Actor profile

Taraji P. Henson

11th September 1970 Washington, D.C., USA Acting

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.

59 Movies 74 TV Shows 1 In Production 138 Credits

Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Escape Room poster

Escape Room 22nd August 2025

STRAW poster

STRAW 5th June 2025 as Janiyah Wiltkinson

TIME100: The World's Most Influential People poster

TIME100: The World's Most Influential People 12th May 2024 as Host

Where's Usher? poster

Where's Usher? 8th February 2024 as Self

Oprah & The Color Purple Journey poster

Oprah & The Color Purple Journey 28th December 2023 as Self

The Color Purple poster

The Color Purple 25th December 2023 as Shug Avery

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project poster

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project 3rd November 2023 as Self (voice)

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie poster

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie 21st September 2023 as Victoria Vance (voice)

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 poster

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 9th November 2022 as Self

Minions: The Rise of Gru poster

Minions: The Rise of Gru 29th June 2022 as Belle Bottom (voice)

Annie Live! poster

Annie Live! 2nd December 2021 as Miss Hannigan

Muppets Haunted Mansion poster

Muppets Haunted Mansion 8th October 2021 as The Bride

Mary J. Blige's My Life poster

Mary J. Blige's My Life 25th June 2021 as Self

Feeding America Comedy Festival poster

Feeding America Comedy Festival 10th May 2020 as Self

Coffee & Kareem poster

Coffee & Kareem 3rd April 2020 as Vanessa Manning

This Changes Everything poster

This Changes Everything 22nd July 2019 as Self

The Best of Enemies poster

The Best of Enemies 5th April 2019 as Ann Atwater

What Men Want poster

What Men Want 8th February 2019 as Alison 'Ali' Davis

Ralph Breaks the Internet poster

Ralph Breaks the Internet 20th November 2018 as Yesss (voice)

Acrimony poster

Acrimony 30th March 2018 as Melinda Moore Gayle

Proud Mary poster

Proud Mary 12th January 2018 as Mary

Taraji's White Hot Holiday Special poster

Taraji's White Hot Holiday Special 14th December 2017 as Self - Host / Mrs. Claus / Mary / Prancer

Hidden Figures poster

Hidden Figures 10th December 2016 as Katherine G. Johnson

Term Life poster

Term Life 29th April 2016 as Samantha Thurman

Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade poster

Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade 19th March 2016 as Ethel (voice)

Top Five poster

Top Five 12th December 2014 as Taraji P. Henson

Seasons of Love poster

Seasons of Love 23rd November 2014 as Jackie

No Good Deed poster

No Good Deed 10th September 2014 as Terry

Think Like a Man Too poster

Think Like a Man Too 20th June 2014 as Lauren Harris

From the Rough poster

From the Rough 8th June 2013 as Catana Starks

Madly Madagascar poster

Madly Madagascar 29th January 2013 as Okapi (voice)

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You poster

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You 1st July 2012 as Self

Think Like a Man poster

Think Like a Man 20th April 2012 as Lauren Harris

Larry Crowne poster

Larry Crowne 30th June 2011 as B'Ella

The Good Doctor poster

The Good Doctor 23rd April 2011 as Nurse Theresa

Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story poster

Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story 31st January 2011 as Tiffany Rubin

Once Fallen poster

Once Fallen 2nd November 2010 as Pearl

Peep World poster

Peep World 15th September 2010 as Mary

The Karate Kid poster

The Karate Kid 10th June 2010 as Sherry Parker

Date Night poster

Date Night 8th April 2010 as Detective Arroyo

Hurricane Season poster

Hurricane Season 9th February 2010 as Dayna Collins

I Can Do Bad All By Myself poster

I Can Do Bad All By Myself 11th September 2009 as April

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button poster

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button 5th May 2009 as Self

Not Easily Broken poster

Not Easily Broken 9th January 2009 as Clarice Clark

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button poster

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 25th December 2008 as Queenie

Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys poster

Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys 12th September 2008 as Pam

Talk to Me poster

Talk to Me 13th July 2007 as Vernell Watson

Smokin' Aces poster

Smokin' Aces 9th December 2006 as Sharice Watters

Something New poster

Something New 29th January 2006 as Nedra

Four Brothers poster

Four Brothers 11th August 2005 as Camille Mercer

Hustle & Flow poster

Hustle & Flow 22nd July 2005 as Shug

Animal poster

Animal 1st May 2005 as Ramona

Hair Show poster

Hair Show 17th October 2004 as Tiffany

Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs poster

Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs 14th February 2002 as Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)

Baby Boy poster

Baby Boy 27th June 2001 as Yvette

Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man poster

Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man 2nd May 2001 as Bess Pinckney

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle poster

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle 30th June 2000 as Left-Wing Student

Satan's School for Girls poster

Satan's School for Girls 13th March 2000 as Paige

Streetwise poster

Streetwise 12th June 1998 as Tammy

My Happy Place poster

My Happy Place 27th April 2025 as Self

Number One on the Call Sheet poster

Number One on the Call Sheet 27th March 2025 as Self

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist poster

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist 5th September 2024 as Vivian Thoma

Hollywood Black poster

Hollywood Black 11th August 2024 as Self (archive footage)

Celebrity Prank Wars poster

Celebrity Prank Wars 5th April 2023 as Self

The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige poster

The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige 1st March 2023 as Self

Sherri poster

Sherri 12th September 2022 as Self - Guest

The Jennifer Hudson Show poster

The Jennifer Hudson Show 12th September 2022 as Self

Abbott Elementary poster

Abbott Elementary 7th December 2021 as Vanetta

That's My Jam poster

That's My Jam 29th November 2021 as Self - Guest

Hart to Heart poster

Hart to Heart 5th August 2021 as Self

Legendary poster

Legendary 27th May 2020 as Self - Guest Judge

History 101 poster

History 101 22nd May 2020 as Self (archive footage)

Celebrity IOU poster

Celebrity IOU 13th April 2020 as Self

A Little Late with Lilly Singh poster

A Little Late with Lilly Singh 16th September 2019 as Self

The Kelly Clarkson Show poster

The Kelly Clarkson Show 9th September 2019 as Self

The Kelly Clarkson Show poster

The Kelly Clarkson Show 9th September 2019 as Self - Guest Host

Today with Jenna & Sheinelle poster

Today with Jenna & Sheinelle 8th April 2019 as Self

The Masked Singer poster

The Masked Singer 2nd January 2019 as Self - Panelist

The Alec Baldwin Show poster

The Alec Baldwin Show 14th October 2018 as Self

Carpool Karaoke: The Series poster

Carpool Karaoke: The Series 8th August 2017 as Self

WIRED's Autocomplete Interviews poster

WIRED's Autocomplete Interviews 1st March 2016 as Self - Guest

Taraji's White Hot Holidays poster

Taraji's White Hot Holidays 9th December 2015 as Herself - Host

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 8th September 2015 as Self - Guest

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter poster

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter 2nd August 2015 as Self

Celebrity Family Feud poster

Celebrity Family Feud 21st June 2015 as Self - Contestant

Lip Sync Battle poster

Lip Sync Battle 2nd April 2015 as Self

The Late Late Show with James Corden poster

The Late Late Show with James Corden 23rd March 2015 as Self

The Late Late Show with James Corden poster

The Late Late Show with James Corden 23rd March 2015 as Self - Guest

Hot Ones poster

Hot Ones 12th March 2015 as Self

Empire poster

Empire 7th January 2015 as Cookie Lyon

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors poster

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors 21st December 2014 as Self

Late Night with Seth Meyers poster

Late Night with Seth Meyers 25th February 2014 as Self - Guest

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 17th February 2014 as Self

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 17th February 2014 as Self - Guest

Hollywood Game Night poster

Hollywood Game Night 11th July 2013 as Self

Person of Interest poster

Person of Interest 22nd September 2011 as Joss Carter

Conan poster

Conan 8th November 2010 as Herself

The Talk poster

The Talk 18th October 2010 as Self

RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked poster

RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked 1st February 2010 as Self - Guest

The Cleveland Show poster

The Cleveland Show 27th September 2009

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen poster

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen 16th July 2009 as Self - Guest

RuPaul's Drag Race poster

RuPaul's Drag Race 2nd February 2009 as Self - Guest Judge

Eli Stone poster

Eli Stone 31st January 2008 as Angela Scott

Project Runway poster

Project Runway 1st December 2004 as Self - Guest Judge

House poster

House 16th November 2004 as Moira

Boston Legal poster

Boston Legal 3rd October 2004 as Whitney Rome

All of Us poster

All of Us 16th September 2003

The Ellen DeGeneres Show poster

The Ellen DeGeneres Show 8th September 2003 as Self

Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster

Jimmy Kimmel Live! 26th January 2003 as Self

Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster

Jimmy Kimmel Live! 26th January 2003 as Self - Guest

Half & Half poster

Half & Half 23rd September 2002 as Gabrielle

BET Awards poster

BET Awards 19th June 2001 as Self - Host

The Division poster

The Division 7th January 2001 as Raina Washington

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation poster

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 6th October 2000 as Christina

Strong Medicine poster

Strong Medicine 23rd July 2000 as Crystal

Felicity poster

Felicity 29th September 1998 as R.A. #2

Felicity poster

Felicity 29th September 1998 as Art Student

The View poster

The View 11th August 1997 as Self

Smart Guy poster

Smart Guy 26th March 1997 as Monique

Smart Guy poster

Smart Guy 26th March 1997 as Leslie

The Daily Show poster

The Daily Show 22nd July 1996 as Self

Pacific Blue poster

Pacific Blue 2nd March 1996 as Rhonda

The Parent 'Hood poster

The Parent 'Hood 18th January 1995

ER poster

ER 19th September 1994 as Patrice Robbins

ER poster

ER 19th September 1994 as Elan

Sister, Sister poster

Sister, Sister 1st April 1994 as Briana

Saved by the Bell: The New Class poster

Saved by the Bell: The New Class 11th September 1993 as Girl

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno poster

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 25th May 1992

The Simpsons poster

The Simpsons 17th December 1989 as Praline (voice)

LIVE with Kelly and Mark poster

LIVE with Kelly and Mark 5th September 1988 as Self

Entertainment Tonight poster

Entertainment Tonight 15th September 1981 as Self

Saturday Night Live poster

Saturday Night Live 11th October 1975 as Self - Host

American Music Awards poster

American Music Awards 19th February 1974 as Self - Host

Why Did I Get Married Again? poster

Coming soon

Why Did I Get Married Again? 9th September 2026