S.V. Henson, Jr.

Stanley V Henson Jr was born in Baltimore Maryland and lived the first year of his life in the Annapolis Maryland home of Abraham and Elizabeth CarrSmith owners of Carrs Beach with his parents who rented a room in the home Carrs Beach was the east coast mecca for black entertainers in the 50s and 60s Among the entertainers who performed at Carrs Beach were jazz legends such as Billie Holiday Duke Ellington Count Basie Ella Fitzgerald Dinah Washington and Lionel Hampton as well as soul artists Ray Charles James Brown Otis Redding and Jackie Wilson Rock n Roll pioneers Fats Domino and Buddy Holly also performed at Carrs Beach On July 21 1956 an estimated 70000 people traveled to Carrs Beach to hear Chuck Berry perform although only 8000 made it past the gates because the grounds were filled beyond capacity By the early 1960s the list of popular entertainers included Little Richard Lloyd Price Etta James Sam Cooke The Temptations Aretha Franklin The Shirelles The Coasters and The Drifters Hensons intrigue for film and television production was ignited his discovery of the works of Oscar Micheaux Gordon Parks Spike Lee and Berry Gordy as a film producer struck a chord A new friend named Sean Collinson would again remind Henson of the genius of Clarence Avant as a businessman and an offer to introduce him again A conversation with the late Pablo Davis former manager of LA and Babyface the late music legend Duffy Hooks and actorfootball legend Joe Theismann also encouraged him to pursue a film career His friend actor and neighbor Maurice Sneed The Color Purple and Malcolm X actress Lettie Battle and TV producer Al Douche taught him the craft of film production and Stanislavsky Method Acting This period marked a crossroads where Hensons creative journey intersected with remarkable individuals setting the stage for his continued exploration into the world of entertainment and film production Henson has worked on films with Cicely Tyson Morgan Freeman James Earl Jones Yaphett Koto Ron ONeal and Martin Sheen to name a few Henson earned an advanced certificate from Yale a Doctorate Masters and Bachelors from Trinity University and an Associates Degree from Los Angeles Valley College and has written endorsements from Congresswoman Maxine Waters RCA and Warner Bros executive Lygia Guy the late Sid Bernstein the late Stanley Sheinbaum The late Dick Gregory and the late William Haley the son of Alex Haley