Taraji P. Henson is probably best known for her work on the small screen (Empire hi) - but honestly you can't create an iconic character like Cookie Lion andnot let this character live forever in people's heads. The actress has an impressive film resume under her belt, with a career on the big screen spanning over twenty years. Let's take a look at Taraji's best films of all time, starting with her breakthrough role in 2001'sBoy-boy" and ending with a funny movie "What Men Want" this year .
21. Baby
Release date: June 29, 2001
Cast: Tyrese Gibson, Omar Gooding, Taraji P. Henson, AJ Johnson, Snoop Dogg and Ving Rhames.
Consider Taraji's big break in film. Despite the fact that the actress has played several roles before,Baby Boy became her first major role as Yvette, Jody's love interest Tyrese Gibson.
20. Smokin' Aces
Release date: January 26, 2007
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Common, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven and Ryan Reynolds.
Taraji stood out in this all-star ensemble with her performance as hitman Sharice Watters.
19. Talk to me
Release date: July 13, 2007
Cast: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps.
This biopic tells the story of Ralph "Petey" Green, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and social activist in Washington, DC. Taraji once again brought more love interest to the role than most actors could, creating a character that Roger Ebert described him as "an unstoppable force and immovable object rolled into one".
18. A family that hunts
Release date: September 12, 2008
Cast: Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates, Sana Lathan, Rockmond Dunbar, Taraji P. Henson, Cole Houser, Robin Givens, Cady Strickland and Tyler Perry.
This film about friendship (and eventually secrets) between two families was Taraji's first film with Tyler Perry, with whom she subsequently collaborated frequently.
17. Hurricane season
Release date: February 9, 2009
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Taraji P. Henson, Isaiah Washington, Robbie Jones and Jackie Long.
This inspirational sports drama about the true story of the 2005-2006 Louisiana State Championship basketball team from John Ehret High School in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was released direct to video. However, Taraji was brilliant as Dinah Collins, the wife of Al Collins, the coach who brought the team together.
16. I can do bad things on my own.
Release date: September 11, 2009
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, Marvin Winans and Tyler Perry.
Taraji plays an alcoholic nightclub singer who turns out to be the guardian of her three nieces and nephews and brings about drastic changes in her life. You don't like it when you read a plot summary? Now imagine what warm fluffs appear when you really watch him.
15. Date
Release date: April 9, 2010
Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, Common, Bill Burr and Gal Gadot.
This comedy is about how a boring married couple (played by Tina Fey and Steve Carell) gets mistaken for a couple of criminals and the jokes that follow, but Taraji has an unforgettable twist as a police detective that they encounter during the entire ordeal.
14. Karate Kid
Release date: June 11, 2010
Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson.
Remember when they remade"Karate Kid" starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan? The only high-profile actor in the film was Taraji, who plays Jayden's mom. It's the family Taraji - you know, just in case you're babysitting and still in need of a refurbishment.
13. Larry Crown
Release date: July 1, 2011
Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Gugu Mbatha-Row, Wilmer Valderrama and Pam Grier.
Tom Hanks plays a middle-aged man who quits, goes through a crisis, returns to college and finds his tribe. The film gave Taraji a chance to show his goofy side to Larry's culinary neighbor, B'Ella.
12. Think like a human
Release date: April 20, 2012
Cast: Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meaghan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Terrence J., Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, and Gabrielle Union.
It's a classic romantic comedy about people of the opposite sex cheating on each other for love, with an ensemble cast that of course includes the always flawless Taraji.
11. Good Doctor
Release date: August 31, 2012
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow and Michael Peña.
No, not on TV. ThisGood Doctor plays Orlando Bloom as a doctor who falls in love/becomes terribly obsessed with a young patient. Taraji plays a nurse, not a teen victim of persecution.
10. From rough
Release date: April 25, 2014
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Tom Felton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Henry Simmons, LeToya Luckett, Justin Chon and Ben Yousef.
Taraji stars in this biopic of Katana Starks, who became the first woman to coach the men's college golf team and lead them to an all-time record in the PGA National Collegiate Minority Championship.
9 Hustle & Flow
Release date: July 22, 2005
Cast: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson and DJ Qualls.
As she often does, Taraji took on the role of love interest and made something more out of her. VHustle & Flow she plays Shug, a prostitute with a heart of gold who works and is involved with Terrence Howard's DJay.
8. Think like a man
Release date: June 20, 2014
Cast: Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Terrence J., Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, Gabrielle Union, Jerry Ferrara, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Gary Owen and Kevin Hart.
Couples fromThink Like a Man reunite in Vegas for new jokes that may or may not stay in Vegas.
7. No good deed
Release date: September 12, 2014
Cast: Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson
If you like thrillers, put this one in your queue NOW. Idris. Taraji. The plot is "frightening because it feels like it could happen." Yes, yes and yes.
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Release date: December 25, 2008
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Tilda Swinton.
Taraji's career took off in 2008 when she, along with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, starred inThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Queenie, the adoptive mother of Benjamin Button. For this role, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
5. Proud Mary
Release date: January 12, 2018
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Billy Brown, Danny Glover, Neal McDonough, Xander Berkeley and Margaret Avery.
Taraji is like a tough, skilled assassin. Enough said.
4. Aggressiveness
Release date: March 30, 2018
Cast: Taraji P. Henson and Lyric Bent
Taraji teamed up again with Tyler Perry for this film, in which she plays the perfect textbook wife who loses her when she finds out her husband is unfaithful.
3. Ralph breaks the Internet
Release date: November 21, 2018
Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina and Ed O'Neill.
Taraji joins the sequelWreck It Ralph as a character named Yass, which is quite appropriate as it was our reaction to her appearance in the film.
2. What men want
Release date: February 8, 2019
Cast: Taraji P.Henson, Aldis Hodge, Richard Roundtree, Wendy McLendon-Covey and Tracey Morgan.
This feminist sex change in the 2001 rom-com "What women want put Taraji in a pretty comfortable role for her - a mega-powerful businesswoman who suppresses her at work and attracts attention wherever she goes. Oh, and who ends up gaining the ability to read men's minds, which Taraji may or may not be able to do in real life.
1. Hidden figures
Release date: December 25, 2016
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons.
We all know this, right? Taraji plays mathematician Katherine Goble, one of the unsung behind-the-scenes STEM heroes responsible for keeping NASA running.
