Taraji P Henson Early Life
Born to a corporate manager mother Bernice and a janitor and metal fabricator father Boris Lawrence Henson in Southeast Washington, D.C., Taraji P. Henson was destined to make a name for herself in the acting world. After graduating from Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, she enrolled at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she planned on studying electrical engineering. However, she dropped out from there shortly afterwards to study acting at Howard University, a move that changed her life.
In 1994, Taraji gave birth to a son named Marcell with her long-term boyfriend William Lamar Johnson. Johnson was later murdered in 2003.
Taraji P Henson Career
Taraji P. Henson has had a fulfilling and rewarding film career ever since she played the spirited and vivacious role of Yvette in ‘Baby Boy’, a film that brought her into the limelight in 2001. After this she became a part of many commercially and critically appreciated films, like ‘Hustle & Flow’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, ‘Date Night’, ‘The Karate Kid’, ‘Think Like a Man’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ to name a few. For some of these gritty roles, especially in films, like ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ she got nominated for several prestigious awards, like the Oscars, SAGs, Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes.
Taraji has also been a well-known face on the small screen, thanks to her memorable performances in shows, like ‘Smart Guy’, ‘House’, ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’, ‘The Division’, ‘Boston Legal’ and ‘Person of Interest’ among others. In 2011, she got an Emmy nomination for her heart-rending performance in Lifetime television film ‘Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story’, which was inspired by the true story of a New York woman who searched for her abducted son overcoming all odds. Moreover, she has been essaying the role of Cookie Lyon, her most critically appreciated role on television so far, in the musical drama series ‘Empire’ since 2015.
Taraji P. Henson is also an Academy Award-winning singer, thanks to a song called ‘It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp’ from the ‘Hustle & Flow’ soundtrack for which she lent her voice in 2006. She has also, starred in several music videos for renowned artists, like Common and Tyrese Gibson to name a few.
As of 2017, Taraji has several films, like ‘Proud Mary’, ‘Acrimony’, ‘The Best of Enemies’ and ‘What Men Want’ in her kitty that are in various stages of production and are slated for release in 2018-2019.
She will also be foraying into voice acting with Disney’s 2018 release ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2’.
Awards & Achievements
In 2015, Taraji P. Henson was named the Entertainer of the Year at the NAACP Image Awards for her roles in ‘Empire’ and ‘No Good Deed’. She also became the 1st African-American woman to bag a Critic’s Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in the same year as well as a Golden Globe.
In 2016, she took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for ‘Hidden Figures’.
Net Worth of Taraji P Henson
The estimated net worth of Taraji P. Henson is said to be a considerable $6 million. Apart from a rewarding career as an actress, she is an acclaimed author with a New York Best Seller to her credit in the form of her autobiography ‘Around the Way Girl’. She also launched the ‘Taraji P. Henson Makeup Collection’ in 2016 with MAC cosmetics, a brand she also endorses.
Taraji P. Henson is known for her captivating performances that have wowed audiences all over the world. An artist of her stature never truly goes out of vogue. With many more years and terrific performances to come, Taraji P. Henson is destined to achieve innumerable milestones in her life.
