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Taraji P. Henson

 
Who2 Biography: Taraji P. Henson, Actor
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  • Born: 11 September 1970
  • Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
  • Best Known As: Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Taraji P. Henson is the Oscar-nominated actress who played Queenie, the mother in the David Fincher film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, starring Brad Pitt). A graduate in theater arts from Howard University, Henson began her career in Hollywood in the late 1990s, first in television. She had a memorable role in the 2001 feature film Baby Boy and was a regular cast member of the Fox Force Five-type TV drama The Division (2003-04), but it was her role as a singer/prostitute in Hustle & Flow (2005, starring Terrence Howard) that brought her mainstream attention. She followed with a strong performance opposite Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2007 drama Talk to Me, and a semi-regular role as a tough lawyer in the fourth and fifth seasons of TV's Boston Legal (with James Spader and William Shatner). Her other films include Four Brothers (2005, starring Mark Wahlberg), Smokin' Aces (2006, starring Ryan Reynolds) and Not Easily Broken (2009, based on the novel by Texas preacher T.D. Jakes).

Henson joined Three 6 Mafia and Cedric Coleman in performing the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" at the 78th Annual Academy Awards; the song won an Oscar for best original song... Her name is pronounced "ta-RAH-zhee."

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Actor: Taraji P. Henson
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Sep 11, 1970
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: 2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy Drama
  • Career Highlights: Baby Boy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Talk to Me
  • First Major Screen Credit: Baby Boy (2001)

Biography

Washington, D.C., native Taraji P. Henson didn't always know that her smoldering charisma and beautiful face would make her a professional actress. On the contrary, she originally studied electrical engineering when she enrolled at North Carolina Agric & Tech. She later transferred to Howard University, where she attended classes while working as a secretary at the Pentagon, and as a singer and dancer aboard a cruise ship. She eventually changed her academic focus to theater and graduated in 1995.

Henson's career began with appearances on Homicide: Life on the Street and ER, but it really took off when she was cast in a major supporting role in 2001's Baby Boy and 2004's Hustle & Flow, in which she also showcased her vocal talents, singing on the track "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" for the movie's soundtrack, which took home the Best Song Oscar that year. Henson later moved on to take major roles in Smokin' Aces and Talk to Me. Henson made the most of her work as the mother of the backward-aging man in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and her performance garnered Best Supporting Actress nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Taraji P. Henson
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Taraji P. Henson

Henson at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, January 25, 2009
Born Taraji Penda Henson
September 11, 1970 (1970-09-11) (age 39)
Washington, D.C., United States
Occupation Actress
Years active 1997–present

Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy (2001), Shug in Hustle and Flow (2005) and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009.

Contents

Personal life

Henson was born in Southeast Washington, D.C., the daughter of Bernice Gordon, a corporate manager at Woodward & Lothrop, and Boris Henson, a janitor and fabricator.[1][2][3] She is the great grandcousin of Matthew Henson, one of the explorers who discovered the Geographic North Pole.[4] Her first and middle name are of Swahili origin with her first name meaning "hope" and her middle name meaning "love."[5]

Henson attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland. She first attended NC A&T, where she started a major in Electrical Engineering. She later transferred to Howard University.[6] She worked two jobs—in the morning as a secretary at the Pentagon and in the night as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship- The Spirit of Washington- to pay for Howard University. She graduated with a degree in Theater Arts.

Her son Marcel was born in 1994, fathered by ex-boyfriend William Lamar Johnson, who died in 2004.”[7] Henson's father died in 2006.[8]

Henson has said in an interview that her philosophy in life is: "Love as often as you can. Dance like nobody's watching. Travel. Eat. Try new foods because, like my character says, you never know what's coming for you and when it's time to let go, you got to let go."[9]

Career

Henson has appeared in the films Four Brothers (2005), Talk To Me (2007), Smokin' Aces (2007), Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008),[10] Not Easily Broken (2009),[11] and Hurricane Season (2009).[12] In late 2008, she starred opposite Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[12] Henson plays the role of Queenie, Benjamin's mother, in a performance which has garnered critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[13] She noted in an interview that, "Queenie is the embodiment of unconditional love."[14]

Henson has also been a cast member on several television shows, including Lifetime Television's The Division and ABC's Boston Legal for one season.[15] Her recurring appearances in television include the character Angela Scott on the ABC television show "Eli Stone" in December 2008. She has guest-starred on several television shows, such as The WB show Smart Guy playing the role of Monique (1997–1998), the Fox Television show House in 2005 and the CBS Television show CSI in 2006. She also starred on an episode of Sister, Sister.[16]

Henson made her singing debut in Hustle & Flow; she provided the vocals for the Three 6 Mafia track "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp". The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006, giving Three 6 the distinction of becoming the first Black hip-hop act to win in the category. Henson performed the song at the Oscars on March 5, 2006 with the group.

Henson has made several appearances on music videos. Henson appeared in the rapper Common's music video called "Testify" in 2005 as the wife of a soon to be convicted murderer. On December 5, 2008, Jamie Foxx premiered his new music video "Just Like Me" on TBS featuring T.I. and Henson, the latter engaging Foxx in a series of "anything you can do, I can do better" style events.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
2000 The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Left-Wing Student
2001 Baby Boy Yvette
2004 Hair Show Tiffany
2005 Hustle & Flow Shug Nominated - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss shared with Terrence Howard
Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureShe has also be nominated for best female artist on the BET awards and won.
Four Brothers Camille Mercer
Animal Ramona
2006 Something New Nedra
2007 Smokin' Aces Sharice Watters
Talk to Me Vernell Watson Nominated - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
2008 The Family That Preys Pam
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Queenie Won - BET Award for Best Actress
Won - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009 Not Easily Broken Clarice Clark-Johnson
Hurricane Season Dayna Collins
I Can Do Bad All By Myself April
2010 Date Night Cop

References

  1. ^ Wiltz, Teresa (July 21), "Drama Queen: Taraji Henson Moved to Hollywood And Smacked It Right Upside the Head", Washington Post: C01, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/20/AR2005072002355.html 
  2. ^ Veteran Actors, First Time Nominees
  3. ^ NAACP nominates actress with local ties
  4. ^ Black Voices website
  5. ^ Interview with Tavis Smiley, 2008 Dec 19
  6. ^ Wiltz, Drama Queen
  7. ^ http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2008/12/now_taraji_p_henson/
  8. ^ http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_entertainment/featurecanvas?id=20060301130609990001 BV Entertainment Newswire March 1: Taraji P. Henson Prepares For Her Oscar Close Up - AOL Black Voices
  9. ^ Vancheri, Barbara (December 21), "Actress Henson's Hustle Led to Role in 'Benjamin Button'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA): E1 
  10. ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245/
  11. ^ Verniere, James (January 9), "`Broken': Well Put Together", Boston Herald: E10 
  12. ^ a b Williams, Kam (2008-12-14). "Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Interview". KamWilliams.com. http://www.kamwilliams.com/2008/12/taraji-p-henson-curious-case-of.html. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  13. ^ MacDonald, Gayle (January 23), "Benjamin Button Leads Race for What Pitt Calls -- Our Highest Honour", Globe & Mail (Toronto Can.): R13 
  14. ^ Interview with Tavis Smiley, 2008 Dec 19
  15. ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245/
  16. ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Learn More
Baby Boy (2001 Drama Film)
Hustle & Flow (2004 Drama Film)
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008 Drama Film)

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Who2 Biography. Copyright © 1998-2008 by Who2, LLC. All rights reserved. See the Taraji P. Henson biography from Who2.  Read more
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