Taraji P. Henson by Carter Smith for Allure July 2015

Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy (2001), Shug in Hustle & Flow (2005) and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). From 2011 to 2013, she co-starred as Detective Jocelyn Carter in the CBS drama Person of Interest, and as of 2015, she stars as Cookie Lyon on the FOX drama series Empire.