Darrin DeWitt Henson

Darrin DeWitt Henson is an American choreographer, dancer, actor, and producer born on May 5, 1972, in the Bronx, New York. He attended Prep for Prep, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing New York City's top minority students for educational and professional success.

Henson began his entertainment career as a performer, briefly joining the 1980s freestyle music group Trilogy and appearing on their single "Good Time." He went on to build an extensive career as a choreographer, working with artists including New Kids on the Block, Jordan Knight, Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Hi-Five, 98 Degrees, NSYNC, and the Spice Girls. His choreography for NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" earned him the 2000 MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography. He also produced an instructional dance video, Darrin's Dance Grooves, which was widely marketed in 2001 and 2002.

Henson made his Broadway debut in 1990, appearing in Ron Link's Stand-Up Tragedy. He subsequently performed off-Broadway in David E. Talbert's play Fabric of a Man. His television performance work began with an appearance as a dancer in the 1999 made-for-television film Double Platinum, starring Diana Ross and Brandy.

In 2000, Henson was cast as Lem Van Adams in the Showtime drama series Soul Food, which ran until 2004 and was at the time the longest-running drama with a predominantly African American cast in television history. His portrayal of the struggling young husband and father earned him two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, in 2004 and 2005.

Following Soul Food, Henson transitioned into film. He starred alongside Vivica A. Fox in the 2005 comedy-drama The Salon and appeared opposite Queen Latifah in Life Support, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. That same year he starred in the dance drama Stomp the Yard, which grossed $75 million worldwide. In 2008 he portrayed football player Jim Brown in the sports film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, and in 2009 he appeared in the science fiction film Tekken. Additional film credits from this period include Blood Done Sign My Name (2010), The Inheritance (2011), and The Last Fall (2012).

In 2011, Henson starred in the Gospel Music Channel's presentation of John Ruffin's stage play The Ideal Husband, alongside Jackée Harry, Ginuwine, Clifton Powell, Shirley Murdock, Shanti Lowry, and Erica Hubbard. He also guest-starred in the television series Single Ladies and Being Mary Jane during this period.

Henson took the lead role in the 2014 romantic comedy film Black Coffee and starred in the 2015 comedy-drama Chocolate City, later reprising that role in Chocolate City: Vegas Strip (2017) and Chocolate City 3: Live Tour (2021). His 2019 appearance in the South African romantic comedy Zulu Wedding brought him a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 16th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Beginning in 2018, Henson has starred as Orlando Duncan in the BET crime drama series The Family Business. In 2022, he was interviewed by director Maria Soccor for the documentary Freestyle Music: The Legacy.