American actress and singer Taraji P. Hanson was born on September 11, 1970 in Washington, D.C. The African-American initially studied at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, taking up a degree in electrical engineering, before moving to Howard University, where she eventually graduated with a theater arts degree. To pay for her education, she worked as a secretary for the Pentagon during the day, and performed in a dinner cruise ship at night.
Henson made her acting debut in 1997, when she became a guest on the comedy series Sister, Sister. A year later, she made her film debut, playing a supporting role in the action flick Streetwise. She played small roles throughout her early career, appearing as a guest on programs such as Felicity, Pacific Blue, ER and Strong Medicine, and in films such as The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle. In 2003, she scored her first regular television role, joining the final season of the Lifetime police drama The Division; she played the role of police inspector Raina Washington.
Henson later took more significant roles in films, appearing in Baby Boy, Four Brothers, Hair Show and Hustle & Flow. The latter, which was nominated for several Oscars in 2006, saw her play Shug, one of the prostitutes working for dissatisfied hustler DJay (Terrence Howard). She won a Black Reel Award and a Black Movie Award, both for Best Supporting Actress, for her role. It was also here where she made her singing debut, when she provided the vocals for the film’s theme “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” performed by hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia. It eventually won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the first to be given to a black hip-hop group.
In 2007, she joined the cast of the legal drama Boston Legal. She played the role of Whitney Rome, a strong-willed associate who transferred to Crane, Poole & Schmidt’s New York offices after a break-up.