Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970 in Washington, DC) is an American actor and singer.
She is perhaps best-known for her critically-acclaimed starring roles in Person of Interest and Empire. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009 for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Film Roles
- 2000 — The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle as Left-Wing Student
- 2001 — Baby Boy as Yvette
- 2005 — Four Brothers as Camille Mercer
- 2005 — Hustle & Flow as Shug
- 2006 — Something New as Nedra
- 2007 — Smokin' Aces as Sharice Watters
- 2008 — The Family That Preys as Pam Evans
- 2008 — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Queenie
- 2010 — Date Night as Detective Arroyo
- 2010 — The Karate Kid as Sherry Parker
- 2011 — The Good Doctor as Nurse Theresa
- 2011 — Larry Crowne as B'Ella
- 2017 — Hidden Figures as the real-life Katherine Johnson Goble
- 2018 — Acrimony
- 2018 — Proud Mary as Mary
- 2018 — Ralph Breaks the Internet as Yesss
- 2019 — What Men Want as Alison Davis
- 2022 — Minions: The Rise of Gru as Belle Bottom
- 2023 — The Color Purple (2023) as Shug Avery
Television Roles
- 1997 — Smart Guy as Monique (episode "Big Picture") and Leslie (episodes "Boomerang" and "Break Up Not To Make Up")
- 1998 — ER as Patrice Robbins/Elan
- 1998-1999 — Felicity as R.A. #2/Art Student
- 1999 — Pacific Blue as Rhonda
- 2002-2004 — The Division (2001) as Inspector Washington
- 2004 — All Of Us as Kim
- 2005 — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Christina
- 2007-2008 — Boston Legal as Whitney Rome
- 2008 — Eli Stone as Angela Scott
- 2011-2013, 2015 — Person of Interest as Jocelyn "Joss" Carter
- 2015–2020 — Empire as Cookie Lyon
- 2015 — Saturday Night Live as Host
- 2017 — The Simpsons as Praline
- 2021 — Muppets Haunted Mansion as Constance Hatchaway
