Taraji P. Henson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Taraji P. Henson | |
|---|---|
 Henson at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, January 25, 2009 |
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| Born | Taraji Penda Henson September 11, 1970 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.
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[edit] 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]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] References
- ^ 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
- ^ Veteran Actors, First Time Nominees
- ^ NAACP nominates actress with local ties
- ^ Black Voices website
- ^ Interview with Tavis Smiley, 2008 Dec 19
- ^ Wiltz, Drama Queen
- ^ http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2008/12/now_taraji_p_henson/
- ^ 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
- ^ Vancheri, Barbara (December 21), "Actress Henson's Hustle Led to Role in 'Benjamin Button'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA): E1
- ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245/
- ^ Verniere, James (January 9), "`Broken': Well Put Together", Boston Herald: E10
- ^ 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.
- ^ MacDonald, Gayle (January 23), "Benjamin Button Leads Race for What Pitt Calls -- Our Highest Honour", Globe & Mail (Toronto Can.): R13
- ^ Interview with Tavis Smiley, 2008 Dec 19
- ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245/
- ^ Taraji P. Henson, IMDB Profile, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378245
