Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson

Known for
Acting
Born
September 11, 1970 (age 56)
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA

Biography

Taraji P. Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career as guest star on several television shows before making her breakthrough in the movie Baby Boy (2001). In 2005, she starred in Hustle & Flow and played Queenie in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received an Academy Award nomination. In 2016, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. Henson also released an autobiography titled Around The Way Girl.

Known For

Photos

Taraji P. Henson photoTaraji P. Henson photoTaraji P. Henson photo

Filmography

—
Sorcerority

Sorcerority

Movie

—
Force

Force

Movie

2026
Why Did I Get Married Again? poster

Why Did I Get Married Again?

Movie · as Roselyn

2026
Give Me Some Sugah

Give Me Some Sugah

Movie

2025
STRAW poster

STRAW

Movie · as Janiyah Wiltkinson

2025
Escape Room poster

Escape Room

Movie

2025
Number One on the Call Sheet poster

Number One on the Call Sheet

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2025
My Happy Place poster

My Happy Place

TV · as Self · 6 eps

2024
Where's Usher? poster

Where's Usher?

Movie · as Self

2024
TIME100: The World's Most Influential People poster

TIME100: The World's Most Influential People

Movie · as Host

2024
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist poster

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

TV · as Vivian Thoma · 8 eps

2024
Hollywood Black poster

Hollywood Black

TV · as Self (archive footage) · 4 eps

2023
The Color Purple poster

The Color Purple

Movie · as Shug Avery

2023
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project poster

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

Movie · as Self (voice)

2023
Oprah & The Color Purple Journey poster

Oprah & The Color Purple Journey

Movie · as Self

2023
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie poster

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie

Movie · as Victoria Vance (voice)

2023
Celebrity Prank Wars poster

Celebrity Prank Wars

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2023
The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige poster

The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2022
Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 poster

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4

Movie · as Self

2022
Minions: The Rise of Gru poster

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Movie · as Belle Bottom (voice)

2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show poster

The Jennifer Hudson Show

TV · as Self - Guest · 3 eps

2022
Sherri poster

Sherri

TV · as Self - Guest · 3 eps

2021
Muppets Haunted Mansion poster

Muppets Haunted Mansion

Movie · as The Bride

2021
Mary J. Blige's My Life poster

Mary J. Blige's My Life

Movie · as Self

2021
Annie Live! poster

Annie Live!

Movie · as Miss Hannigan

2021
Abbott Elementary poster

Abbott Elementary

TV · as Vanetta · 3 eps

2021
That's My Jam poster

That's My Jam

TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps

2021
Hart to Heart poster

Hart to Heart

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2020
Coffee & Kareem poster

Coffee & Kareem

Movie · as Vanessa Manning

2020
Feeding America Comedy Festival poster

Feeding America Comedy Festival

Movie · as Self

2020
Celebrity IOU poster

Celebrity IOU

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2020
Legendary poster

Legendary

TV · as Self - Guest Judge · 1 ep

2020
History 101 poster

History 101

TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep

2019
The Best of Enemies poster

The Best of Enemies

Movie · as Ann Atwater

2019
This Changes Everything poster

This Changes Everything

Movie · as Self

2019
What Men Want poster

What Men Want

Movie · as Alison 'Ali' Davis

2019
A Little Late with Lilly Singh poster

A Little Late with Lilly Singh

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show poster

The Kelly Clarkson Show

TV · as Self, Self - Guest Host · 2 eps

2019
Today with Jenna & Sheinelle poster

Today with Jenna & Sheinelle

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2019
The Masked Singer poster

The Masked Singer

TV · as Self - Panelist · 1 ep

2018
Proud Mary poster

Proud Mary

Movie · as Mary

2018
Acrimony poster

Acrimony

Movie · as Melinda Moore Gayle

2018
Ralph Breaks the Internet poster

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Movie · as Yesss (voice)

2018
The Alec Baldwin Show poster

The Alec Baldwin Show

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2017
Carpool Karaoke: The Series poster

Carpool Karaoke: The Series

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2016
Term Life poster

Term Life

Movie · as Samantha Thurman

2016
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade poster

Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade

Movie · as Ethel (voice)

2016
Hidden Figures poster

Hidden Figures

Movie · as Katherine G. Johnson

2015
Empire poster

Empire

TV · as Cookie Lyon · 102 eps

2015
Lip Sync Battle poster

Lip Sync Battle

TV · as Self · 2 eps

2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter poster

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

TV · as Self · 2 eps

2015
Hot Ones poster

Hot Ones

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep

2015
Taraji's White Hot Holidays poster

Taraji's White Hot Holidays

TV · as Herself - Host · 3 eps

2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden poster

The Late Late Show with James Corden

TV · as Self, Self - Guest · 1 ep

2015
Celebrity Family Feud poster

Celebrity Family Feud

TV · as Self - Contestant · 1 ep

2014
No Good Deed poster

No Good Deed

Movie · as Terry

2014
Think Like a Man Too poster

Think Like a Man Too

Movie · as Lauren Harris

2014
Seasons of Love poster

Seasons of Love

Movie · as Jackie

2014
Top Five poster

Top Five

Movie · as Taraji P. Henson

2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors poster

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

TV · as Self · 4 eps

2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

TV · as Self, Self - Guest · 5 eps

2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers poster

Late Night with Seth Meyers

TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep

2013
From the Rough poster

From the Rough

Movie · as Catana Starks

2013
Madly Madagascar poster

Madly Madagascar

Movie · as Okapi (voice)

2013
Picasso Baby

Picasso Baby

Movie · as Self

2013
Hollywood Game Night poster

Hollywood Game Night

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2012
Think Like a Man poster

Think Like a Man

Movie · as Lauren Harris

2012
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You poster

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You

Movie · as Self

2011
The Good Doctor poster

The Good Doctor

Movie · as Nurse Theresa

2011
Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story poster

Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story

Movie · as Tiffany Rubin

2011
Larry Crowne poster

Larry Crowne

Movie · as B'Ella

2011
Person of Interest poster

Person of Interest

TV · as Joss Carter · 90 eps

2010
Hurricane Season poster

Hurricane Season

Movie · as Dayna Collins

2010
Date Night poster

Date Night

Movie · as Detective Arroyo

2010
Once Fallen poster

Once Fallen

Movie · as Pearl

2010
The Karate Kid poster

The Karate Kid

Movie · as Sherry Parker

2010
Peep World poster

Peep World

Movie · as Mary

2010
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked poster

RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked

TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep

2010
Conan poster

Conan

TV · as Herself · 1 ep

2010
The Talk poster

The Talk

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2009
I Can Do Bad All By Myself poster

I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Movie · as April

2009
Not Easily Broken poster

Not Easily Broken

Movie · as Clarice Clark

2009
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button poster

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button

Movie · as Self

2009
The Cleveland Show poster

The Cleveland Show

TV · 1 ep

2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen poster

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep

2009
RuPaul's Drag Race poster

RuPaul's Drag Race

TV · as Self - Guest Judge · 1 ep

2008
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button poster

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Movie · as Queenie

2008
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys poster

Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys

Movie · as Pam

2008
Eli Stone poster

Eli Stone

TV · as Angela Scott · 3 eps

2007
Talk to Me poster

Talk to Me

Movie · as Vernell Watson

2006
Something New poster

Something New

Movie · as Nedra

2006
Smokin' Aces poster

Smokin' Aces

Movie · as Sharice Watters

2005
Animal poster

Animal

Movie · as Ramona

2005
Hustle & Flow poster

Hustle & Flow

Movie · as Shug

2005
Four Brothers poster

Four Brothers

Movie · as Camille Mercer

2004
Hair Show poster

Hair Show

Movie · as Tiffany

2004
House poster

House

TV · as Moira · 1 ep

2004
Boston Legal poster

Boston Legal

TV · as Whitney Rome · 20 eps

2004
Project Runway poster

Project Runway

TV · as Self - Guest Judge · 1 ep

2003
All of Us poster

All of Us

TV · 1 ep

2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

TV · as Self, Self - Guest · 1 ep

2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show poster

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2002
Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs poster

Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs

Movie · as Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)

2002
Half & Half poster

Half & Half

TV · as Gabrielle · 1 ep

2001
Baby Boy poster

Baby Boy

Movie · as Yvette

2001
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man poster

Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man

Movie · as Bess Pinckney

2001
The Division poster

The Division

TV · as Raina Washington · 66 eps

2001
BET Awards poster

BET Awards

TV · as Self - Host · 2 eps

2000
Satan's School for Girls poster

Satan's School for Girls

Movie · as Paige

2000
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle poster

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle

Movie · as Left-Wing Student

2000
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation poster

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

TV · as Christina · 1 ep

2000
Strong Medicine poster

Strong Medicine

TV · as Crystal · 1 ep

1998
Streetwise poster

Streetwise

Movie · as Tammy

1998
Felicity poster

Felicity

TV · as R.A. #2, Art Student · 1 ep

1997
Smart Guy poster

Smart Guy

TV · as Monique, Leslie · 2 eps

1997
The View poster

The View

TV · as Self · 3 eps

1996
The Daily Show poster

The Daily Show

TV · as Self · 2 eps

1996
Pacific Blue poster

Pacific Blue

TV · as Rhonda · 1 ep

1995
The Parent 'Hood poster

The Parent 'Hood

TV · 1 ep

1994
Sister, Sister poster

Sister, Sister

TV · as Briana · 1 ep

1994
ER poster

ER

TV · as Patrice Robbins, Elan · 1 ep

1993
Saved by the Bell: The New Class poster

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

TV · as Girl · 1 ep

1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno poster

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

TV · 1 ep

1989
The Simpsons poster

The Simpsons

TV · as Praline (voice) · 1 ep

1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark poster

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

TV · as Self · 1 ep

1981
Entertainment Tonight poster

Entertainment Tonight

TV · as Self · 2 eps

1975
Saturday Night Live poster

Saturday Night Live

TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep

1974
American Music Awards poster

American Music Awards

TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep