morning, as a secretary at the Pentagon; at night, as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship. She graduated from Howard University in 1995.
  • Quotes
    Once you're a mom, always a mom. It's like riding a bike, you never forget.
  • Salaries
      The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
      (2008)
      $150,000

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