Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer.
She is known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy, Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actress in 2009.
From 2011 to 2013, she co-starred in the CBS drama Person of Interest.
Early life Henson was born in southeast Washington, D.C.,
the daughter of Bernice Gordon, a corporate manager at Woodward & Lothrop, and Boris Henson,
a janitor and fabricator.
She is a relative of the Arctic explorer, Matthew Henson, who was with the Peary expedition,
thought to have been the first to reach the North Pole, in 1909.
Her first and middle name are of Swahili origin, "Taraji" meaning hope and "Penda" meaning
love.
Henson spent summers at her grandparents' house in suburban southern Maryland.
She attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
She first attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she
started a major in Electrical Engineering.
She later transferred to Howard University.
She worked two jobs—in the morning as a secretary at The Pentagon and in the night
as a waitress on The Odyssey Cruise Line 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 Brothers,
Talk To Me, Smokin' Aces, The Family That Preys, and Hurricane Season.
In late 2008, she starred opposite Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Henson plays the role of Queenie, Benjamin's mother, in a performance which has garnered
critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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 Division and ABC's Boston Legal for one season.
Her recurring appearances in television include the character Angela Scott on ABC's Eli Stone
in December 2008.
She has guest-starred on several television shows, such as the WB Television Network's
Smart Guy, playing the role of Monique; the Fox series House in 2005; and CBS's CSI: Crime
Scene Investigation in 2006.
She also starred on an episode of Sister, Sister.
In 2011, Henson was cast in the CBS crime-suspense series Person of Interest.
Henson made her singing debut in Hustle & Flow; she provided the vocals for the Three 6 Mafia
track "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp".
The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006, giving Three 6 Mafia the distinction
of becoming the first African American 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 Stars.
Henson has made several appearances in music videos.
For example, she starred in the rapper Common's music video called "Testify" 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, stating,
"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".
In January 2011, she appeared nude in an ad for the I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur
campaign.
In 2012, Henson starred in the large ensemble cast film Think like a Man, which was based
on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act like a Lady, Think like a Man.
Henson will reprise her role in the film's sequel Think Like a Man Too, which was released
in June 2014.
Henson joined PETA again for a 2013 campaign stating "Be an Angel for Animals".
In the ad Henson poses with her family dog Uncle Willie while wearing a piece of sheer
fabric.
The ad highlights the issue that, "Chained dogs suffer day in and day out.
They are cold, hungry, thirsty, vulnerable, and lonely.
Keep them inside, where it's safe and warm."
In the November 20, 2013 episode entitled "The Crossing" of Person of Interest, Henson's
character Carter was killed after co-starring for two and a half years as part of the series'
new storyline direction.
It is not yet known if she will return in further episodes in a flashback.
In February 2014, several months after her last episode of "Person of Interest" aired
on CBS, Henson was hired by FOX to star in the new TV series pilot "EMPIRE", which is
set in the world of hip-hop.
Henson plays Cookie Lyon opposite co-lead Terrence Howard.
FOX ordered the pilot to series in May 2014 and set the TV series' debut date for January
2015.
Personal life Henson's son Marcel was born in May 1994.
Her son's father was her high school sweetheart.
According to a mitochondrial DNA analysis, her matrilineal lineage can be traced to the
Masa people of Cameroun.
Filmography Television
Film Awards and nominations
References
External links Taraji P. Henson at the Internet Movie Database
Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Interview with Kam Williams
Interview with Taraji P. Henson in Venice Magazine