Lenny Henry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Lenny Henry CBE
Henry signing books in 2023
Born	Lenworth George Henry (1958-08-29) 29 August 1958 (age 66) Dudley, Worcestershire, England
Education	W. R. Tuson College Open University (BA) Royal Holloway, University of London (MA, PhD)
Occupation	Comedian actor presenter writer
Years active	1975–present
Known for	The Lenny Henry Show Chef! Comic Relief
Spouse(s)	Dawn French ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 2010)​
Partner(s)	Lisa Makin (since 2010)
Children	1

Sir Lenny Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a famous English comedian, actor, and writer. He became well-known in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was great at stand-up comedy and doing impressions of other people. His own TV show, The Lenny Henry Show, started in 1984. He was one of the most important Black British comedians of his time. His jokes often celebrated and made fun of his family's Jamaican background.

In 1985, he helped start the charity Comic Relief with writer Richard Curtis. This charity raises money to help people in need. Lenny Henry has been in many TV shows. These include the children's show Tiswas, the comedy Chef!, and The Magicians. Later in his career, he started taking on more serious acting roles. You might have seen him in the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Lenny Henry was also the leader, called Chancellor, of Birmingham City University. In February 2024, he said he would leave this job after eight years.

Early Life and Education

Lenworth George Henry was born in Dudley, England, on August 29, 1958. His parents, Winston and Winifred Henry, moved to Britain from Jamaica. Lenny was the fifth of seven children. He was the first in his family to be born in the United Kingdom.

When he was ten, he spent time with Albert Augustus "Bertie" Green. Bertie was his biological father, also from Jamaica. Lenny was named after the doctor who helped deliver him. He went to St John's Primary School and The Blue Coat School in Dudley. He finished his schooling at W.R. Tuson College in Preston, Lancashire.

Comedy and Acting Career

Starting in Comedy

Lenny Henry started his comedy career in working men's clubs. He would impersonate famous people and characters. His first TV appearance was on a talent show called New Faces in 1975. He was only 16 years old and won the show.

From 1976, Henry appeared in The Fosters. This was Britain's first comedy show with mostly Black actors. He also appeared on other TV shows like Celebrity Squares.

Becoming Famous in the 1980s

Henry in the 1980s

In 1980, Lenny Henry co-hosted the children's TV show Tiswas. He played funny characters like Algernon Razzmatazz. He also wrote and performed for the show Three of a Kind.

Around this time, he joined a comedy group called The Comic Strip. There, he met his future wife, comedian Dawn French. She encouraged him to try a new style of comedy called alternative comedy. He became very popular as a stand-up comedian.

He created characters that showed and joked about African Caribbean British culture. One famous character was DJ Delbert Wilkins, a pirate radio DJ from Brixton. Lenny Henry also worked as a DJ on BBC Radio 1. He played soul and electro music. He often introduced his characters on the radio before they appeared on TV.

His first series of The Lenny Henry Show started on the BBC in 1984. The show had stand-up comedy, funny spoofs, and his popular characters. These included Theophilus P. Wildebeeste and Delbert Wilkins. The show ran for many years in different forms. He did impressions of many famous American stars. These included Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder.

In 1985, Henry helped create the charity Comic Relief. In 1988, the first ever Red Nose Day was held. Many celebrities, including Henry, took part in a long BBC show. It was watched by 30 million people and raised over £15 million.

In 1987, he was in a TV film called Coast to Coast. It was a comedy thriller about two DJs.

Success in the 1990s

In the early 1990s, Henry starred in the Hollywood film True Identity. In the film, his character pretended to be a white person using makeup. He also starred in the BBC drama Alive and Kicking in 1991.

In 1991, he was in the Christmas comedy Bernard and the Genie. He is also well-known for playing the angry chef Gareth Blackstock. This was in the 1990s TV comedy series Chef!. In 1999, he had a serious acting role in the BBC drama Hope And Glory. He also helped create the BBC drama Neverwhere in 1996.

Henry sang backing vocals on Kate Bush's album The Red Shoes (1993). He also performed at a charity concert for Amnesty International. He returned to the BBC with Lenny Henry in Pieces. This was a comedy sketch show with different characters.

2000s and Beyond

Henry on Red Nose Day 2005

In 2003, Lenny Henry was named one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. He was the voice of the British speaking clock for two weeks in 2003. This was to help raise money for Comic Relief.

Henry voiced Dre Head, the "shrunken head" in the 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. He also read the audiobook for Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. He was the voice of Sporty on the children's show Little Robots.

In 2007, Lenny Henry appeared with Chris Tarrant and Sally James. They presented a special 25th Anniversary episode of Tiswas. In late 2007, he went on a stand-up comedy tour across the UK.

In 2008, his series lennyhenry.tv was shown on BBC One. He also starred in the Radio 4 show Rudy's Rare Records. In 2009, he appeared on the BBC's comedy show Live at The Apollo. He also voiced Big and Small in the BBC CBeebies children's programme Big & Small.

Recent Work

Henry (right) and Lucian Msamati in the Royal National Theatre production of The Comedy of Errors, in 2011

In 2010, Henry became the face of the hotel company Premier Inn. He made many adverts for them. In 2011, he presented a magic series called The Magicians on BBC One.

In March 2011, he appeared in a BBC documentary for Comic Relief. It was called Famous, Rich and in the Slums. He and other celebrities went to Kibera in Kenya, a very large slum.

In 2014, Henry starred in and produced a play based on his radio show Rudy's Rare Records. In 2015, he wrote and appeared in Danny and the Human Zoo. This TV film was a fictional story based on his own teenage life in the 1970s.

In 2017, Henry had a role in the third series of Broadchurch. In 2019, he was a guest star in Doctor Who in the episode "Spyfall". He played a rich technology boss named Daniel Barton.

In December 2020, Henry was announced as a cast member for Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It started in September 2022. In 2021, Henry was a contestant on The Masked Singer as "Blob".

In 2022, Henry was cast in The Sandman. He voiced Martin Tenbones, a magical dog-like creature. Henry also wrote Three Little Birds, a six-part drama series. It was inspired by his mother's experience with the Windrush scandal. It was shown in 2023. In 2024, Henry voiced Mr. Convenience in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

Shakespearean Roles

Lenny Henry learned about Shakespeare in 2006 for a Radio 4 series. In February 2009, he played the main role in Othello at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Many critics praised his performance. Charles Spencer called it "one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen."

Henry felt a connection to Othello. He said he was "used to being the only black person wherever I go." He noted that there were few Black or Asian directors at the BBC.

In November 2011, Henry performed at the Royal National Theatre in London. He was in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. He played Antipholus of Syracuse. His performance received good reviews.

Other Creative Work

Music Projects

In 2015, Sky Arts asked Henry to create a show called Lenny Henry's Got The Blues. He worked with musicians to make the album New Millennium Blues. This album has both classic blues songs and new songs he helped write.

Writing Books

Henry has written four books. Two are about his own life, and two are young adult fantasy books.

His memoir Who Am I, Again? (2019) tells about his early life. It starts with his parents arriving in Dudley and ends when he began to find success. Rising to the Surface continues his life story. It covers his rise to fame, including his time on Tiswas and The Lenny Henry Show.

Henry wrote his two young adult fantasy books because he felt there weren't enough non-white characters in fantasy stories. The Boy With Wings is about a boy who grows wings and learns to fly. He and his friends must save the world. The Book of Legends features two Black siblings, Bran and Fran. They go on an adventure to another world when their mother disappears.

Personal Life and Advocacy

Lenny Henry met Dawn French through comedy. They married in 1984 and adopted a daughter named Billie. They separated in 2010 after 25 years of marriage. Since 2010, Henry has been in a relationship with Lisa Makin.

Henry earned a degree in English Literature from the Open University in 2007. He then got a Master's degree in Screenwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2010. He later earned a PhD from the same university in 2018. His PhD research was about the role of black people in the media.

Henry has often spoken out about the lack of different ethnic groups on British television. In 2014, he called this lack "appalling." He continues to talk about this issue publicly.

In March 2021, Henry wrote an open letter. He asked everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccination. He told people to "trust the facts" and not believe wrong information. He wanted to protect his community.

Henry is a big fan of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

Awards and Recognition

Henry was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Comedy Awards in 2003. He was knighted by the Queen in 2015 for his work in drama and charity. This means he is now called "Sir Lenny Henry."

In July 2016, Henry became the Chancellor of Birmingham City University. He wanted to help young people get life-changing opportunities. He was also listed in the Powerlist as one of the 100 most influential Black Britons.

In 2016, Henry became a fellow of the Royal Television Society. He also won the Alan Clarke Award at the BAFTA TV Awards. In 2022, Henry won the Special Recognition award at the 27th National Television Awards.

Narration Work

• White Teeth by Zadie Smith (audiobook) 2000
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (audiobook) 2005
• My Name Is Leon by Kit de Waal (audiobook) 2016
• Who Am I, Again? by Lenny Henry (audiobook) 2019

Film and Television Roles

Film Appearances

Lenny Henry' film credits

Year	Title	Role(s)	Notes
1987	Coast to Coast	Ritchie Lee
1988	The ... Club	Cam
1989	Work Experience	Terence Welles
1991	True Identity	Miles Pope
1996	Famous Fred	Fred (voice)
2004	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Shrunken Head (voice)
2008	Penelope	Krull (voice)
2012	The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists	Peg-Leg Hastings (voice)
2014	Postman Pat: The Movie	Mr Bernard: Tow Truck Manager (voice)
2020	Zog and the Flying Doctors	Narrator
2024	Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl	Mr Convenience (voice)
2025	Grand Prix of Europe	Erwin (voice)	Under production
TBA	The Magic Faraway Tree	TBA	Filming

Television Roles

Stage Performances