Acting
Taraji P. Henson
Born 1970-09-11
Washington, D.C., USA
Department: Acting
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
Prominent works featuring Taraji P. Henson
Movie
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008
TMDB3.8
TV
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The Simpsons
1989
TMDB4.0
Movie
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Hidden Figures
2016
TMDB4.0
TV
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House
2004
TMDB4.3
Movie
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Ralph Breaks the Internet
2018
TMDB3.6
Movie
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The Karate Kid
2010
TMDB3.3
Movie
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Minions: The Rise of Gru
2022
TMDB3.6
TV
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Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
TMDB2.5
TV
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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
TMDB2.9
Movie
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Date Night
2010
TMDB3.0
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (147 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Give Me Some Sugah | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2026 | |
| Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been | Producer | Movie | 2026 | |
| Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been | Executive Producer | Movie | 2026 | |
 | Why Did I Get Married Again? | Roselyn | Movie | 2026 |
 | Star Search | Executive Producer | TV Series | 2026 |
 | Escape Room | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2025 |
 | STRAW | Janiyah Wiltkinson | Movie | 2025 |
 | My Happy Place | Self | TV Series | 2025 |
 | Number One on the Call Sheet | Self | TV Series | 2025 |
 | Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist | Vivian Thoma | TV Series | 2024 |
 | Hollywood Black | Self (archive footage) | TV Series | 2024 |
 | TIME100: The World's Most Influential People | Host | Movie | 2024 |
 | Where's Usher? | Self | Movie | 2024 |
 | Oprah & The Color Purple Journey | Self | Movie | 2023 |
 | The Color Purple | Shug Avery | Movie | 2023 |
 | Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | Self (voice) | Movie | 2023 |
| Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | Executive Producer | Movie | 2023 |
 | PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie | Victoria Vance (voice) | Movie | 2023 |
 | Celebrity Prank Wars | Self | TV Series | 2023 |
 | The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige | Self | TV Series | 2023 |
 | Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 | Self | Movie | 2022 |
 | Tell It Like a Woman | Director | Movie | 2022 |
 | The Jennifer Hudson Show | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2022 |
 | The Sherri Shepherd Show | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2022 |
 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | Belle Bottom (voice) | Movie | 2022 |
 | Abbott Elementary | Vanetta | TV Series | 2021 |
 | Annie Live! | Miss Hannigan | Movie | 2021 |
 | That's My Jam | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2021 |
 | Muppets Haunted Mansion | The Bride | Movie | 2021 |
 | Hart to Heart | Self | TV Series | 2021 |
 | Mary J. Blige's My Life | Self | Movie | 2021 |
 | Legendary | Self - Guest Judge | TV Series | 2020 |
 | History 101 | Self (archive footage) | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Feeding America Comedy Festival | Self | Movie | 2020 |
 | Celebrity IOU | Self | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Coffee & Kareem | Vanessa Manning | Movie | 2020 |
 | A Little Late with Lilly Singh | Self | TV Series | 2019 |
 | The Kelly Clarkson Show | Self | TV Series | 2019 |
| The Kelly Clarkson Show | Self - Guest Host | TV Series | 2019 |
 | This Changes Everything | Self | Movie | 2019 |
 | Today with Jenna & Sheinelle | Self | TV Series | 2019 |
 | The Best of Enemies | Ann Atwater | Movie | 2019 |
 | What Men Want | Alison 'Ali' Davis | Movie | 2019 |
| What Men Want | Executive Producer | Movie | 2019 |
 | The Masked Singer | Self - Panelist | TV Series | 2019 |
 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Yesss (voice) | Movie | 2018 |
 | The Alec Baldwin Show | Self | TV Series | 2018 |
 | Acrimony | Melinda Moore Gayle | Movie | 2018 |
 | Proud Mary | Mary | Movie | 2018 |
| Proud Mary | Executive Producer | Movie | 2018 |
 | Carpool Karaoke: The Series | Self | TV Series | 2017 |
 | Hidden Figures | Katherine G. Johnson | Movie | 2016 |
 | Term Life | Samantha Thurman | Movie | 2016 |
 | Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade | Ethel (voice) | Movie | 2016 |
 | Taraji's White Hot Holidays | Herself - Host | TV Series | 2015 |
 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Celebrity Family Feud | Self - Contestant | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Lip Sync Battle | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
 | The Late Late Show with James Corden | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
| The Late Late Show with James Corden | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Hot Ones | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Empire | Cookie Lyon | TV Series | 2015 |
| Empire | Director | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Self | TV Series | 2014 |
 | Top Five | Taraji P. Henson | Movie | 2014 |
 | Seasons of Love | Jackie | Movie | 2014 |
| Seasons of Love | Executive Producer | Movie | 2014 |
 | No Good Deed | Terry | Movie | 2014 |
| No Good Deed | Executive Producer | Movie | 2014 |
 | Think Like a Man Too | Lauren Harris | Movie | 2014 |
 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2014 |
 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Self | TV Series | 2014 |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2014 |
| Picasso Baby | Self | Movie | 2013 | |
 | Hollywood Game Night | Self | TV Series | 2013 |
 | From the Rough | Catana Starks | Movie | 2013 |
 | Madly Madagascar | Okapi (voice) | Movie | 2013 |
 | Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You | Self | Movie | 2012 |
 | Think Like a Man | Lauren Harris | Movie | 2012 |
 | Person of Interest | Joss Carter | TV Series | 2011 |
 | Larry Crowne | B'Ella | Movie | 2011 |
 | The Good Doctor | Nurse Theresa | Movie | 2011 |
 | Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story | Tiffany Rubin | Movie | 2011 |
 | Conan | Herself | TV Series | 2010 |
 | Once Fallen | Pearl | Movie | 2010 |
 | The Talk | Self | TV Series | 2010 |
 | Peep World | Mary | Movie | 2010 |
 | The Karate Kid | Sherry Parker | Movie | 2010 |
 | Date Night | Detective Arroyo | Movie | 2010 |
 | Hurricane Season | Dayna Collins | Movie | 2010 |
 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2010 |
 | The Cleveland Show | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2009 |
 | I Can Do Bad All By Myself | April | Movie | 2009 |
 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2009 |
 | The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button | Self | Movie | 2009 |
 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Self - Guest Judge | TV Series | 2009 |
 | Not Easily Broken | Clarice Clark | Movie | 2009 |
 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Queenie | Movie | 2008 |
 | Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys | Pam | Movie | 2008 |
 | Eli Stone | Angela Scott | TV Series | 2008 |
 | Talk to Me | Vernell Watson | Movie | 2007 |
 | Smokin' Aces | Sharice Watters | Movie | 2006 |
 | Something New | Nedra | Movie | 2006 |
 | Four Brothers | Camille Mercer | Movie | 2005 |
 | Hustle & Flow | Shug | Movie | 2005 |
 | Animal | Ramona | Movie | 2005 |
 | Project Runway | Self - Guest Judge | TV Series | 2004 |
 | House | Moira | TV Series | 2004 |
 | Hair Show | Tiffany | Movie | 2004 |
 | Boston Legal | Whitney Rome | TV Series | 2004 |
 | All of Us | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2003 |
 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Self | TV Series | 2003 |
 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Self | TV Series | 2003 |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2003 |
 | Half & Half | Gabrielle | TV Series | 2002 |
 | Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs | Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson) | Movie | 2002 |
 | Baby Boy | Yvette | Movie | 2001 |
 | BET Awards | Self - Host | TV Series | 2001 |
 | Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man | Bess Pinckney | Movie | 2001 |
 | The Division | Raina Washington | TV Series | 2001 |
 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Christina | TV Series | 2000 |
 | Strong Medicine | Crystal | TV Series | 2000 |
 | The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle | Left-Wing Student | Movie | 2000 |
 | Satan's School for Girls | Paige | Movie | 2000 |
 | Felicity | R.A. #2 | TV Series | 1998 |
| Felicity | Art Student | TV Series | 1998 |
 | Streetwise | Tammy | Movie | 1998 |
 | The View | Self | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Smart Guy | Monique | TV Series | 1997 |
| Smart Guy | Leslie | TV Series | 1997 |
 | The Daily Show | Self | TV Series | 1996 |
 | Pacific Blue | Rhonda | TV Series | 1996 |
 | The Parent 'Hood | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1995 |
 | ER | Patrice Robbins | TV Series | 1994 |
| ER | Elan | TV Series | 1994 |
 | Sister, Sister | Briana | TV Series | 1994 |
 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Girl | TV Series | 1993 |
 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1992 |
 | The Simpsons | Praline (voice) | TV Series | 1989 |
 | LIVE with Kelly and Mark | Self | TV Series | 1988 |
 | Entertainment Tonight | Self | TV Series | 1981 |
 | Saturday Night Live | Self - Host | TV Series | 1975 |
 | American Music Awards | Self - Host | TV Series | 1974 |
| Sorcerority | Self / Appearance | Movie | — | |
| Force | Self / Appearance | Movie | — | |
| Two Faced | Director | Movie | — |