Ten Things You Didn't Know About Taraji P. Henson

A Howard University alum, a strong mother and more!

Taraji P. Henson - We know Taraji P. Henson as a strong, sexy and confident actress who has lit up the screen in films like Baby Boy and Think Like a Man. The actress takes on a new challenge as a former district attorney turned stay-at-home mom who’s caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with an escaped convict (Idris Elba — click here to tell us what you would do if Idris Elba showed up at your door!) in No Good Deed. To gear up for the movie’s September 12 release, here are 10 things we bet you and your friends didn’t know about Miss Henson.

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Taraji P. Henson - We know Taraji P. Henson as a strong, sexy and confident actress who has lit up the screen in films like Baby Boy and Think Like a Man. The actress takes on a new challenge as a former district attorney turned stay-at-home mom who’s caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with an escaped convict (Idris Elba — click here to tell us what you would do if Idris Elba showed up at your door!) in No Good Deed. To gear up for the movie’s September 12 release, here are 10 things we bet you and your friends didn’t know about Miss Henson.

Famous College Alum - Firstly, she’s not just about beauty. Henson is a graduate of Howard University with a degree in Theater Arts. She shares a degree from HU with actors like Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy, Chadwick Boseman and Wendy Raquel Robinson.(Photo: Taraji P Henson via Instagram)

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Famous College Alum - Firstly, she’s not just about beauty. Henson is a graduate of Howard University with a degree in Theater Arts. She shares a degree from HU with actors like Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy, Chadwick Boseman and Wendy Raquel Robinson.(Photo: Taraji P Henson via Instagram)

Loves Animals - We’ve seen her play a tough gal on the big screen, but Taraji has a soft spot for furry creatures. The animal lover is a PETA spokesperson (she even stripped down for one of their “I’d Rather Go Naked…” campaigns) and advocates for dogs everywhere. This gentle and caring side of her personality is evident in her role in No Good Deed, as a protective mother who will stop at nothing to keep her daughter from harm.(Photo:  PETA)

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Loves Animals - We’ve seen her play a tough gal on the big screen, but Taraji has a soft spot for furry creatures. The animal lover is a PETA spokesperson (she even stripped down for one of their “I’d Rather Go Naked…” campaigns) and advocates for dogs everywhere. This gentle and caring side of her personality is evident in her role in No Good Deed, as a protective mother who will stop at nothing to keep her daughter from harm.(Photo:  PETA)

Strong Mother - In real life, Taraji juggled being pregnant with a full course load at Howard University in her junior year. In No Good Deed, she channels that same strength balancing a high-level career as a district attorney with being a wife and mother-of-two, before she becomes a stay-at-home mom. Henson has raised her son Marcel while working hard to make her acting dreams come true, and — like her character in No Good Deed — is an inspiration to working moms everywhere.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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Strong Mother - In real life, Taraji juggled being pregnant with a full course load at Howard University in her junior year. In No Good Deed, she channels that same strength balancing a high-level career as a district attorney with being a wife and mother-of-two, before she becomes a stay-at-home mom. Henson has raised her son Marcel while working hard to make her acting dreams come true, and — like her character in No Good Deed — is an inspiration to working moms everywhere.(Photo: Screen Gems)

Singer - We know Henson has chops, but did you know she has pipes, too? The actress 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 also did all her own singing in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself, in which she played a nightclub singer. Henson does more screaming than singing in her latest film, No Good Deed, but at least her cries for help are in key! (Photo: MTV Films)

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Singer - We know Henson has chops, but did you know she has pipes, too? The actress 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 also did all her own singing in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself, in which she played a nightclub singer. Henson does more screaming than singing in her latest film, No Good Deed, but at least her cries for help are in key! (Photo: MTV Films)

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Working College Student - Henson is no stranger to hard work. Her determination was clear from her college days, when she held down two jobs — one on campus, and one as a secretary at the Pentagon — to put herself through Howard University and became one of the HBCU’s most distinguished alums. Like her character in No Good Deed, Henson’s work ethic has been instrumental to her survival on screen, and in Hollywood.(Photo: Sony Pictures, Screen Gems)

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Working College Student - Henson is no stranger to hard work. Her determination was clear from her college days, when she held down two jobs — one on campus, and one as a secretary at the Pentagon — to put herself through Howard University and became one of the HBCU’s most distinguished alums. Like her character in No Good Deed, Henson’s work ethic has been instrumental to her survival on screen, and in Hollywood.(Photo: Sony Pictures, Screen Gems)

The Heart Truth - Henson’s generous spirit doesn’t just extend to her family, colleagues and animal friends. The actress has logged many hours as a celebrity ambassador for The Heart Truth, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease. Henson even modeled a red dress in the charity’s 2011 Fashion Week runway show. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Heart Truth Red Dress)

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The Heart Truth - Henson’s generous spirit doesn’t just extend to her family, colleagues and animal friends. The actress has logged many hours as a celebrity ambassador for The Heart Truth, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease. Henson even modeled a red dress in the charity’s 2011 Fashion Week runway show. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Heart Truth Red Dress)

Daddy's Girl - Henson calls her father, Boris Henson, the motivation behind her career. The maintenance worker fell on hard times after her parents’ divorce and was homeless in Washington, D.C. before he pulled his life back together. Henson remembered his resilient spirit, and his encouragement of her passion for acting, when she was a struggling actress in Hollywood. In No Good Deed, as a former district attorney who opts to become a stay-at-home mom, Henson shows a similar level of sacrifice and commitment to her kids.(Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for PCA)

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Daddy's Girl - Henson calls her father, Boris Henson, the motivation behind her career. The maintenance worker fell on hard times after her parents’ divorce and was homeless in Washington, D.C. before he pulled his life back together. Henson remembered his resilient spirit, and his encouragement of her passion for acting, when she was a struggling actress in Hollywood. In No Good Deed, as a former district attorney who opts to become a stay-at-home mom, Henson shows a similar level of sacrifice and commitment to her kids.(Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for PCA)

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A Place Called Home - Taraji knows a thing or two about good deeds and paying them forward. Through A Place Called home, the charity for inner city kids to which she devotes a considerable amount of time and resources, she stresses to kids the need to have faith in themselves and that the greatest recipe for success is self-confidence. It was these ingredients that got her to where she is today in her career.(Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Fell in Love With Her High School Sweetheart - Henson’s first love was also the father of her son, Marcel. He tragically passed away in 1997 and the actress has remained a strong single mom ever since. While Henson never married, she has been in a number of relationships — and rumored relationships — with high-profile men since. But, like her character in No Good Deed, Henson’s first priority is and always will be her child.(Photo: Johns PKI/Splash News)

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Fell in Love With Her High School Sweetheart - Henson’s first love was also the father of her son, Marcel. He tragically passed away in 1997 and the actress has remained a strong single mom ever since. While Henson never married, she has been in a number of relationships — and rumored relationships — with high-profile men since. But, like her character in No Good Deed, Henson’s first priority is and always will be her child.(Photo: Johns PKI/Splash News)

Music Video Star - She’s an Oscar nominee and a household name thanks to her work in films and television, but Henson has also appeared in a music video. She starred in the high-concept clip for Common’s “Testify.” The premise for the video was a court case in which she was the criminal. Funny how the tables have turned: now she’s playing a former prosecutor and the victim of a criminal mastermind in No Good Deed.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Music Video Star - She’s an Oscar nominee and a household name thanks to her work in films and television, but Henson has also appeared in a music video. She starred in the high-concept clip for Common’s “Testify.” The premise for the video was a court case in which she was the criminal. Funny how the tables have turned: now she’s playing a former prosecutor and the victim of a criminal mastermind in No Good Deed.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)