Coming soon to Lifetime Taraji P. Henson plays the real life story for Lifetime Networks. Check your Local Listings. WCN Transmedia Group is excited to showcase featured talent providing compelling programming to uplift the representation of women in media. As we have recently started the Transmedia Women’s Council to capture stories which women and men can be proud of while being profitable. We wish Lifetime and Taraji all the best and look forward to opportunities to increase independent productions across all media via TV Everywhere and Transmedia Brandcasting Technologies.
Here are a series of interviews and clips to get everyone excited about this expansion for this wonderful actress whom we have come to love and respect.
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Thu Nov 17 at 10 PM
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Fri Nov 18 at 2 AM
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story Photos & Videos
 Read the Tiffany Rubin interview to hear directly from the mother who found and rescued her abducted son. Find out what her son says about his time in South Kore, what Tiffany wants parents to learn and more!
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 Mark Miller is the founder of the American Association For Lost Children. In 2008 he went to South Korea to locate Tiffany Rubin’s son. How does he orchestrate covert operations? Read an interview with the man who rescued Kobe to find out!
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 Lifetime Mom Kimberly Seals Allers writes about the personal connection she has to Tiffany Rubin’s story and why mothers struggle with trusting their ex-husbands when it comes to divorce and custody. Read “Watching My Worst Fears” for her story.
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 The companion piece to the movie is a fascinating documentary that explores the true story of Kobe’s rescue. Find out more about “Beyond the Headlines: The Tiffany Rubin Story”.
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 If you love “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story,” then check out these other movies about heroic mothers: Little Girl Lost, Reviving Ophelia, Baby for Sale, Dawn Anna, Eight Days to Live
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 Watch a preview for the documentary “Beyond the Headlines: The Tiffany Rubin Story.” Tiffany Rubin recounts the experience of rescuing Kobe in 2008, and provides insight into the abduction and custody bat
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| Taraji P. Henson | |
|---|---|
 Taraji at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, January 25, 2009 |
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| Born | Taraji Penda Henson September 11, 1970 (age 41) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy (2001), Shug in Hustle and Flow (2005) and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009. In 2009, she appeared in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself as April, an alcoholic singer. She currently co-stars in the CBS series Person of Interest.
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Early life
Henson was born in Southeast Washington, D.C., the daughter of Bernice Gordon, a corporate manager at Woodward & Lothrop, and Boris Henson, a janitor and fabricator.[1][2][3] She is a relative of Matthew Henson,[4] discoverer of the Geographic North Pole.[5] Her first and middle name are of Swahili origin.[6]
Henson spent summers at her grandparents’ house in suburban Southern Maryland. She attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland. She first attended NC A&T, where she started a major in Electrical Engineering. She later transferred to Howard University.[7] She worked two jobs—in the morning as a secretary at the Pentagon and in the night as a singing and dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship—The Spirit of Washington—to pay for Howard University.[citation needed] She won the Triple Threat Award and graduated with a degree in Theater Arts.[citation needed]
Career
Henson in the 2011 Heart Truth fashion show
Henson has appeared in the films Four Brothers (2005), Talk To Me (2007), Smokin’ Aces (2007), The Family That Preys, and Hurricane Season (2009).[8] In late 2008, she starred opposite Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[8] Henson plays the role of Queenie, Benjamin’s mother, in a performance which has garnered critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[9] She noted in an interview that, “Queenie is the embodiment of unconditional love.”[6]
Henson has also been a cast member on several television shows, including Lifetime Television’s The Division and ABC’s Boston Legal for one season. Her recurring appearances in television include the character Angela Scott on ABC’s Eli Stone in December 2008. She has guest-starred on several television shows, such as the WB Television Network‘s Smart Guy, playing the role of Monique (1997–1998); the Fox series House in 2005; and CBS‘s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2006. She also starred on an episode of Sister, Sister.[10] In 2011, Henson was cast in the CBS crime-suspense series Person of Interest.
Henson made her singing debut in Hustle & Flow; she provided the vocals for the Three 6 Mafia track “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp“. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006, giving Three 6 Mafia the distinction of becoming the first Black hip-hop act to win in that category.[citation needed] Henson performed the song at the live Oscar ceremony on March 5, 2006 with the group.[citation needed] Additionally, she performed the song “In My Daughter’s Eyes” on the 2006 charity album Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars.
Henson has made several appearances in music videos. For example, she starred in the rapper Common‘s music video called “Testify” in 2005 as the wife of a soon to be convicted murderer.
Henson joined PETA in its campaign against the use of animal products in clothing. Henson has stated “I don’t think a living being should suffer for the sake of fashion, period. End of story… You don’t have to kill an animal just because you want to be hot and fly. And I really stand by that.”[citation needed] A nude ad for the Fur? I’d Rather Go Naked campaign has been released with Taraji P. Henson as the latest celebrity model.[11]
Personal life
Henson’s son Marcel was born in 1994. Her son’s father died unexpectedly in 2003.[12][dead link]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sister, Sister | Briana | episode: “Two’s Company” |
| 1997-1998 | Smart Guy | Monique, Leslie | episodes: “Big Picture”, “Boomerang”, and “Break Up Not to Make Up” |
| 2004 | All of Us | Kim | episode: “In Through the Out Door” |
| 2005 | House | Moira | episode: “Spin“ |
| 2011- | Person of Interest | Carter | regular |
References
- ^ Wiltz, Teresa (July 21), “Drama Queen: Taraji Henson Moved to Hollywood And Smacked It Right Upside the Head”, Washington Post: C01
- ^ Veteran Actors, First Time Nominees
- ^ NAACP nominates actress with local ties
- ^ (not a direct descendant; Henson and his wife had no children and Henson’s only child was born to an Intuit woman during his time in the Arctic)
- ^ Daniels, Karu F. “Taraji P. Henson Prepares For Her Oscar Close Up”, AOL Black Voices, BV Entertainment Newswire, 2007-10-27
- ^ a b Interview with Tavis Smiley, 2008 Dec 19
- ^ Wiltz, Drama Queen
- ^ a b Williams, Kam (2008-12-14). “Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Interview”. KamWilliams.com. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ^ MacDonald, Gayle (January 23), “Benjamin Button Leads Race for What Pitt Calls — Our Highest Honour”, Globe & Mail (Toronto Can.): R13
- ^ Taraji P. Henson Profile at IMDb
- ^ “Taraji P Henson Goes Nude Again, This Time For PETA” January, 27 2011, Mrs Grapevine
- ^ Tucker, Neely. [http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_entertainment/featurecanvas?id=20060301130609990001 “the real Taraji ,Washington Post Magazine, 2011-10-09
- ^ Once Fallen at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Good Doctor at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Morales, Wilson (Jan 4th 2011). “First Look at Taraji P. Henson’s Lifetime Movie ‘Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story”. Black Voices.
- ^ Larry Crowne at the Internet Movie Database
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taraji P. Henson |
- Taraji P. Henson Daily The Only Taraji P. Henson Website with updates on the Actress
- Taraji P. Henson at the Internet Movie Database
- Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Interview with Kam Williams
- Interview with Taraji P. Henson in Venice Magazine
Related articles
- 2010 People’s Choice Awards: Taraji P. Henson (bellasugar.com)
- In Case You Missed It: Taraji P. Henson And Tyrese Visit The Wendy Williams Show (crunktastical.net)
- WCN Transmedia Group Music Showcase: Tyrese “STAY” (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) feat. Taraji P. Henson (wcntransmedia.wordpress.com)
- Taraji P. Henson Talks Fame, Childhood (theroot.com)
- Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson & Laurence Fishburne Nominated For Emmy Awards (hellobeautiful.com)
