Stage Henderson is known mostly for his stage work. He won the 2015
Obie Award for Best Actor for his starring role of Walter "Pops" Washington in the Atlantic Theatre Company and Second Stage productions of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play
Between Riverside and Crazy. He portrayed Jim Bono in the 2010 Broadway revival of
August Wilson's
Fences, starring
Denzel Washington, for which Henderson received a nomination for a
Tony Award as a supporting actor, as well as the Richard Seff Award from Actor's Equity. He reprised the role in Washington's 2016
film adaptation. On Broadway, he performed in
Drowning Crow, the revival of ''
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and the premiere of King Hedley II''. Henderson is recognized as a veteran performer of August Wilson's oeuvre. His signature August Wilson role is the gossipy Turnbo in
Jitney, for which he won a
Drama Desk Award as part of the ensemble. He had created the role in the 1996 premiere at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, then honed it in other regional theaters before its arrival
Off-Broadway in 2000. Though it did not transfer to Broadway, he and the core of the cast took
Jitney to
London, where it won the 2002
Olivier Award for best new play. In addition, he appeared in
A Raisin in the Sun and directed
Zooman and the Sign. In 2005 Henderson appeared as
Pontius Pilate in the production of
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot directed by
Philip Seymour Hoffman at the Public Theater. He appeared as
Van Helsing in the Broadway production of
Dracula, the Musical. In 2023, he was presented with a
Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Lucille Lortel Awards ceremony.
Screen Henderson's films include his role as Cooper's husband in the TV movie
Marie (1985), Bobo in
A Raisin in the Sun (1989), Arthur in
Everyday People (2004), Lester in the film
Tower Heist (2011), and White House servant
William Slade in
Steven Spielberg's film
Lincoln (2012), along with roles in the films
Keane (2004) and
If You Could Say It in Words (2008). In 2016, Henderson appeared in
Kenneth Lonergan's film
Manchester by the Sea, starring
Casey Affleck and
Michelle Williams, playing the boss of Affleck's character. The following year, he played the role of Father Leviatch in
Greta Gerwig's 2017 film
Lady Bird, and in 2021 he appeared in
Dune. In addition to his films, Henderson was a series regular on the FOX series
New Amsterdam, which premiered in early 2008. His other television work includes
Law & Order,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
The Newsroom,
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, ''
Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Third Watch, Blue Bloods, and Devs''. == Personal life ==