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Taraji P. Henson

Personal Profile

Taraji P. Henson
  • Birth Name:
    Taraji Penda Henson
  • Common Name:
    Taraji Henson
  • Date of Birth:
    September 11, 1970
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Virgo
  • Place of Birth:
    Washington, District of Columbia, USA
  • Height:
    5' 5"
  • Sex:
    Female
  • Hair Color:
    Black
  • Eye Color:
    Brown
  • Nationality:
    American
  • Religion:
    Christianity
  • Education:

    Oxon Hill High School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

    Howard University

Family

Taraji P. Henson
  • Father:
    Bernice Gordon
  • Mother:
    Boris Henson
  • Son:
    Marcel

Career

Taraji P. Henson
  • Profession:
    Actress
  • Debut:
    Baby Boy - 2001

Awards

Taraji P. Henson

2008 : Austin Film Critics Award, Best Supporting Actress for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

2009 : BET Award

2006 : BET Award

2005 : Black Movie Award, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for: Hustle & Flow (2005)

2007 : Best Ensemble Cast Award

2009 : Image Award

2001 : Special Mention Award

Trivia

Taraji P. Henson
  • First and middle names are Swahili for 'hope' and 'love', respectively.
  • Contrary to previously published accounts, Taraji is a relative, not a descendant, of North Pole explorer Matthew Henson.
  • The father of her only son died unexpectedly in 1997.
  • First attended North Carolina Agric & Tech where she attempted to study Electrical Engineering. She failed Pre-Calculus so she transferred to Howard University. She worked two jobs: in the morning as a secretary at the Pentagon; in the night as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship to pay for Howard. She graduated from Howard University in 1995.
  • Voted one of "The 10 Sexiest Women of 2001" by the readers of Black Men Magazine.

Biography

Taraji P. Henson
Last Updated: Saturday, August 29, 2009

tarajiTaraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in the films Baby Boy (2001), Hustle & Flow (2005), and Four Brothers (2005), and was a cast member on Lifetime Television's The Division. Henson was born in Washington, DC, and attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, MD. Henson's first and middle names are of Swahili origin, meaning "hope" and "love", respectively. She is a relative of Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole.

Henson, who worked as a cruise ship entertainer and at the Pentagon before becoming an actress, holds a degree in theater arts from Howard University. 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.

Filmography

Taraji P. Henson

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