Taraji P Henson Body Measurements, Son, Age, Net Worth, Husband

Taraji P Henson is probably best known for her role as Cookie Lyon in the successful FOX music series “Empire”. As a result of her role, Taraji became the first African-American woman to win the Critics Choice Television Award for best actress in a drama series and the third African-American woman to win the Golden Globe Award for Best supporting actress. As a Cookie Henson also won two consecutive Emmys for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 and 2016.

Taraji P Henson’s Bio (Age)

Taraji Penda Henson was born on September 11, 1970, in Washington, D.C. US. She is the daughter of Boris Lawrence Henson and Bernice (born Gordon). When she was only two years old, her parents divorced, however, they both continued to contribute to her education. While her mother worked as a business manager at Woodward & Lothrop Department Store in Washinton, her father worked modestly as a metalworker and janitor.

Taraji’s father may not have earned enough money to be a financial pillar in his daughter’s life but he was sure he could provide her with all the moral support she needed.

Taraji’s DNA analysis traced her roots back to the Masa people of Cameroon in Africa. Her first and middle names are Swahili for hope and peace respectively. Taraji P. Henson fell in love with theatre at an early age and tried to enroll in a performing arts school but she was not accepted. She then graduated from Oxon Hill Maryland in 1988.

After graduation, Henson turned away from the arts and decided to study electrical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. However, she realized that theatre was her true calling when she failed in pre-calculation in grade one. She was then transferred to Howard University to study theatre.

To pay the tuition fees Henson had two jobs. During the day she worked as a secretary at the Pentagon and in the evening Taraji released her talents as a waitress and singer to entertain the guests of the Spirit of Washington ship.

Fortunately, Taraji’s skills as a dancer singer, and actress earned her the Tripple Threat Scholarship. In 1995 she obtained her bachelor’s degree in theatre. In 1997 her actress concerts began to appear on television and in the early 2000s, she began to turn heads with her performances first in Baby Boy (2001).

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Taraji has strengthened her presence with films such as Enough (2002) and Hair Show (2004) and the Oscar-winning independent film Hustle & Flow (2005). For her performance of Queenie the mother of the title character in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Taraji received her first Oscar nomination.

She then appeared in a few films by Tyler Perry; The Family That Preys (2008) and I Can Do Bad All By Myself followed. Other notable films include The Karate Kid (2010) Think Like A Man (2012) and Hidden Figures (2016). Hidden Figures is his biggest award-winning concert with 7 awards to her name.

Taraji was also very relevant to the small screens. Her most notable television appearances include The Division Boston Legal Person of Interest and of course Empire.

Net Worth

When Taraji P Henson moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actress she had only $700 in her bank balance. However, this was soon to change. With the release of Baby Boy Henson was $65000 richer and in 2002 she began receiving $22000 per episode for her role in The Division where she played a total of 14 episodes.

In 2002 Taraji had made enough money acting to buy a comfortable $431000 Spanish condo in Glendale Los Angeles. She rented the house for $3400 a month in 2015. Like all other successful actresses Taraji P Henson increases her income with sponsorship contracts. Her partners include MAC Cosmetics. She released her own line The #MACTaraji Collection in September 2016. All these initiatives have resulted in an estimated net worth of $16 million for Taraji P Henson.

Husband, Son

Taraji P. Henson has a son named Marcel Johnson whom she had with her high school sweetheart William Lamar Johnson on May 10, 1994. William was murdered in 2003 at the age of 34. Taraji in her best-selling autobiography The New York Times – Around the Way Girl: A Memoir published in 2016 reveals that she ended her relationship with the father of her child as a result of physical abuse.

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Taraji’s son Marcel made the headlines in October 2014 when he was arrested at a traffic stop in Glendale California where he was found in possession of hashish oil and marijuana. He also admitted to smoking marijuana two hours before going on the road.

Marcel seems to have moved on after the incident. He followed in his mother’s footsteps and made his acting debut in 2015 by playing a small part in the crime drama Misled. His other appearances include A Girl Like Her and Needlestick.

At the time of writing Taraji is engaged to Kelvin Hayden a former NFL cornerback. Their relationship began in 2015 but was kept secret until December 2017 when Taraji officially confirmed their romance.

In May 2018 Hayden officially popped the question that saw them get engaged. Hayden born on 23 July 1983 is 13 years younger than Taraji P Henson. He won the Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears.

Body Measurements

Henson does a lot of work in her body because her hourglass silhouette makes her age even more incredible. Her body measurements are as follows;

Breasts – 35 inches

Waist – 28 inches

Hips – 45 inches

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

Quick Facts About Taraji P. Henson