Cast & creator
Taraji P. Henson
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Taraji P. Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career as guest star on several television shows before making her breakthrough in the movie Baby Boy (2001). In 2005, she starred in Hustle & Flow and played Queenie in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received an Academy Award nomination. In 2016, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. Henson also released an autobiography titled Around The Way Girl.
Also known as: Taraji Penda Henson, Taraji Henson
72
film credits
75
television credits
136
1974–2026 · acting roles
6.2
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (147)
Showing 147 of 147 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015
The Simpsons
Praline (voice)
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014
The Daily Show
Self
1996
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Christina
2000
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self - Guest Host
2019
Conan
Herself
2010
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
House
Moira
2004
The View
Self
1997
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self
2015The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest
2015
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
RuPaul's Drag Race
Self - Guest Judge
2009
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Self - Guest
2022
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self
1988
Sherri
Self - Guest
2022
Project Runway
Self - Guest Judge
2004
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Person of Interest
Joss Carter
2011
ER
Patrice Robbins
1994ER
Elan
1994
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
The Talk
Self
2010
Strong Medicine
Crystal
2000
Boston Legal
Whitney Rome
2004
Hot Ones
Self
2015
Empire
Cookie Lyon
2015Empire
Director
2015
Abbott Elementary
Vanetta
2021
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014
The Masked Singer
Self - Panelist
2019
The Division
Raina Washington
2001
Pacific Blue
Rhonda
1996
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
Self
2019
Sister, Sister
Briana
1994
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015
Celebrity Family Feud
Self - Contestant
2015
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Victoria Vance (voice)
2023
Felicity
R.A. #2
1998Felicity
Art Student
1998
The Cleveland Show
2009
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
Self - Guest
2010
Lip Sync Battle
Self
2015
Saved by the Bell: The New Class
Girl
1993
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Self
2017
Today with Jenna & Sheinelle
Self
2019
Hidden Figures
Katherine G. Johnson
2016
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Belle Bottom (voice)
2022
Half & Half
Gabrielle
2002
Eli Stone
Angela Scott
2008
Number One on the Call Sheet
Self
2025
American Music Awards
Self - Host
1974
The Karate Kid
Sherry Parker
2010
Smart Guy
Monique
1997Smart Guy
Leslie
1997
All of Us
2003
The Parent 'Hood
1995
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Queenie
2008
Hollywood Game Night
Self
2013
Entertainment Tonight
Self
1981
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Yesss (voice)
2018
Celebrity IOU
Self
2020
History 101
Self (archive footage)
2020
Why Did I Get Married Again?
Roselyn
2026
Four Brothers
Camille Mercer
2005
The Color Purple
Shug Avery
2023
What Men Want
Alison 'Ali' Davis
2019What Men Want
Executive Producer
2019
STRAW
Janiyah Wiltkinson
2025
That's My Jam
Self - Guest
2021
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage)
2024
Smokin' Aces
Sharice Watters
2006
Hart to Heart
Self
2021
Legendary
Self - Guest Judge
2020
Date Night
Detective Arroyo
2010
Larry Crowne
B'Ella
2011
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Vivian Thoma
2024
BET Awards
Self - Host
2001
No Good Deed
Terry
2014No Good Deed
Executive Producer
2014
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade
Ethel (voice)
2016
Something New
Nedra
2006
The Best of Enemies
Ann Atwater
2019
Think Like a Man Too
Lauren Harris
2014
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
Left-Wing Student
2000
Madly Madagascar
Okapi (voice)
2013
Top Five
Taraji P. Henson
2014
Muppets Haunted Mansion
The Bride
2021
Celebrity Prank Wars
Self
2023
The Alec Baldwin Show
Self
2018
Term Life
Samantha Thurman
2016
Taraji's White Hot Holidays
Herself - Host
2015
Think Like a Man
Lauren Harris
2012
Hustle & Flow
Shug
2005
The Good Doctor
Nurse Theresa
2011
Baby Boy
Yvette
2001
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button
Self
2009
Not Easily Broken
Clarice Clark
2009
Proud Mary
Mary
2018Proud Mary
Executive Producer
2018
Hurricane Season
Dayna Collins
2010
This Changes Everything
Self
2019
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
Bess Pinckney
2001
Tell It Like a Woman
Director
2022
Coffee & Kareem
Vanessa Manning
2020
Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4
Self
2022
My Happy Place
Self
2025
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
April
2009
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
Pam
2008Give Me Some Sugah
2026
Acrimony
Melinda Moore Gayle
2018
Satan's School for Girls
Paige
2000
Mary J. Blige's My Life
Self
2021
Once Fallen
Pearl
2010
Animal
Ramona
2005
Escape Room
2025
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
Self
2012
Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Tiffany Rubin
2011
Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been
Producer
2026Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been
Executive Producer
2026
Feeding America Comedy Festival
Self
2020
From the Rough
Catana Starks
2013
Oprah & The Color Purple Journey
Self
2023
Peep World
Mary
2010
Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs
Date #4 / Ghetto Girl (as Taraji Henson)
2002Picasso Baby
Self
2013
Annie Live!
Miss Hannigan
2021
Talk to Me
Vernell Watson
2007
The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige
Self
2023
Star Search
Executive Producer
2026
Where's Usher?
Self
2024
Seasons of Love
Jackie
2014Seasons of Love
Executive Producer
2014
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Self (voice)
2023Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Executive Producer
2023
Hair Show
Tiffany
2004Two Faced
Director
TIME100: The World's Most Influential People
Host
2024Sorcerority
Force
Streetwise
Tammy
1998