Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson, born September 11, 1970 in Washington, D.C. is an American actress who has made her mark in American film. Henson is the daughter of Bernice Gordon and Boris Lawrence Henson. Henson’s parents both came from humble beginnings, with Taraji’s mother being a corporate manager at Woodward and Lothrop and her father a janitor and metal fabricator. Henson’s first and middle names, Taraji (hope) and Penda (love) are both of Swahili origin, Henson attended and graduated from Oxon Hill Highschool in Oxon Hill, Maryland in 1988. Upon graduation, Henson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she majored in electrical engineering. She, however, would eventually transfer to Howard University where she would study drama. To fund her college education, Henson would work as a secretary in the mornings at The Pentagon and as a singing-dancing waitress in the evenings on the dinner cruise ship, the Spirit of Washington.
In the early 1990’s Henson received her SAG membership for performing roles as a backup performer. Henson’s first prominent role would be in a 2001 comedy-drama alongside Tyrese Gibson, in which she portrayed the character of Yvette, Gibson’s girlfriend. Henson would go on to star in other major films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, The Karate Kid, Think Like a Man, Think Like a Man Too, Hidden Figures, and many others. Henson would also star in hit TV shows such as The WB’s Smart Guy, House, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Person of Interest, and Empire, which brought her widespread recognition and critical acclaim.
For her role in the hit TV series Empire, Henson was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in July 2015. She would go on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama for Empire in January 2016. At this time, Henson was only the third African American actress to receive this award after Gail Fisher (1972) and Regina Taylor (1992). In addition to her acting career, Henson also starred in several music videos including, Common’s music video Testify in 2005 and Tyrese Gibson’s video Stay. She also made her singing debut when she provided vocals for the track “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the independent film Hustle and Flow. This song would win an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006, making Three 6 Mafia the first African-American hip-hop group to win the award.
Henson has a son, Marcell Henson whom she shared with her high school sweetheart, William LaMarr Johnson, until his untimely passing in 2003. In addition to her amazing role as an actress, Henson is also a supporter of PETA and in 2011 appeared nude in an ad for the I’d Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur campaign.
What has been you most favorite role of Henson’s? Let me know in the comments below!
