Taraji P Henson, who portrays the over-dramatic and highly intriguing ex-convict Cookie Lyon in the TV musical series Empire, never lets go of viewers with her ever-blossoming on-screen personality. Taraji’s love of arts and entertainment began at a young age. Rightfully staying true to her dreams, the talented actress has her steadfastness, skill and determination to thank for her enviable status today. Surrounding Taraji is a very inspirational story that can be of great help to aspiring actors and actresses in the industry. Here are lesser-known facts about the standout actress.
Taraji P Henson’s bio, dude
The actress was born on Taraji Penda Henson11. September 1970 in Washington DC to her parents Bernice and Boris Lawrence Henson. When she was only two years old, her father, a metal worker, and her mother, a business manager, divorced, although it never changed the way they both loved her. Being her parents’ only child and seeing her father struggle for his daily bread after he was laid off motivated Henson to work very hard.
To pursue her dreams, she tried to enroll at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts but was turned down. She then attended Oxon Hill High School, graduating in 1988. While studying engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, she left school and went to Howard University to study theater. To ensure that she continued to stay in school, she took various jobs to pay her tuition. Her impressive performance at Howard later earned her the Triple Treat Scholarship. Taraji later graduated with a degree in Fine Arts.
Taraji P Henson fully embraced her dream career and made her debut on the TV show Smart Guy in 1997. Her interesting performance brought her more roles and she starred in important series like ER , Sister Sister, CSI and many others before getting a starring role in the comedy Baby Boy (2001) . In 2005, she starred alongside Terrence Howard in the film Hustle & Flow which received Oscar nominations and an award. She also sang in the film’s song entitled “It’s Hard, Here For A Pimp”. For her role in the film, she also received nods from the NAACP Image Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and many other platforms that showcased her brand.
Taraji continued to act in blockbuster films, and in 2011 she played Tiffany Rubin in Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story . Another starring role followed in 2012 with the film Think Like a Man , an adaptation of Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
In 2014, she starred as Terri Granger in No Good Deed, which also earned her a BET award and two NAACP Image Awards.
After starring in drama series, the talented actress landed the role of CookieLyon in the musical series Empire after being hired by Fox to fill the role. She is the lead actress of Terrence Howard in the series, which hit screens on January 7, 2015. The film stayed on top, with several positive reviews and acclaim for its cast, including Taraji .P Henson.
Their fortunes and their achievements
The hot actress has an estimated earned net worth of $16 million. Taraji has made a lot of her acting stints and has her starring role as Cookie Lyon in Empire Thanks for Her Recent Earnings. She also has a makeup collection that she launched in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics.
Taraji P Henson was appointed spokesperson for MAC’s Cosmetics Viva Glam Campaign in November 2016. The campaign aimed to support MAC’s HIV/AIDS fund for people living with the condition. She is also a strong supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), advocating for better treatment of animals in society.
son, husband
Henson has a son, Marcel, whom she gave birth to in 1994 while still in college. The actress, who was in a relationship with her high school sweetheart, was adopting William Lamar Johnson at the time and decided to keep the baby. In fact, she could have been dropped by the school authorities, but Taraji undeterred proved that she could handle the challenges and continue with school. In 2003, Marcel’s father Johnson was murdered. The actress was never married to her little father.
Kelvin Hayden commitment
Taraji P Henson captivated all business when speculation about her relationship status flooded the media in 2015. This comes after she and former soccer player Kelvin Hayden were spotted together in Miami. However, since the actress was a very private person, she did not spill information and, as a result, aroused rumors about a possible relationship between the two.
But in December 2017, the Empire diva confirmed that she was dating Hayden on No Sniffing Out. It was indeed a pleasant surprise for the public when Taraji revealed that she was engaged to the former Super Bowl star. In mid-May 2018, she was greeted with good news about her engagement on Mother’s Day. Sharing a photo of a diamond ring on her finger, she announced that she was engaged. This was immediately followed by numerous congratulations from her adoring fans, who always looked forward to witnessing the day of their engagement.
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