Taraji P. Henson | Wikipedia 

Henson at the 2011 Heart Truth fashion show

Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Yvette in

Baby Boy (2001), Shug in Hustle and Flow (2005) and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), 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.

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 metal fabricator.

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 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.

Henson has appeared in the films Four Brothers (2005), Talk To Me (2007), Smokin\' Aces (2007), The Family That Preys (2008), and Hurricane Season (2009).

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 (1997–98); 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 at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, January 25, 2009

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 "Testify" in 2005 as the wife of a soon to be convicted murderer.

Henson joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (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 reprised 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 Person of Interest November 20, 2013 episode "The Crossing", after co-starring for two and a half years, Henson\'s character Carter was killed as part of the series\' new storyline direction.

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, a musical drama set in the hip hop recording industry.

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.

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.

Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress

Black Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

Austin Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress

Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Supporting Actress

Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

Black Reel Award for Best Actress: T.V. Movie/Cable

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie

Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film

Wiltz, Teresa (July 21, 2005), "Drama Queen: Taraji Henson Moved to Hollywood And Smacked It Right Upside the Head", Washington Post: C01

^ NAACP nominates actress with local ties

Galloway, Stephen; Guider, Elizabeth (December 8, 2008). "Oscar Roundtable: The Actresses". The Hollywood Reporter

Henson, Taraji P. (2013-12-05). The Late Show with David Letterman. Interview with David Letterman. Worldwide Pants. CBS.

. Approximately 4 minutes before the end of the show, Henson said that first name is Taraji and "means hope in Swahili" and that her middle name is "Penda, P-E-N-D-A, and that means love in Swahili".

"Taraji Henson Biography". The Biography Channel website

Meet the Nominees: Taraji P. Henson: Vanity fair

Williams, Kam (2008-12-14). "Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Interview". KamWilliams.com

MacDonald, Gayle (January 23, 2009), "Benjamin Button Leads Race for What Pitt Calls -- Our Highest Honour", Globe & Mail (Toronto): R13

"Person of Interest: Cast & Details". Tvguide

Swash, Rosie (June 12, 2011). "Three Six Mafia win an Oscar". The guardian

"Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars". allmusic.

"Taraji P. Henson gets naked in the name of PETA". Style Magazine. youtube.com

^ "Taraji P Henson Goes Nude Again, This Time For PETA" January 27, 2011, Mrs Grapevine

^ Weiss, Shari (January 28, 2011). "Share on emailShare on printShare on redditMore Sharing ServicesTaraji P. Henson poses nude for PETA\'s \'I\'d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur\' ad campaign". Daily News.

Dinh, Theresa (27 February 2013). "Taraji P. Henson Steals Her Pooch\'s Spotlight in Nude PETA Campaign (PHOTOS)". GlobalGrind.com

\'Person of Interest\' midseason shocker: Taraji P. Henson talks Carter\'s big [SPOILER!]". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved

Goldberg, Lesley (26 February 2014). "Taraji P. Henson Nabs Female Lead in Fox\'s Lee Daniels Hip-Hop Drama \'Empire

Gomez, Luis (July 5, 2014). "Lee Daniels\' \'Empire\' picked up by Fox, will \'likely\' film in Chicago". Chicago Tribune

"Taraji Henson talks "Think Like A Man" and motherhood". April 25, 2012

Morales, Wilson (Jan 4, 2011). "First Look at Taraji P. Henson\'s Lifetime Movie \'Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story". Black Voices.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumni

Commons category with local link same as on Wikidata

This page was last modified on 8 January 2015 at 04:29.

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