Taraji P. Henson
September 11, 1970 (55 years old) in Washington, D.C., USA
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
Credits
- 2025 · STRAW as Janiyah Wiltkinson
- 2025 · Number One on the Call Sheet as Self
- 2024 · Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist as Vivian Thoma
- 2023 · The Color Purple as Shug Avery
- 2023 · Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project as Self (voice)
- 2023 · Celebrity Prank Wars as Self
- 2021 · That's My Jam as Self
- 2021 · That's My Jam as Self - Guest
- 2021 · Muppets Haunted Mansion as The Bride
- 2021 · Hart to Heart as Self
- 2021 · Mary J. Blige's My Life as Self
- 2020 · Legendary as Self - Guest Judge
- 2019 · This Changes Everything as Self
- 2019 · The Best of Enemies as Ann Atwater
- 2018 · Acrimony as Melinda Moore Gayle
- 2016 · Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade as Ethel (voice)
- 2014 · Top Five as Self
- 2014 · Seasons of Love as Jackie
- 2014 · No Good Deed as Terry
- 2013 · Madly Madagascar as Okapi (voice)
- 2012 · Think Like a Man as Lauren Harris
- 2011 · Larry Crowne as B'Ella
- 2010 · Once Fallen as Pearl
- 2010 · Peep World as Mary
- 2010 · Date Night as Detective Arroyo
- 2010 · Hurricane Season as Dayna Collins
- 2008 · Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys as Pam
- 2007 · Talk to Me as Vernell Watson
- 2006 · Smokin' Aces as Sharice Watters
- 2005 · Four Brothers as Camille Mercer
- 2005 · Hustle & Flow as Shug
- 2005 · Animal as Ramona
- 2002 · Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs as Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)
- 2001 · Baby Boy as Yvette
- 2001 · BET Awards as Self - Host
- Future · Why Did I Get Married Again? as
- 2025 · Escape Room as
- 2025 · My Happy Place as Self
- 2024 · TIME100: The World's Most Influential People as Host
- 2024 · Where’s Usher? as Self
- 2023 · Oprah & The Color Purple Journey as Self
- 2023 · PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie as Victoria Vance (voice)
- 2023 · The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige as Self
- 2022 · Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 as Self
- 2022 · The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
- 2022 · Sherri as Self - Guest
- 2022 · Minions: The Rise of Gru as Belle Bottom (voice)
- 2021 · Abbott Elementary as Vanetta
- 2021 · Annie Live! as Miss Hannigan
- 2020 · History 101 as Self (archive footage)
- 2020 · Feeding America Comedy Festival as Self
- 2020 · Celebrity IOU as Self
- 2020 · Coffee & Kareem as Vanessa Manning
- 2019 · A Little Late with Lilly Singh as Self
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self - Guest Host
- 2019 · Today with Hoda & Jenna as Self
- 2019 · What Men Want as Alison 'Ali' Davis
- 2018 · Ralph Breaks the Internet as Yesss (voice)
- 2018 · The Alec Baldwin Show as Self
- 2018 · Lie Detector as Self
- 2018 · Proud Mary as Mary
- 2017 · Taraji's White Hot Holiday Special as Self - Host / Mrs. Claus / Mary / Prancer
- 2017 · Carpool Karaoke: The Series as Self
- 2016 · Hidden Figures as Katherine G. Johnson
- 2016 · Term Life as Samantha Thurman
- 2015 · Taraji's White Hot Holidays as Herself - Host
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2015 · Celebrity Family Feud as Self
- 2015 · Lip Sync Battle as Self
- 2015 · The Late Late Show with James Corden as Self
- 2015 · Hot Ones as Self
- 2015 · Empire as Cookie Lyon
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · Think Like a Man Too as Lauren Harris
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2013 · Picasso Baby as Self
- 2013 · Hollywood Game Night as Self
- 2013 · From the Rough as Catana Starks
- 2012 · Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You as Self
- 2011 · Person of Interest as Joss Carter
- 2011 · The Good Doctor as Nurse Theresa
- 2011 · Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story as Tiffany Rubin
- 2010 · Conan as Herself
- 2010 · The Karate Kid as Sherry Parker
- 2010 · RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked as Self - Guest
- 2009 · The Cleveland Show as
- 2009 · I Can Do Bad All By Myself as April
- 2009 · Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- 2009 · The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button as Self
- 2009 · RuPaul's Drag Race as Self - Guest Judge
- 2009 · Not Easily Broken as Clarice Clark
- 2008 · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Queenie
- 2008 · Eli Stone as Angela Scott
- 2006 · Something New as Nedra
- 2004 · Project Runway as Self - Guest Judge
- 2004 · House as Moira
- 2004 · Hair Show as Tiffany
- 2004 · Boston Legal as Whitney Rome
- 2003 · All of Us as
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2002 · Half & Half as Gabrielle
- 2001 · Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man as Bess Pinckney
- 2001 · The Division as Raina Washington
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Christina
- 2000 · Strong Medicine as Crystal
- 2000 · The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle as Left-Wing Student
- Future · Force as
- 2000 · Satan's School for Girls as Paige
- 1998 · Felicity as R.A. #2
- 1998 · Felicity as Art Student
- 1998 · Streetwise as Tammy
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · Smart Guy as
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1996 · Pacific Blue as Rhonda
- 1995 · The Parent 'Hood as
- 1994 · ER as Patrice Robbins
- 1994 · ER as Elan
- 1994 · Sister, Sister as Briana
- 1993 · Saved by the Bell: The New Class as Girl
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Praline (voice)
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1974 · American Music Awards as Self - Host
- Future · Sorcerority as