Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and author who is best known for playing strong female characters, notably Loretha (“Cookie”) Lyon in the television drama Empire(2014) for which she became the first African-American woman to win a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series and as a sex-worker in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance and as a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received Academy Award, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
Why Taraji P. Henson Doesn't Want A Bridal Party At Her Wedding
Wedding bells are ringing for Taraji P. Henson and former NFL player Kelvin Hayden, who confirmed that they’ll be getting married on April 4, 2020. “I said yes y’all!!!” the Empire actress wrote on Instagram, showing off her glistening engagement ring. “He started with the Cartier love bracelet BUT that was my #Mothersday gift and then he dropped to his knee and I almost passed out!!!” Though she’s looking forward to saying, “I do,” the future Mrs. Hayden is not sweating the details.
The actress appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote the final season of Empire and dished on her upcoming wedding. Colbert asked if she’s been enjoying wedding planning activities like sampling cakes. “I don’t do samples,” she responds. “I don’t do samples. Don’t send me swatches. I told my wedding planner make it pretty, fun, make sure the food is good and a bomb deejay. No bridal party. I’m not a bridezilla. Please, I just want to say my vows in front of people I love, eat good food and have fun. That’s it!” But what about the dress? Well, it’s only right that she commissioned the one and only Vera Wang to design her dress. “I trust Vera! That’s why I had her make the dress,” Henson told Extra on the Emmys red carpet. “I don’t have to lose sleep. I know she’s going to have me look beautiful.”
Famous for
- American actress and author
- For playing strong female characters, notably Loretha (“Cookie”) Lyon in the television drama Empire(2014)
- Her role as a sex-worker in Hustle & Flow (2005).
Where was Taraji P. Henson born?
Taraji P.Henson Henson was born September 11, 1970, in Southeast Washington, D.C. She holds an American nationality and belongs to mixed African-American ethnicity. Her full name is Taraji Penda Henson whereas her first and middle names are of Swahili origin: Taraji ("hope") and Penda ("love"). and her birth sign is Virgo and was born to her father Boris Lawrence Henson who is a janitor and metal fabricator and mother Bernice Gordon who is a corporate manager at Woodward & Lothrop. She also has two younger siblings, Shawn and April.
Regarding her education, she graduated from Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, in 1988. Then, She attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she intended to study electrical engineering, before transferring to Howard University to study drama. She worked mornings as a secretary at The Pentagon and evenings as a singing-dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship, the Spirit of Washington tp pay her college fee.
How tall is Taraji P.Henson?
Actress Taraji P. Henson stands the height of 5ft 4in tall with a weight of 60kg. She has a fit n healthy body physique with the body measurement of 38-28-37 inches with a shoe size of 7(US) and a dress size of 12(US). Moreover, she has a fair complexion with black eyes and black hair color.
Career of Taraji P. Henson
- Henson started her career as a SAG member in the early 1990s for doing 3 roles as a background performer (extra).
- Her first prominent role was in the 2001 comedy-drama film Baby Boy.
- In 2005, Henson was in the independent film Hustle & Flow as Shug for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance.
- She also made her singing debut in the film, which was nominated for two Academy Awards and won one.
- In 2008 she appeared with Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where she played Queenie, Benjamin's mother, and for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
- Henson acted in two Tyler Perry films, The Family That Preys in 2008 and I Can Do Bad All By Myself in 2009.
- In 2010 she appeared in the remake of The Karate Kid with Jaden Smith as his mother.
- In 2011 Henson starred as Tiffany Rubin in the Lifetime Movie Network film Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story.
- In 2012, Henson appeared in the large ensemble cast film Think Like A Man, based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
- She reprised the role in the film's sequel, Think Like a Man Too, released in June 2014.
- In 2016, Henson starred in the film Hidden Figures, which was a major box-office success nominated for numerous awards, including three Oscars (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer).
- In January 2018, she starred in Sony Screen Gems's thriller-drama film Proud Mary, as a hitwoman.
- In February 2019, Henson starred in What Men Want as a female sports agent.
- Henson was also slated to star in and produce an untitled film about Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black Chicago teen who was abducted, tortured, murdered, and dumped in a river by two white men while visiting rural Mississippi in 1955.
- Henson has guest-starred on several television shows, including The WB's Smart Guy, the Fox series House in 2005, and CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2006. She also starred in an episode of Sister, Sister.
- Her recurring characters include Angela Scott on ABC's Eli Stone.
- In 2011, she was cast in the CBS crime-suspense series Person of Interest
- Henson has also been a cast member on several television shows, including Lifetime's The Division and ABC's Boston Legal for one season.
- In February 2014 Henson was hired by Fox to star in Empire, a musical drama set in the hip hop recording industry, where she plays Cookie Lyon
- The role brought Henson widespread recognition and critical acclaim.
- In January 2016, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for Empire.
- At the 46th NAACP Image Awards, she was named the 2015 Entertainer of the Year for her roles in Empire and No Good Deed.
Additionally,
- Henson made her singing debut in the film Hustle & Flow, where 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, also becoming the first African-American hip hop act to win in that category.
- She also sang "In My Daughter's Eyes" on the 2006 charity album Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars.
- In 2005 she starred in the rapper Common's music video "Testify" as the wife of a soon-to-be-convicted murderer, and appeared in Tyrese Gibson's music video "Stay" as his love interest.
- On March 16, 2015, she was a guest co-host on Live! with Kelly and Michael, filling in for Kelly Ripa.
Is Taraji P.Henson married?
Taraji P.Henson is currently engaged to former NFL player Kelvin Hayden on May 13, 2018. The couple has been dating with each other since 2017 and the couple is preparing for their wedding as they confirmed that they’ll be getting married on April 4, 2020. she’s looking forward to saying, “I do,” to her future husband and be Mrs. Hayden. Besides, she was previously in a relationship with her high-school sweetheart William Lamar Johnson who was murdered in 2003. They also had son Marcell, born in 1994 although they were never married. Moreover, she declares herself as a Christian and states being an actress is a spiritual experience.
Birthday of Taraji P. Henson
Actress Taraji P.Henson celebrates her birthday on the 11th of September with her friends and family.
Net worth of Taraji P. Henson
Actress Taraji is earning a good amount of money from her career She is one of the hard-working and a successful actress As of 2019, her net worth is estimated to be around $16 million.
