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.

Filmography

• 2026Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been — Producer, Executive Producer
• 2026Give Me Some Sugah
• Star Search — Executive Producer
• 2026Why Did I Get Married Again? — Roselyn
• 2025Escape Room
• 2025STRAW — Janiyah Wiltkinson
• Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist — Vivian Thoma
• 2024TIME100: The World's Most Influential People — Host
• 2023Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project — Self (voice), Executive Producer
• 2023PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie — Victoria Vance (voice)
• 2023The Color Purple — Shug Avery
• 2022Minions: The Rise of Gru — Belle Bottom (voice)
• 2022Tell It Like a Woman — Director
• Abbott Elementary — Vanetta
• 2021Annie Live! — Miss Hannigan
• 2021Muppets Haunted Mansion — The Bride
• 2020Coffee & Kareem — Vanessa Manning
• 2019The Best of Enemies — Ann Atwater
• 2019What Men Want — Alison 'Ali' Davis, Executive Producer
• 2018Acrimony — Melinda Moore Gayle
• 2018Proud Mary — Mary, Executive Producer
• 2018Ralph Breaks the Internet — Yesss (voice)
• 2016Hidden Figures — Katherine G. Johnson
• 2016Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade — Ethel (voice)
• 2016Term Life — Samantha Thurman
• Empire — Cookie Lyon, Director
• 2014No Good Deed — Terry, Executive Producer
• 2014Seasons of Love — Jackie, Executive Producer
• 2014Think Like a Man Too — Lauren Harris
• 2014Top Five — Taraji P. Henson
• 2013From the Rough — Catana Starks
• 2013Madly Madagascar — Okapi (voice)
• 2012Think Like a Man — Lauren Harris
• 2011Larry Crowne — B'Ella
• Person of Interest — Joss Carter
• 2011Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story — Tiffany Rubin
• 2011The Good Doctor — Nurse Theresa
• 2010Date Night — Detective Arroyo
• 2010Hurricane Season — Dayna Collins
• 2010Once Fallen — Pearl
• 2010Peep World — Mary
• 2010The Karate Kid — Sherry Parker
• 2009I Can Do Bad All By Myself — April
• 2009Not Easily Broken — Clarice Clark
• The Cleveland Show
• Eli Stone — Angela Scott
• 2008The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — Queenie
• 2008Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys — Pam
• 2007Talk to Me — Vernell Watson
• 2006Smokin' Aces — Sharice Watters
• 2006Something New — Nedra
• 2005Animal — Ramona
• 2005Four Brothers — Camille Mercer
• 2005Hustle & Flow — Shug
• Boston Legal — Whitney Rome
• 2004Hair Show — Tiffany
• House — Moira
• All of Us
• 2002Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs — Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)
• Half & Half — Gabrielle
• 2001Baby Boy — Yvette
• 2001Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man — Bess Pinckney
• The Division — Raina Washington
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Christina
• 2000Satan's School for Girls — Paige
• Strong Medicine — Crystal
• 2000The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle — Left-Wing Student
• Felicity — R.A. #2, Art Student
• 1998Streetwise — Tammy
• Smart Guy — Monique, Leslie
• Pacific Blue — Rhonda
• The Parent 'Hood
• ER — Patrice Robbins, Elan
• Sister, Sister — Briana
• Saved by the Bell: The New Class — Girl
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• The Simpsons — Praline (voice)
• Force
• Sorcerority
• Two Faced — Director

Appearances as themselves (53)

• My Happy Place — Self
• Number One on the Call Sheet — Self
• Hollywood Black — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Where's Usher? — Self
• Celebrity Prank Wars — Self
• 2023Oprah & The Color Purple Journey — Self
• The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige — Self
• 2022Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 — Self
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self - Guest
• Hart to Heart — Self
• 2021Mary J. Blige's My Life — Self
• That's My Jam — Self - Guest
• Celebrity IOU — Self
• 2020Feeding America Comedy Festival — Self
• History 101 — Self (archive footage)
• Legendary — Self - Guest Judge
• A Little Late with Lilly Singh — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self, Self - Guest Host
• The Masked Singer — Self - Panelist
• 2019This Changes Everything — Self
• Today with Jenna & Sheinelle — Self
• The Alec Baldwin Show — Self
• Carpool Karaoke: The Series — Self
• Celebrity Family Feud — Self - Contestant
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
• Hot Ones — Self
• Lip Sync Battle — Self
• Taraji's White Hot Holidays — Herself - Host
• The Late Late Show with James Corden — Self, Self - Guest
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self, Self - Guest
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• Hollywood Game Night — Self
• 2013Picasso Baby — Self
• 2012Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You — Self
• Conan — Herself
• RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked — Self - Guest
• The Talk — Self
• RuPaul's Drag Race — Self - Guest Judge
• 2009The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• Project Runway — Self - Guest Judge
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self, Self - Guest
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• BET Awards — Self - Host
• The View — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self
• Entertainment Tonight — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host
• American Music Awards — Self - Host