CBS

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," in which she starred opposite Brad Pitt. She is a 2011 Emmy Award nominee for Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series in "Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story."

This summer, she co-starred with star and director Tom Hanks in "Larry Crowne" alongside Julia Roberts and Cedric the Entertainer. She starred in the successful "Karate Kid," opposite Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and in "Date Night," with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. For her performance in Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," Henson received the 2009 Diversity Award for Best Actress. She will also be seen in the upcoming "Peep World," starring as Rainn Wilson's love interest; "The Good Doctor," with Orlando Bloom; and "Once Fallen," co-starring Ed Harris. Henson recently completed production on the bio-pic, "From the Rough," in which she stars as the first female head coach of an NCAA Division I men's golf team.

Henson received rave reviews for her role in "Talk to Me," opposite Don Cheadle, and co-starred in the ensemble action drama "Smokin' Aces" with Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys. She was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Feature Film by the Black Movie Awards and received the BET Best Actress nod for her performance as Shug in the drama, "Hustle & Flow," also starring Terrence Howard. She starred in "Not Easily Broken" opposite Morris Chestnut, "Hurricane Season" opposite Forest Whitaker, and Tyler Perry's "The Family That Preys" with Kathy Bates.

Henson made her singing debut in "Hustle & Flow" and performed the Academy Award-winning song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," on the Oscar telecast. She reunited for the third time with John Singleton to film "Four Brothers" with Mark Wahlberg and Andre 3000. Henson co-starred with Simon Baker and Sanaa Lathan in "Something New." She is well remembered for her role in "Baby Boy" as Yvette, opposite Tyrese.

Henson was a series regular on David E. Kelly's "Boston Legal" and recurred on "Eli Stone." She was featured in Jamie Foxx's music video, "Just Like Me," and also appeared in Estelle's video, "Pretty Please."

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., the Howard University graduate resides in Los Angeles with her son. Henson has a strong dedication to helping disabled and less fortunate children and reveals, "I always stress to kids to have faith in themselves — the greatest recipe for success is self-confidence." Taraji is the newest spokesperson for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, which launched February 2011. Her birth date is Sept. 11. She can be followed on Twitter @TherealTaraji.