Movies

Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor, rapper, singer, and producer. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films Dead Presidents and Mr. Holland's Opus, Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles between 2004 and 2006. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Hustle & Flow.

Howard has had prominent roles in many other movies, including Winnie Mandela, Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Big Momma's House, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Idlewild, Biker Boyz, August Rush, The Brave One, and Prisoners. Howard played James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the first Iron Man film. He starred as the lead character Lucious Lyon in the television series Empire. His debut album, Shine Through It, was released in September 2008.

In September 2019, Howard announced that he had retired from acting, as he was "tired of pretending". However, in February 2021, it was announced that Howard would star in the British sci-fi/thriller film Beneath.

In December 2022, he again announced that he was retiring from acting.

Early life
Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 11, 1969, to Tyrone and Anita (née Williams) Howard, both of whom were biracial, with African and English ancestry. His great-grandmother was actress Minnie Gentry. Howard was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he had a rocky childhood. He endured beatings from his physically abusive father, and saw his father stabbing another man in the Santa Line Slaying when Terrence was two years old. His father was convicted of manslaughter and served 11 months in jail. Howard's parents divorced upon his father's release. He was raised by his great-grandmother. She died at the age of 77 on May 11, 1993.