Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson is an award-winning actress known for her powerful performances across film and television. Born on September 11, 1970, in Washington, D.C., she grew up in a modest household and attended Howard University, where she studied acting. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and took on small television and film roles, slowly building her resume while working side jobs to support herself and her young son.

Henson’s career breakthrough came with her role in Hustle and Flow (2005), and she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) opposite Brad Pitt. She continued to build her reputation with memorable roles in films like The Karate Kid (2010) and Think Like a Man (2012), establishing herself as a reliable and compelling screen presence.

Her biggest commercial success came with the Fox television series Empire (2015-2020), in which she starred as Cookie Lyon. The role made her a cultural icon and one of the highest-paid actresses on television, earning her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series. Empire became a massive ratings hit and elevated Henson to a new level of mainstream fame and earning power. She followed this with a lead role in Hidden Figures (2016), the critically acclaimed film about NASA’s Black female mathematicians, which grossed over $230 million worldwide.

Beyond acting, Henson is an advocate for mental health awareness through the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father. She has authored a memoir, has secured endorsement deals, and continues to take on prominent film and television roles. Her resilience and talent have helped her build an estimated net worth of $25 million in 2026.