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.

Known For

The Simpsons

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

House

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Daily Show

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

All Movies (64)

• Escape Room2025
• STRAW2025 · as Janiyah Wiltkinson
• TIME100: The World's Most Influential People2024 · as Host
• Where's Usher?2024 · as Self
• Oprah & The Color Purple Journey2023 · as Self
• The Color Purple2023 · as Shug Avery
• Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project2023 · as Self (voice)
• PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie2023 · as Victoria Vance (voice)
• Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 42022 · as Self
• Minions: The Rise of Gru2022 · as Belle Bottom (voice)
• Annie Live!2021 · as Miss Hannigan
• Muppets Haunted Mansion2021 · as The Bride
• Mary J. Blige's My Life2021 · as Self
• Feeding America Comedy Festival2020 · as Self
• Coffee & Kareem2020 · as Vanessa Manning
• This Changes Everything2019 · as Self
• The Best of Enemies2019 · as Ann Atwater
• What Men Want2019 · as Alison 'Ali' Davis
• Ralph Breaks the Internet2018 · as Yesss (voice)
• Acrimony2018 · as Melinda Moore Gayle
• Proud Mary2018 · as Mary
• Taraji's White Hot Holiday Special2017 · as Self - Host / Mrs. Claus / Mary / Prancer
• Hidden Figures2016 · as Katherine G. Johnson
• Term Life2016 · as Samantha Thurman
• Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade2016 · as Ethel (voice)
• Top Five2014 · as Taraji P. Henson
• Seasons of Love2014 · as Jackie
• No Good Deed2014 · as Terry
• Think Like a Man Too2014 · as Lauren Harris
• Picasso Baby2013 · as Self
• From the Rough2013 · as Catana Starks
• Madly Madagascar2013 · as Okapi (voice)
• Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You2012 · as Self
• Think Like a Man2012 · as Lauren Harris
• Larry Crowne2011 · as B'Ella
• The Good Doctor2011 · as Nurse Theresa
• Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story2011 · as Tiffany Rubin
• Once Fallen2010 · as Pearl
• Peep World2010 · as Mary
• The Karate Kid2010 · as Sherry Parker
• Date Night2010 · as Detective Arroyo
• Hurricane Season2010 · as Dayna Collins
• I Can Do Bad All By Myself2009 · as April
• The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button2009 · as Self
• Not Easily Broken2009 · as Clarice Clark
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button2008 · as Queenie
• Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys2008 · as Pam
• Talk to Me2007 · as Vernell Watson
• Smokin' Aces2006 · as Sharice Watters
• Something New2006 · as Nedra
• Four Brothers2005 · as Camille Mercer
• Hustle & Flow2005 · as Shug
• Animal2005 · as Ramona
• Hair Show2004 · as Tiffany
• Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs2002 · as Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)
• Baby Boy2001 · as Yvette
• Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man2001 · as Bess Pinckney
• The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle2000 · as Left-Wing Student
• Satan's School for Girls2000 · as Paige
• Streetwise1998 · as Tammy
• Sorcerority—
• Force—
• Why Did I Get Married Again?—
• 'Tis So Sweet—

All TV Shows (72)

• My Happy Place2025 · as Self
• Number One on the Call Sheet2025 · as Self
• Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist2024 · as Vivian Thoma
• Hollywood Black2024 · as Self (archive footage)
• Celebrity Prank Wars2023 · as Self
• The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige2023 · as Self
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022 · as Self
• Sherri2022 · as Self - Guest
• Abbott Elementary2021 · as Vanetta
• That's My Jam2021 · as Self - Guest
• Hart to Heart2021 · as Self
• Legendary2020 · as Self - Guest Judge
• History 1012020 · as Self (archive footage)
• Celebrity IOU2020 · as Self
• A Little Late with Lilly Singh2019 · as Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self - Guest Host
• Today with Jenna & Sheinelle2019 · as Self
• The Masked Singer2019 · as Self - Panelist
• The Alec Baldwin Show2018 · as Self
• Carpool Karaoke: The Series2017 · as Self
• Taraji's White Hot Holidays2015 · as Herself - Host
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• Celebrity Family Feud2015 · as Self - Contestant
• Lip Sync Battle2015 · as Self
• The Late Late Show with James Corden2015 · as Self
• The Late Late Show with James Corden2015 · as Self - Guest
• Hot Ones2015 · as Self
• Empire2015 · as Cookie Lyon
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self - Guest
• Hollywood Game Night2013 · as Self
• Person of Interest2011 · as Joss Carter
• Conan2010 · as Herself
• The Talk2010 · as Self
• RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked2010 · as Self - Guest
• The Cleveland Show2009
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
• RuPaul's Drag Race2009 · as Self - Guest Judge
• Eli Stone2008 · as Angela Scott
• Project Runway2004 · as Self - Guest Judge
• House2004 · as Moira
• Boston Legal2004 · as Whitney Rome
• All of Us2003
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
• Half & Half2002 · as Gabrielle
• BET Awards2001 · as Self - Host
• The Division2001 · as Raina Washington
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation2000 · as Christina
• Strong Medicine2000 · as Crystal
• Felicity1998 · as R.A. #2
• Felicity1998 · as Art Student
• The View1997 · as Self
• Smart Guy1997 · as Monique
• Smart Guy1997 · as Leslie
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• Pacific Blue1996 · as Rhonda
• The Parent 'Hood1995
• ER1994 · as Patrice Robbins
• ER1994 · as Elan
• Sister, Sister1994 · as Briana
• Saved by the Bell: The New Class1993 · as Girl
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992
• The Simpsons1989 · as Praline (voice)
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988 · as Self
• Entertainment Tonight1981 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• American Music Awards1974 · as Self - Host