Who is Terrence Howard? Inside the life of Iron Man star and his 'scary' approach to acting that he calls 'emotional prostitution'

Empire actor Terrence Howard declared during an interview on Joe Rogan's podcast that he remembers 'the whole nine' months of being in utero and even 'being compressed' and '[wanting] to panic' during his own birth.

Howard claimed he remembered being 'six months, maybe, inside the womb.'

'And I'm like, 'Okay, don't forget I'm here, don't forget, don't forget, don't forget,'' he told Joe Rogan.

He continued: 'You go to sleep. You wake up again. Now something's moving in front of you and you're like, 'Oh, that's my friend.'

Following his bold claims on Joe Rogan's podcast, MailOnline takes a look inside his personal life, which has seen him married four times, as well as his approach to acting, which he has described as 'emotional prostitution'. 

Empire actor Terrence Howard declared during an interview on Joe Rogan 's podcast that he remembers 'the whole nine' months of being in utero and even 'being compressed' and '[wanting] to panic' during his own birth.

Who is Terrence Howard?

Terence Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 11 1969, to parents of African and English ancestry. 

He was raised by his great-grandmother, the actress Minnie Gentry, after his father, Tyrone, was convicted of manslaughter after killing Jack Fitzpatrick. 

The incident occurred when Terrence was just two years old, having been taken by his father to a department store in Cleveland, Ohio, to meet Santa Claus - which led the occurrence to become known as the Santa Line Slaying. 

Howard’s father ended up serving 11 months in prison for manslaughter, at which point he was paroled for good behavior. 

Undeterred by his father's actions, Howard was intent on pursuing a career in acting, and landed his first role in the entertainment industry in 1992 when he portrayed Jackie Jackson in an ABC series entitled The Jacksons: An American Dream. 

What films has Terrence Howard been in?

Arguably his most famous film contribution came in 2008, when he played the part of Colonel James Rhodes in Iron Man

He would later claim that the success of the franchise was responsible for 'killing [his] career'

Three years after securing his first role, he earned another big break by appearing in his first film, Mr. Holland's Opus and Dead Presidents, which was released in 1995. 

Howard would go on to perform an Academy Award-winning track titled It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp in the 2005 film Hustle & Flow, that saw him portray a pimp and aspiring rapper. 

Arguably his most famous film contribution came in 2008, when he played the part of Colonel James Rhodes in Iron Man, although he would later claim that the success of the franchise was responsible for 'killing [his] career', according to Hollywood.com, via NBC. 

He would also go on to describe the acting industry as being akin to an 'emotional prostitute' in an interview with Daphne Wynn in March. 

Terence said: 'You put on whatever you need for the job, you're [using] an emotional trick and it's nothing more glorious than that'. 

Who is Terrence Howard's wife?

Terrence has an eventful love life, with four marriages to three different three women, and has five children. 

Howard married his first wife, Lori McCommas, in 1993. They divorced for the first time in 2001, but remarried in 2005.

Their second marriage would fare little better, as they filed for a second divorce just one year later, which was finalized in 2007. 

Howard married his second wife, Michelle Ghent, in 2010 - but would Ms Ghent ffiled for divorce in February 2011 and request a subsequent restraining order against Howard in December of the same year, accusing Howard of being physically abusive towards her. 

Although Howard and Ghent's divorce was finalized in May 2013, the agreement was overturned in 2015 after a judge ruled that Howard had signed it under duress of Ghent threatening to sell nude pictures of Howard. 

Howard wed his third wife, model and restaurateur Mira Pak, in late 2013. The pair have two sons, Qirin Love (born 2015) and Hero (born 2016). 

Howard would divorce once again by officially separating from Ms Pak in 2015, but the couple have been engaged to remarry as of December 2018.

What is Terrence Howard's net worth?

Terrence Howard attends Tyler Perry Studios grand opening gala at Tyler Perry Studios on October 5 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia

A familiar face across film and TV for the past three decades, Terrence Howard has been able to maintain success as an actor despite a fractured and rocky personal life. 

According to the latest figures from celebritynetworth.com at the time of writing, the veteran actor's net worth is said to be $4million. 

This figure could be boosted once earnings for his latest appearances are taken into account, including his portrayal of Arthur Hardwick Jr. in the biographical drama Shirley. 

The picture depicts the 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. 

After being elected to Congress, Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional district, centered in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, for seven terms from 1969 to 1983.