Multi-talented and award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in David Fincher's “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which she starred opposite Brad Pitt.  She is a 2011 Emmy Award nominee for Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series in “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story.”  Henson starred in the recent hit film “Think Like A Man” and just completed starring opposite Idris Elba in the thriller “No Good Deed.”

Henson’s extensive list of feature film credits include roles in “Larry Crowne,” opposite star and director Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Cedric the Entertainer; “Karate Kid,” opposite Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan; “Smokin' Aces,” with Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys; “Date Night,” with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell; and “Something New,” with Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker.   In 2009, Henson starred in “Not Easily Broken,” opposite Morris Chestnut; “Hurricane Season,” opposite Forest Whitaker; and Tyler Perry's “The Family That Preys,” with Kathy Bates.

Well-remembered for her role in John Singleton’s “Baby Boy,” opposite Tyrese, Henson reunited with Singleton for the third time in the film “Four Brothers,” with Mark Wahlberg and Andre 3000. 

Henson’s performance in Tyler Perry's “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” earned her the 2009 Diversity Award for Best Actress.  She also received rave reviews for her role in “Talk to Me,” opposite Don Cheadle. Henson was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Feature Film by the Black Movie Awards and received the BET Best Actress nod for her performance as Shug in the drama “Hustle & Flow,” also starring Terrence Howard. 

She will appear in several upcoming films, including “Peep World,” starring as Rainn Wilson's love interest, “The Good Doctor,” with Orlando Bloom, and “Once Fallen,” co-starring with Ed Harris. 

Her other television credits include a series regular role on David E. Kelly's “Boston Legal,” and a recurring role on “Eli Stone.” 

Henson made her singing debut in “Hustle & Flow” and performed the Academy Award-winning song “It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp” on the Oscar telecast.  She was featured in Jamie Foxx's music video “Just Like Me” and also appeared in Estelle's video “Pretty Please.”

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., the Howard University graduate resides in Los Angeles with her son.  Henson is firmly dedicated to helping disabled and less fortunate children and says, “I always stress to kids to have faith in themselves – the greatest recipe for success is self-confidence.”  Her birth date is Sept. 11. 

Henson is a social media powerhouse, with nearly four million fans following her on Facebook and more than one million on Twitter, @TherealTaraji.