Taraji P. Henson

Washington, D.C., native Taraji P. Henson didn't always know that her smoldering charisma and beautiful face would make her a professional actress. On the contrary, she originally studied electrical engineering when she enrolled at North Carolina Agric & Tech. She later transferred to Howard University, where she attended classes while working as a secretary at the Pentagon, and as a singer and dancer aboard a cruise ship. She eventually changed her academic focus to theater and graduated in 1995.… Show more Henson's career began with appearances on Homicide: Life on the Street and ER , but it really took off when she was cast in a major supporting role in 2001's Baby Boy and 2004's Hustle & Flow , in which she also showcased her vocal talents, singing on the track "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" for the movie's soundtrack, which took home the Best Song Oscar that year. Henson later moved on to take major roles in Smokin' Aces and Talk to Me . Henson made the most of her work as the mother of the backward-aging man in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , and her performance garnered Best Supporting Actress nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy. She became an in-demand character actress after that success and appeared in a series of films including Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys , the remake of The Karate Kid , Date Night , and Larry Crowne . In 2012 he was part of the ensemble in the hit comedy Think Like a Man. ~ Rovi

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