Taraji P. Henson
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.
Gallery
Known For
Acting History
2025
Escape Room
2025STRAW as Janiyah Wiltkinson
2025My Happy Place as Self
2025Number One on the Call Sheet as Self
2024Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist as Vivian Thoma
2024TIME100: The World's Most Influential People as Host
2024Where's Usher? as Self
2023Oprah & The Color Purple Journey as Self
2023The Color Purple as Shug Avery
2023Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project as Self (voice)
2023PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie as Victoria Vance (voice)
2023Celebrity Prank Wars as Self
2023The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige as Self
2022Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 as Self
2022The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
2022Sherri as Self - Guest
2022Minions: The Rise of Gru as Belle Bottom (voice)
2021Abbott Elementary as Vanetta
2021Annie Live! as Miss Hannigan
2021That's My Jam as Self - Guest
2021Muppets Haunted Mansion as The Bride
2021Hart to Heart as Self
2021Mary J. Blige's My Life as Self
2020Legendary as Self - Guest Judge
2020History 101 as Self (archive footage)
2020Feeding America Comedy Festival as Self
2020Celebrity IOU as Self
2020Coffee & Kareem as Vanessa Manning
2019A Little Late with Lilly Singh as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self - Guest Host
2019This Changes Everything as Self
2019Today with Hoda & Jenna as Self
2019The Best of Enemies as Ann Atwater
2019What Men Want as Alison 'Ali' Davis
2018Ralph Breaks the Internet as Yesss (voice)
2018The Alec Baldwin Show as Self
2018Acrimony as Melinda Moore Gayle
2018Lie Detector as Self
2018Proud Mary as Mary
2017Taraji's White Hot Holiday Special as Self - Host / Mrs. Claus / Mary / Prancer
2017Carpool Karaoke: The Series as Self
2016Hidden Figures as Katherine G. Johnson
2016Term Life as Samantha Thurman
2016Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade as Ethel (voice)
2015Taraji's White Hot Holidays as Herself - Host
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
2015Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
2015Celebrity Family Feud as Self - Contestant
2015Lip Sync Battle as Self
2015The Late Late Show with James Corden as Self
2015Hot Ones as Self
2015Empire as Cookie Lyon
2014Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
2014Top Five as Self
2014Seasons of Love as Jackie
2014No Good Deed as Terry
2014Think Like a Man Too as Lauren Harris
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
2013Picasso Baby as Self
2013Hollywood Game Night as Self
2013From the Rough as Catana Starks
2013Madly Madagascar as Okapi (voice)
2012Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You as Self
2012Think Like a Man as Lauren Harris
2011Person of Interest as Joss Carter
2011Larry Crowne as B'Ella
2011The Good Doctor as Nurse Theresa
2011Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story as Tiffany Rubin
2010Conan as Herself
2010Once Fallen as Pearl
2010Peep World as Mary
2010The Karate Kid as Sherry Parker
2010Date Night as Detective Arroyo
2010Hurricane Season as Dayna Collins
2010RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked as Self - Guest
2009The Cleveland Show
2009I Can Do Bad All By Myself as April
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2009The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button as Self
2009RuPaul's Drag Race as Self - Guest Judge
2009Not Easily Broken as Clarice Clark
2008The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Queenie
2008Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys as Pam
2008Eli Stone as Angela Scott
2007Talk to Me as Vernell Watson
2006Smokin' Aces as Sharice Watters
2006Something New as Nedra
2005Four Brothers as Camille Mercer
2005Hustle & Flow as Shug
2005Animal as Ramona
2004Project Runway as Self - Guest Judge
2004House as Moira
2004Hair Show as Tiffany
2004Boston Legal as Whitney Rome
2003All of Us
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
2002Half & Half as Gabrielle
2002Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs as Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)
2001Baby Boy as Yvette
2001BET Awards as Self - Host
2001Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man as Bess Pinckney
2001The Division as Raina Washington
2000CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Christina
2000Strong Medicine as Crystal
2000The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle as Left-Wing Student
2000Satan's School for Girls as Paige
1998Felicity as R.A. #2
1998Felicity as Art Student
1998Streetwise as Tammy
1997The View as Self
1997Smart Guy as Monique
1997Smart Guy as Leslie
1996The Daily Show as Self
1996Pacific Blue as Rhonda
1995The Parent 'Hood
1994ER as Patrice Robbins
1994ER as Elan
1994Sister, Sister as Briana
1993Saved by the Bell: The New Class as Girl
1992The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1989The Simpsons as Praline (voice)
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
1981Entertainment Tonight as Self
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1974American Music Awards as Self - Host
1956Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
—'Tis So Sweet
—Force
—Why Did I Get Married Again?
—Sorcerority