Lenny Henry

Lenworth George Henry was born at Burton Road Hospital{{Cite episode |title=Series 4, Episode 5 |series=Live at the Apollo |network=BBC One |date=9 January 2009}} in Dudley, on 29 August 1958, and named after the doctor who delivered him{{Cite web |title=Grounded with Louis Theroux |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/Y0Vm65Kfjqh9XCPTSjkQNN/nine-things-we-learned-when-sir-lenny-henry-spoke-to-louis-theroux |access-date=18 March 2021 |website=BBC Radio 4}} to Winston Jervis Henry (1910–1978) and Winifred Louise Henry (1922–1998), who had immigrated to Britain from Jamaica. The fifth of seven children, Henry was the first child of the family to be born in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |last=Duguid |first=Mark |title=Henry, Lenny (1958– ) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/468336/ |access-date=7 February 2014 |website=Screenonline |publisher=British Film Institute}} When Henry was 10 years old, he began spending time with the man who was later revealed to be his biological father, Albert Augustus "Bertie" Green (1927–2004), another Jamaican immigrant with whom his mother had a brief relationship when she first arrived in England from their native Jamaica.{{Cite news |last=Lanre Bakare |date=21 October 2019 |title=Lenny Henry: 'I wish somebody had taught me how to defend myself' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/oct/21/lenny-henry-wish-somebody-taught-me-to-defend-myself |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}

Henry attended St John's Primary School and later The Blue Coat School in Dudley, before completing his schooling at W.R. Tuson College in Preston, Lancashire.{{Cite news |last=Owen Gibson |date=11 February 2008 |title=Where are all the black new faces? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/feb/11/television.race |access-date=9 January 2009 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}{{Cite web |date=27 January 2008 |title=Lenny Henry's Preston memories |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/archive/2007/1/25/964236.html/ |access-date=11 October 2008 |website=This is Lancashire |publisher=Newsquest Media Group |quote=Henry left school without any qualifications but decided to retake his "O" levels at Preston College – then called W.R. Tuson College – while appearing in a summer season in Blackpool with Cannon and Ball in the early 1980s. [...] "I thought 'I'm going to do my O levels', which is a bizarre thing for a rock 'n' roll 21-year-old comedian to do".}}

Henry's formative years in comedy were spent in working men's clubs, where he impersonated mainly white characters, such as the Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em character Frank Spencer. His earliest television appearance was on the New Faces talent show in 1975, aged 16, which he won with impersonations of Frank Spencer, Stevie Wonder and others.{{Cite web|date=21 October 2019|title=Lenny Henry: 'I wish somebody had taught me how to defend myself' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/oct/21/lenny-henry-wish-somebody-taught-me-to-defend-myself|access-date=8 December 2020|website=The Guardian |language=en}}

His first manager was Robert Luff, who signed him in 1975 and gave him the opportunity, between the ages of 16 and 21, to perform as a comedian as part of the Luff-produced touring stage version of The Black and White Minstrel Show.{{Cite news|date=23 February 2009|title=Robert Luff (obituary) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4788794/Robert-Luff.html|url-access=subscription|url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4788794/Robert-Luff.html|archive-date=12 January 2022|access-date=1 March 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London, England}}{{cbignore}} In July 2009, Lenny Henry stated he was contractually obliged to perform and regretted his part in the show,[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8156190.stm Five Minutes With:Lenny Henry]. BBC News, 18 July 2009. telling The Times in 2015 that his appearance on the show led to a profound "wormhole of depression", and he regretted his family not intervening.{{Cite news|last=Midgley|first=Carol |date=6 June 2015|title=Lenny Henry on racism and regret|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/lenny-henry-on-racism-and-regret-673j707tckk|url-access=subscription|access-date=24 September 2018|work=The Times}}

In 1976, Henry appeared with Norman Beaton in LWT's sitcom The Fosters, Britain's first comedy series featuring a predominantly black cast. Henry also made guest appearances on television programmes including Celebrity Squares, Seaside Special and The Ronnie Corbett Show.

File:Lenny Henry 1980s.jpg

In 1980, Henry performed in Summer Season in Blackpool with Cannon and Ball.{{Cite web |title=Comedy Kings – an unofficial Cannon and Ball website |url=http://www.comedykings.co.uk/index.php/summer-season/1980-blackpool |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310031220/http://www.comedykings.co.uk/index.php/summer-season/1980-blackpool |archive-date=10 March 2011 |access-date=4 March 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Henry, Lenny |title=About Me: The Story So Far |url=http://www.lennyhenry.com/about/story.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713200520/http://www.lennyhenry.com/about/story.aspx |archive-date=13 July 2011 |access-date=4 March 2011}} He has since said that "the summer season was the first time [he] felt that [his] act had received a proper response from an audience". Around the same time, he co-hosted the children's programme Tiswas from 1978 until 1981 playing such characters as Rastafarian Algernon Razzmatazz, David Bellamy and Trevor McDoughnut (a parody of Trevor McDonald), and subsequently performed in and wrote for the show Three of a Kind.

Also in 1980, he teamed up with alternative-comedy collective The Comic Strip. While involved with the group, he met his wife, comedian Dawn French.{{Cite web |title=BBC Comedy Profiles: Lenny Henry |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/profiles/lenny_henry.shtml |access-date=4 March 2011}} She encouraged him to move over to the fledgling alternative comedy scene, where he established a career as a stand-up comedy performer and character comedian.

He introduced characters who both mocked and celebrated African Caribbean British culture, such as Brixton pirate radio disc jockey DJ Delbert Wilkins. His stand-up material, which sold well on LP, owed much to the writing abilities of Kim Fuller. During this time, he also spent three years as a DJ on BBC Radio 1, playing soul and electro tracks and introducing some of the characters that he would later popularise on television. He made a guest appearance in the final episode of The Young Ones as The Postman, in 1984.{{Cite web |title=Summer Holiday (1984) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78e6cf5f |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613054049/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78e6cf5f |archive-date=13 June 2018 |access-date=27 May 2020 |website=British Film Institute}}{{Citation |last=oGeMmAo |title=The Young Ones – Summer Holiday – Part 3 |date=11 April 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0OD6RCb1II#t=5m10s |access-date=23 July 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/K0OD6RCb1II |archive-date=2 November 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}

The first series of The Lenny Henry Show appeared on the BBC in 1984. The show featured stand up, spoofs like his send-up of Michael Jackson's Thriller video, and many of the characters he had developed during Summer Season, including Theophilus P. Wildebeeste (based on Teddy Pendergrass) and Delbert Wilkins. A principal scriptwriter for his television and stage shows during the 1990s was Jon Canter.{{Cite web |title=Jon Canter |url=http://www.pbjmgt.co.uk/clients/jon-canter |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315231002/http://www.pbjmgt.co.uk/clients/jon-canter/ |archive-date=15 March 2007 |website=Pbjmgt.co.uk}}{{Cite web |title=BBC Guide to Comedy: Jon Canter |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/c/canter_jon.shtml |website=BBC.co.uk}} The Lenny Henry Show ran periodically for a further 19 years in various incarnations. Across the incarnations, he performed impressions of several iconic American celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Prince, Michael Jackson (the two men shared a date of birth), Stevie Wonder, Run-DMC, Cee Lo Green, Denzel Washington, Idris Elba and Wesley Snipes.

It was in 1985 that Henry co-founded the British Comic Relief charity organisation, and 1988 when the first-ever Red Nose Day was celebrated. Over 150 celebrities and comedians, including Henry, took part in an evening-long BBC broadcast, which was watched by 30 million viewers and raised over £15 million.{{Cite web |title=Our history {{!}} Comic Relief |url=https://www.comicrelief.com/about-comic-relief/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813191407/https://www.comicrelief.com/about-comic-relief/history |archive-date=13 August 2017 |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=ComicRelief.com |language=en}}

Prior to the 1987 general election, Henry lent his support to Red Wedge by participating in a comedy tour organised by the campaign.{{Cite web |title=Where will the next generation get its political anthems from? |url=http://www.labourlist.org/my-generation-red-wedge-paul-richards-weller-bragg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716081859/http://www.labourlist.org/my-generation-red-wedge-paul-richards-weller-bragg |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=28 December 2015 |publisher=LabourList}}

In 1987, he appeared in a TV film, Coast to Coast. It was a comedy thriller with John Shea about two DJs with a shared passion for Motown music being chased across Britain. The film has a strong following, but contractual problems{{Cite web |title=Coast To Coast details |url=http://www.guerilla-films.com/coast_to_coast.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127045742/http://www.guerilla-films.com/coast_to_coast.htm |archive-date=27 January 2013 |access-date=11 March 2013 |publisher=guerilla films}} have prevented it from being distributed on video or DVD.

In the early 1990s, Henry starred in the Hollywood film True Identity, in which his character pretended to be a white person (using make-up, prostheses, and a wig) to avoid the mob. The film was not commercially successful. In 1991, he starred in a BBC drama alongside Robbie Coltrane called Alive and Kicking, in which he played a heroin addict, which was based on a true story.

Also in 1991, he starred in the Christmas comedy Bernard and the Genie alongside Alan Cumming and Rowan Atkinson. Moreover, Henry is known as the choleric chef Gareth Blackstock from the 1990s television comedy series Chef!, and from his 1999 straight-acting lead role in the BBC drama Hope and Glory. He was co-creator with Neil Gaiman and producer of the 1996 BBC drama serial Neverwhere.{{Cite web |date=9 October 2013 |title=Neil Gaiman's Urban Fantasy "Neverwhere", Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric, Nov 6–10 |url=http://www.cornish.edu/news/release/neil_gaimans_urban_fantasy_neverwhere_adapted_by_robert_kauzlaric_nov_6-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108233819/http://www.cornish.edu/news/release/neil_gaimans_urban_fantasy_neverwhere_adapted_by_robert_kauzlaric_nov_6-10 |archive-date=8 November 2014 |access-date=8 November 2014 |publisher=Cornish College of the Arts}}

Henry appeared as a backing singer on Kate Bush's album The Red Shoes (1993) for the song "Why Should I Love You?" on which Prince played guitar.{{Cite web |date=24 April 2016 |title=Lenny Henry on Prince: 'I almost passed out. This was my hero talking to me' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/24/the-time-i-sang-with-prince-and-kate-bush-by-lenny-henry |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} He also performed, backed by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, at Amnesty International's Big 3-0 fund raising concert.{{Cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Barry |title=Pink Floyd - The Visual Documentary |last2=Mabbett |first2=Andy |publisher=Omnibus |year=1994 |isbn=0-7119-4109-2}} Henry returned to the BBC to do Lenny Henry in Pieces, a character-based comedy sketch show which was followed by The Lenny Henry Show, in which he combined stand-up, character sketches and song parodies.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

In 1994, The Daily Mail reported that Henry was set to star in a biographical film of Billy Strachan's life titled A Wing and a Prayer, however the script was never turned into a movie.{{Cite book |last=Horsley |first=David |title=Billy Strachan 1921-1988 RAF Officer, Communist, Civil Rights Pioneer, Legal Administrator, Internationalist and Above All Caribbean Man |publisher=Caribbean Labour Solidarity |year=2019 |location=London |pages=27 |language=en |issn=2055-7035}} Peter Frost, a journalist for the Morning Star, believes that Strachan's communist beliefs were somewhat responsible for the movie not being created.{{Cite news |last=Frost |first=Peter |date=2 April 2018 |title=Billy Strachan – just 'another bloody immigrant' |url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/billy-strachan-just-another-bloody-immigrant |access-date=11 May 2021 |work=The Morning Star}}

{{BLP sources section|date=December 2015}}

File:Lenny Henry red nose day 21-02-2005 - panoramio.jpg

In 2003, Henry was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy.{{Cite web |last=Guardian Staff |date=7 December 2003 |title=The 50 funniest people in Britain (part one) |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/dec/07/comedy.thebestofbritishcomedy1 |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} He was the voice of the British speaking clock for two weeks in March 2003 in aid of Comic Relief.{{Cite web |title=The History Press {{!}} Celebrating 80 years of the Speaking Clock |url=https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/celebrating-80-years-of-the-speaking-clock/ |access-date=5 December 2020 |website=TheHistoryPress.co.uk |language=en}}

Henry voiced Dre Head, the "shrunken head" on the Knight Bus, in the 2004 Alfonso Cuarón movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and read the audiobook version of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. He also voiced Sporty on the children's show Little Robots. Henry appeared in advertisements for butter products in New Zealand, commissioned by the company now known as Fonterra, as well as portraying Saint Peter in the Virgin Mobile advertising campaign in South Africa. In the UK, he used his character of Theophilus P. Wildebeeste to advertise Alpen muesli, and promoted the non-alcoholic lager Kaliber.

In June 2000, for a BBC documentary, he sailed a trimaran from Plymouth to Antigua with yachtsman Tony Bullimore.{{Cite web |title=BBC News {{!}} UK {{!}} Comic's yacht runs into trouble |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/775368.stm |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=BBC.co.uk}} In 2005, he appeared in Birmingham, as an act for Jasper Carrott's Rock with Laughter. He appeared alongside performers such as Bill Bailey, Jasper Carrott, Bonnie Tyler, Bobby Davro and the Lord of the Dance troupe. In 2006, Henry starred in the BBC programme Berry's Way. On 16 March 2007, Henry made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate, who appeared in the guise of her character Geordie Georgie from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day fundraising programme of 2007.

On 16 June 2007, Lenny appeared with Chris Tarrant and Sally James to present a 25th anniversary episode of Tiswas. The show lasted 90 minutes and featured celebrities discussing their enjoyment of Tiswas as children, as well as appearances from kids and people who had appeared on the original show. In the summer of 2007, he presented Lenny's Britain, a comedy documentary tour made with the Open University on BBC One on Tuesday nights. In late 2007, he hosted a stand-up comedy tour of the UK.

In early 2008, Henry's series lennyhenry.tv was broadcast on BBC One. The programme has an accompanying website of the same name and broadcasts strange, weird and generally amusing online videos and CCTV clips. He starred in the Radio 4 show Rudy's Rare Records. On 31 December 2008 and 1 January 2009, he appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny on BBC Two, singing part of the song Mercy along with singer Duffy. In January 2009, he appeared on the BBC's comedy show Live at The Apollo, in which he played host for the night, introducing Andy Parsons and Ed Byrne, where he referred to Wikipedia as "Wrongopedia" for containing incorrect information about his life.

In October 2009, Henry reprised his role of Deakus to feature in comedy shorts about story writing alongside Nina Wadia, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Stephen K. Amos. He also offers his own writing tips and amusing anecdotes in the writing tips video clip on BBC raw words – story writing. He supplied the voices of both Big and Small in the

CBeebies children's programme Big & Small.{{Cite web |title=BBC – CBeebies Grownups – Big & Small |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/bigandsmall.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326055808/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/bigandsmall.shtml |archive-date=26 March 2010 |access-date=5 October 2009 |publisher=BBC}}

File:Lenny Henry in The Comedy of Errors 2011.jpg in the Royal National Theatre production of The Comedy of Errors in 2011]]

In 2010, Henry produced and starred in a five-part web series for the BBC Comedy website, Conversations with my Wife,{{Cite web |title=BBC Comedy – Conversations with my Wife |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/show/p007rcxp/lenny_henry |access-date=1 October 2010 |publisher=BBC}} about a fictional couple conversing over Skype while the wife is away on business leaving the husband (played by Henry) to hold the fort at home.{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Steve |title=Comedy imitating life? : News 2010 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/05/17/11010/comedy_imitating_life |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=Chortle.co.uk |language=en}}

In 2008, he became the face of budget hotel operator Premier Inn. One of the 2010 adverts caused controversy and was banned from children's programming hours as it parodied a well-known scene from the film The Shining, with Lenny Henry spoofing the scene originally starring Jack Nicholson, smashing a door with an axe and then thrusting his head through the door saying: "Here's Lenny."{{Cite news |date=24 March 2010 |title=Premier Inn 'horror' ad banned from children's network |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8584109.stm |access-date=18 March 2012 |publisher=BBC}}

In 2011, Henry presented a Saturday night magic series called The Magicians on BBC One. The show returned in 2012; however, Henry was replaced by Darren McMullen.

In March 2011, he appeared with Angela Rippon, Samantha Womack and Reggie Yates in the BBC fundraising documentary for Comic Relief called Famous, Rich and in the Slums, wherein the four celebrities were sent to Kibera in Kenya, the African continent's largest slum.{{Cite web |last=Mangan, L. |date=4 March 2011 |title=TV Review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/mar/03/love-they-neighbour-review |access-date=4 March 2011 |website=The Guardian}}

Henry was criticised for his opening sketch for the 2011 Comic Relief, during which he spoofed the film The King's Speech and grew impatient with Colin Firth's portrayal of King George VI as he stammered over his speech. The Sun reported that the British Stammering Association had branded the sketch as "a gross and disgusting gleefulness at pointing out someone else's misfortune".{{Cite news |last=Love, Ryan |date=21 March 2011 |title=Lenny Henry criticised for 'Speech' spoof |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a310070/lenny-henry-criticised-for-speech-spoof.html |access-date=28 August 2022 |work=Digital Spy}}

In 2014, Henry appeared in and produced a play based on his radio show Rudy's Rare Records, which played at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before moving on to a run in London.{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |date=10 September 2014 |title=Rudy's Rare Records review – Lenny Henry's reggae romp has the audience roaring |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/10/rudys-rare-records-review-lenny-henry-birmingham-rep |work=The Guardian}}{{Cite news |last=Clapp |first=Susannah |author-link=Susannah Clapp |date=14 September 2014 |title=Rudy's Rare Records review – gusts of goodwill greet Lenny Henry on his home patch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/sep/14/rudys-rare-records-review-birmingham-rep-lenny-henry-lenny-henry |work=The Observer}}

Henry wrote Danny and the Human Zoo, a ninety-minute television film shown on BBC One in 2015. Directed by Destiny Ekaragha, it was a fictionalised account of Henry's life as a teenager in 1970s Dudley. Henry played Samson Fearon, a character based on Henry's own father Winston.{{Cite news |date=28 February 2014 |title=BBC orders Lenny Henry biographical drama |url=http://www.list.co.uk/article/59060-bbc-orders-lenny-henry-biographical-drama |access-date=8 March 2014 |work=The List}}{{Cite news |date=28 February 2014 |title=BBC orders Lenny Henry biographical drama |url=http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/news/story/2014/02/28/bbc-orders-lenny-henry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095336/http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/news/story/2014/02/28/bbc-orders-lenny-henry/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=8 March 2014 |work=Virgin Media}}{{Cite news |last=Young, Gary |date=28 February 2014 |title=Lenny Henry writes TV drama about Dudley childhood |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/lenny-henrys-dudley-childhood-tv-6757371 |access-date=8 March 2014 |work=Birmingham Mail}}

In 2017, Henry appeared in a recurring role in the third series of Broadchurch.

In November 2019, it was announced that Henry would guest star in "Spyfall", the two-part opening episode of Doctor Who's twelfth revived series, which broadcast on New Year's Day and 4 January 2020. Henry played technology billionaire Daniel Barton.{{Cite web |date=20 November 2019 |title=Stephen Fry and Sir Lenny Henry CBE to appear in the twelfth series of Doctor Who |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/dw-fry-henry |website=BBC Media Centre}}{{Cite web |date=2 December 2019 |title=Doctor Who to land on Who Year's Day in Spyfall |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/dw-spyfall |website=BBC Media Centre}}

In December 2020, Henry was announced as a cast member of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=3 December 2020 |title='Lord of the Rings' Series at Amazon Adds 20 Actors to Cast |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/lord-of-the-rings-series-amazon-cast-1234845274/ |access-date=30 January 2021 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} It premiered on 1 September 2022.

In 2021, Henry appeared as a contestant on the second series of The Masked Singer as "Blob". He finished in 6th place.{{Cite web |date=30 January 2021 |title=Who went home on The Masked Singer UK? Blob revealed to be Lenny Henry |url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/30/who-went-home-on-the-masked-singer-uk-star-inside-the-blob-revealed-13993946/ |access-date=30 January 2021 |website=Metro |language=en}}

On 6 November 2021, The Guardian published Black British culture matters, curated by Henry and Marcus Ryder for its Saturday Culture Issue No7.{{Cite news |date=6 November 2021 |title=The Guardian – Saturday Magazine Issue No.7 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk |work=The Guardian – Saturday Magazine}}{{Cite web |title='We must tell our stories': Lenny Henry introduces a Black British culture takeover |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/nov/05/we-must-tell-our-stories-lenny-henry-introduces-a-black-british-culture-takeover |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=TheGuardian.com|date=5 November 2021 |last1=Henry |first1=Lenny |last2=Ryder |first2=Marcus }}{{Cite news |last=Davies, Hannah J |title='I'm constantly fighting behind the scenes' – Black comics on breaking down industry barriers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/nov/06/im-constantly-fighting-behind-the-scenes-black-comics-on-breaking-down-industry-barriers |access-date=5 November 2022 |work=The Guardian}}

In 2022, Henry was cast in The Sandman as the voice of Martin Tenbones, a magical, doglike creature who appears in the dreams of another character called Barbie.{{Cite web |last=Craig |first=David |date=9 August 2022 |title=Meet the cast of The Sandman, Netflix's epic from Neil Gaiman |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/sandman-netflix-cast-characters/ |website=Radio Times}}

Henry penned Three Little Birds, a six-part drama series, based on and inspired by his mother's Windrush experience and co-written with Russell T Davies, and first broadcast on ITV and ITVX in October/November 2023.{{Cite web |date=12 October 2023 |title=ITV reveals first look clip of Sir Lenny Henry's Windrush drama Three Little Birds |url=https://rts.org.uk/article/itv-reveals-first-look-clip-sir-lenny-henrys-windrush-drama-three-little-birds |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=Royal Television Society |language=en}} On 31 January 2024, Henry announced that he would be hosting Comic Relief for the final time when the fundraiser returned on 15 March.{{Cite web |date=31 January 2024 |title=Comic Relief 2024: Sir Lenny Henry to host for final time |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68135677/ |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=BBC.co.uk}}

In 2024, Henry voiced Mr. Convenience in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.{{Cite web |last=Mensah |first=Katelyn |date=December 25, 2024 |title=Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl cast - Who's returned? |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl-cast/ |website=Radio Times}}

Henry was introduced to the works of Shakespeare when he made the 2006 Radio 4 series Lenny and Will, which saw him going "in search of the magic of Shakespeare in performance".{{Cite web |date=25 March 2006 |title=Othello – Resource Pack |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/pip/46ff6/ |access-date=5 April 2008 |publisher=BBC}} In February 2009, he appeared in the title role in the Northern Broadsides production of Othello at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Before the production opened the director Barrie Rutter said of the decision to cast him: "knives might be out at me or at Lenny. I don't care. This has come about from a completely genuine desire to do a piece of theatrical work. Bloody hell, how long has the Donmar had Hollywood stars going there for £200? He's six-foot five. He's beautifully black. And he's Othello."{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |date=10 February 2008 |title=A new Moor for West Yorkshire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/oct/02/lenny.henry.othello |access-date=10 February 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=London, England}}

Henry received widespread critical acclaim in the role. Charles Spencer in The Daily Telegraph said "This is one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen. It is impossible to praise too highly Henry's courage in taking on so demanding and exposed a role, and then performing it with such authority and feeling."{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Charles |date=19 February 2008 |title=Othello with Lenny Henry at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, review |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/charlesspencer/4696028/Othello-with-Lenny-Henry-at-the-West-Yorkshire-Playhouse-review.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220212425/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/charlesspencer/4696028/Othello-with-Lenny-Henry-at-the-West-Yorkshire-Playhouse-review.html |archive-date=20 February 2009 |access-date=5 April 2008 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London, England}} Michael Billington in The Guardian noted "Henry's voice may not always measure up to the rhetorical music of the verse, but there is a simple dignity to his performance that touches one".{{Cite news |last=Michael Billington |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |date=19 February 2008 |title=Othello |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/feb/19/othello-west-yorkshire-playhouse |access-date=5 April 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=London}} Lynne Walker of The Independent said of Henry that his "emotional dynamism is in no doubt. The frenzy within his imagination explodes into rage and, finally, wretchedness. It's not a subtle reading but it works powerfully in this context."{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Lynne |date=19 February 2008 |title=First Night: Othello, Quarry Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-othello-quarry-theatre-west-yorkshire-playhouse-leeds-1626089.html |access-date=5 April 2008 |work=The Independent |location=London, UK}}

Henry has said that he saw parallels between himself and Othello. "I'm used to being the only black person wherever I go...There was never a black or Asian director when I went to the BBC. Eventually I thought 'where are they all?' I spent a lot of time on my own. Things have changed a bit, but rarely at the BBC do I meet anyone of colour in a position of power."{{Cite web |last=Larkin |first=Maeve |date=19 February 2008 |title=Othello – Resource Pack |url=http://www.northern-broadsides.co.uk/PAGES/education/NORTHERN%20BROADSIDES%20-%20%20OTHELLO%20%20resource%20pack.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525023608/http://www.northern-broadsides.co.uk/PAGES/education/NORTHERN%20BROADSIDES%20-%20%20OTHELLO%20%20resource%20pack.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2010 |access-date=5 April 2008 |publisher=Northern Broadsides}}

The production was scheduled to transfer to the West End of London from 11 September to 12 December 2009, to be performed at the Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall.{{Cite news |date=24 April 2008 |title=Henry brings Othello to West End |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8016608.stm |access-date=24 April 2008 |work=BBC News}}

In November 2011, Henry made his debut at the Royal National Theatre in London in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, directed by Dominic Cooke, in which he played the character of Antipholus of Syracuse. The production was selected to be broadcast live to selected cinemas worldwide in March 2012 as part of the National Theatre Live programme. Henry's performance gained positive reviews. Paul Taylor in The Independent wrote that "Henry beautifully conveys the tragicomic plight of an innocent abroad."{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Paul |date=23 November 2011 |title=First Night |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-the-comedy-of-errors-olivier-national-theatre-london-6269859.html |access-date=3 March 2012 |work=The Independent}}

In 2015, Henry was asked by Sky Arts to produce a show for them, Lenny Henry's Got The Blues. He worked with a group of musicians including Jakko Jakszyk, lead singer of King Crimson, to produce the album New Millennium Blues. The album consists of both covers of blues classics, as well as original tracks co-written by Lenny.{{Cite web |date=5 May 2016 |title=Lenny Henry on his music career: 'I had Jeremy Paxman getting down to Sex Machine' | Lenny Henry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/05/lenny-henry-music-career-blues-racism-prince |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=The Guardian}} Henry later released "hard-hitting animated blues video" directed by Iranian filmmaker, Sam Chegini titled The Cops Don't Know which was premiered by Classic Rock magazine on 20 April 2016.{{Cite web |date=20 April 2016 |title=Lenny Henry launches The Cops Don't Know video |url=http://teamrock.com/news/2016-04-20/lenny-henry-launches-the-cops-don-t-know-video |access-date=5 May 2016 |website=Classic Rock |language=en-GB}}

Henry has published four books: two autobiographies and two young adult fantasies.

One work, Who Am I, Again? (2019), is a memoir that covers his formative years, starting with the arrival of his parents in Dudley, and ending when he began to experience success in the late 1970s.

Another is Rising to the Surface; it continues his memoirs from the point his first set ended. Rising... covers his rise to fame. Henry begins with his children's show Tiswas and continues through his The Lenny Henry Show, which was broadcast for 20 years, though not continuously.{{Cite web |last=Sturges |first=Fiona |date=9 September 2022 |title=Rising to the Surface by Lenny Henry review – the breakthrough years |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/09/rising-to-the-surface-by-lenny-henry-review-the-breakthrough-years |access-date=9 October 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}

Henry's two young adult books were written to address his belief that the lack of non-white characters in fantasy was harmful to young adult non-white readers. The Boy With Wings tells the story of a boy who sprouts wings and learns to fly. He and his friends must save the world. The Book of Legends features two black siblings, Bran and Fran, who live with their mother in a small Midlands town. When their mother goes missing, their hunt for her leads them to another world.{{Cite web |last=Lamont |first=Tom |date=8 October 2022 |title=Lenny Henry on his roaring 60s, writing for kids and facing Lord of the Rings trolls: 'They sit in their pants, slagging off anything different' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/oct/08/lenny-henry-writing-for-kids-facing-lord-of-the-rings-trolls |access-date=9 October 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}

Henry met Dawn French on the alternative comedy circuit. They married on 20 October 1984 in Covent Garden, London{{Cite web |title=Dawn French and Lenny Henry - Timeline - Mix-d: Museum |url=https://exhibition.mixedmuseum.org.uk/museum/timeline/marriage-of-dawn-french-and-lenny-henry}} and have one child, an adopted daughter.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dawn-french-the-french-connection-9258177.html "Dawn French: The French connection"] The Independent (UK). Retrieved 13 December 2007. On 6 April 2010, French and Henry announced they were "amicably" separating after 25 years of marriage.{{Cite news |date=6 April 2010 |title=Lenny Henry and Dawn French split |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8606120.stm |access-date=6 April 2010 |publisher=BBC}} Their divorce was finalised in 2010.{{Cite news |date=22 April 2013 |title=Comedian Dawn French marries for second time |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22245439 |access-date=22 April 2013 |work=BBC Online}}

Since 2010, Henry has been in a relationship with Casting Director and Theatre Producer Lisa Makin.{{Cite web |date=26 October 2023 |title=Why Lenny Henry and Dawn French divorced after 25-year marriage |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/brides/505936/lenny-henry-dawn-french-divorce-following-happy-25-year-marriage/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=HELLO! |language=en}}

Henry obtained a BA Hons degree in English Literature from the Open University in 2007[http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/0430/henryl.html?rss Lenny Henry Collects Degree] 28 April 2007{{Cite web |title=News from The Open University |url=https://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullstory.aspx?id=10968 |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Open.ac.uk}} and an MA in Screenwriting for TV and Film from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2010. He subsequently studied at the latter institution for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree on the role of black people in the media.{{Cite web |last=Nikkhah |first=Roya |date=10 April 2011 |title=Lenny Henry pens his first play |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8440124/Lenny-Henry-pens-his-first-play.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8440124/Lenny-Henry-pens-his-first-play.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Telegraph |location=UK}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news |last=Coughlan, Sean |date=5 October 2010 |title=Lenny Henry's long road to a PhD |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11467235 |access-date=24 January 2022 |work=BBC News}} In July 2018, Henry was awarded a PhD in media arts for a thesis titled Does the Coach Have to be Black? The Sports Film, Screenwriting and Diversity: A Practice-Based Enquiry.{{Cite news |date=13 July 2018 |title=Lenny Henry receives Doctorate from Royal Holloway |url=https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/about-us/news/lenny-henry-graduation/ |access-date=25 May 2019 |publisher=Royal Holloway, University of London}}{{Cite web |last=Henry |first=Lenworth |date=2018 |title=Does the coach have to be black? : the sports film, screenwriting and diversity: a practice-based enquiry |url=https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.855138 |access-date=30 October 2022 |website=E-Theses Online Service |publisher=The British Library Board}} Henry was later awarded an additional honorary doctorate from Royal Holloway in 2024.{{Cite web |date=19 July 2024 |title=Sir Lenny Henry CBE awarded Honorary Doctorate for contribution to film, television, social justice and charity |url=https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/about-us/news/sir-lenny-henry-cbe-awarded-honorary-doctorate-for-contribution-to-film-television-social-justice-and-charity/ |access-date=22 July 2024 |publisher=Royal Holloway}}

Henry has been an open critic of British television's lack of ethnic diversity in its programmes. During a speech at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in March 2014, he called the lack of minorities "appalling" and he has continued to raise the issue publicly.{{Cite web |last=Khaleeli |first=Homa |date=20 June 2014 |title=Lenny Henry: diversity in the TV industry 'is worth fighting for' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jun/20/lenny-henry-interview-diversity-tv-industry |access-date=28 December 2015 |website=The Guardian}}

In March 2021, Henry wrote an open letter urging everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Henry stated people ought to, "trust the facts" and distrust misinformation.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56565995 Sir Lenny Henry's open letter urges black Britons to take Covid vaccine] BBC, 30 March 2021. Henry also wrote, "Because we love you – we want you to be safe and we don't want you to be left out or left behind. While other communities are rushing to get the vaccine and millions have already been vaccinated, some Black people in our community are being more cautious." The letter encourages black UK adults to take an informed decision over the vaccine and get vaccinated so as to protect themselves and those they care for.{{Cite news |last=Mohdin |first=Aamna |date=30 March 2021 |title=Lenny Henry tells black Britons: get Covid jab to avoid being left behind |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/30/lenny-henry-tells-black-britons-get-covid-jab-to-avoid-being-left-behind |work=The Guardian}}

Henry is a lifelong supporter of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.{{Cite web |date=20 July 2013 |title=Lenny Henry recalls West Brom's Boing Boing chant |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01d1wv0 |access-date=8 December 2020 |website=BBC.co.uk}}

Henry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours.{{Cite news |date=2 March 1999 |title=Lenny sees red over nose ban |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/289125.stm |access-date=13 December 2015 |publisher=BBC}} He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Comedy Awards in 2003.{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Henry, Sir Lenworth George, (Sir Lenny), (born 29 Aug. 1958), stand-up comedian, since 1975; actor |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-19866 |access-date=29 August 2021 |website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO |language=en |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U19866 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}} He was knighted in the Queen's 2015 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.{{London Gazette|issue=61256|date=13 June 2015|page=B2|supp=y}}{{Cite news |date=9 June 2015 |title=Lenny Henry 'chuffed' at knighthood |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33060857 |access-date=29 March 2016 |work=BBC News}} In July 2016, Henry became the chancellor of Birmingham City University citing his passion to give life changing opportunities to young people from a wide range of backgrounds.{{Cite web |title=superb opportunity for me to pursue my three passions |url=https://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/sir-lenny-henry-appointed-as-chancellor-of-birmingham-city-university |access-date=3 August 2020 |website=bcu}} In February 2024, Henry announced that he would step down from the role of Chancellor by the end of the year.{{Cite web |title=Sir Lenny to step down as Chancellor of Birmingham City University |url=https://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/sir-lenny-to-step-down-as-chancellor-of-birmingham-city-university |access-date=26 February 2024 |website=Birmingham City University |language=en-GB}} Henry has also been listed in the Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black Britons, including ranking fourth in 2016.{{Cite web |date=24 October 2016 |title=Sir Lenny Henry and Mo Farah among top 10 most influential black Britons |url=https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-news/sir-lenny-henry-and-mo-farah-among-top-10-most-influential-black-britons-35159070.html |access-date=17 April 2020 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

In 2016, Henry was made a fellow of the Royal Television Society.{{Cite news |date=23 March 2016 |title=Sir Lenny Henry awarded RTS fellowship and judges award |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35879886 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} Henry was awarded the Alan Clarke Award at the BAFTA TV Awards.{{Cite web |title=BAFTA Television in 2016 |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2016/television |access-date=25 December 2016}} Also in 2016, Henry was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University in recognition of his significant contribution to British comedy and drama, along with his achievements in international charity work.{{Cite web |title=Honorary Graduates 2016 |url=https://www.ntualumni.org.uk/your_alumni_association/notable_alumni/honorary_graduates/lenny_henry |access-date=18 March 2021 |website=Nottingham Trent University}}

In 2022, Henry won the Special Recognition award at the 27th National Television Awards.

In 2025, he was made a Freeman of the City of London.{{Cite web |date=20 February 2025 |title=Sir Lenny Henry given Freedom of the City of London |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0dgd06nxjo |website=BBC.com}}

• Henry, Lenny. Who Am I, Again?, Faber & Faber, 2019; {{ISBN|978-0571342594}} 288 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. Access All Areas, Faber & Faber, 2021; {{ISBN|978-0571365128}} 192 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. Rising to the Surface, Faber & Faber, 2021; {{ISBN|978-0571368778}} 336 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. The Boy with Wings, Macmillan Children's Books, 2021; {{ISBN|978-1529067835}} 224 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. The Book of Legends, Macmillan Children's Books, 2022; {{ISBN|978-1529067866 }} 272 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. The Boy With Wings: Attack of the Rampaging Robot, Macmillan Children's Books, 2023; {{ISBN|978-1035015924}} 96 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. You Can Do Anything, Tyrone!, Macmillan Children's Books, 2023; {{ISBN|978-1529071634 }} 32 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. The Boy With Wings: Clash of the Super Kids, Macmillan Children's Books, 2023; {{ISBN|978-1529067897}} 224 pages.
• Henry, Lenny. Tyrone's Cool Crown, Macmillan Children's Books, 2024; {{ISBN|978-1529067804}} 32 pages.

• 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

{{Pending films key}}

{{Reflist}}

• Margolis, Jonathan. Lenny Henry – A Biography, Orion, 1995; {{ISBN|978-0-7528-0087-5}} 196 pages.

{{Commons category}}

• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7650432.stm Comedian Henry tackles Othello] BBC News
• [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/468336/ Lenny Henry] at the BFI's Screenonline
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160706235126/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba0dd82e4 Lenny Henry] at the British Film Institute
• [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/henrylenny/henrylenny.htm Lenny Henry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608193338/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/henrylenny/henrylenny.htm |date=8 June 2007 }} at the MBC's Encyclopedia of Television
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/h/henry_lenny.shtml Lenny Henry] at the Bbc.co.uk Guide to Comedy
• {{IMDb name|377901|Lenny Henry}}
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0050l13/ Learn how to write stories with Lenny Henry]. BBC raw words

Articles

• [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/25/broadcasting.race "Not enough black people in top media jobs, says Henry"] The Guardian
• [http://www.messengersouth.com.au/article/2008/05/26/5061_south_vibe.html Messenger News interview]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, May 2008
• [http://www.thedrum.com/news/2011/11/16/lenny-henry-feature-first-radio-campaign-premier-inn Thedrum.com article]

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