Taraji P. Henson is an actor.
Taraji Penda Henson ( [ tə ` rɑːdʒi ] ; born September 11 , 1970 ) is an American actress and author . She received praise for playing a prostitute in Hustle & Flow ( 2005 ) and a single mother in David Fincher 's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 2008 ) ; for the latter , she received Academy Award , SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress ; for the former , she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination . Henson went on to star in the ensemble film Think Like a Man ( 2012 ) and its 2014 sequel . Also that year , she received praise for her starring role as Katherine Johnson in the critically acclaimed drama film Hidden Figures , for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture . The Karate Kid (2010 film) . It stars Jaden Smith , Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson in lead roles , and it was produced by Jerry Weintraub , James Lassiter , Ken Stovitz and Jaden 's parents Will and Jada .