Lenny Rush
{{Short description|British actor and presenter (born 2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lenny Rush
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2009|3|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| occupation = Actor and presenter
| years_active = 2017–present
| notable_works = {{plainlist|*Am I Being Unreasonable?
}}
Lenny Rush (born 17 March 2009) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his work on the Daisy May Cooper comedy drama series Am I Being Unreasonable?, for which he won a British Academy Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance. He has also appeared in the BBC One series Dodger and the CBBC drama The Dumping Ground. He won a breakthrough award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards, and won the Breakthrough Award and Best Comedy Performance (Male) at the 2023 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.
Personal life
Rush has a medical condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita which affects his growth, resulting in dwarfism.{{cite news |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/25/dodger-star-lenny-rush-explains-why-its-good-for-mums-to-see-him-on-screen-17827470/ |title=Dodger star Lenny Rush explains why it's so good for mums of disabled kids to see him on screen |last=Amin |first=Megna |date=25 November 2022 |website=Metro}}{{cite web |url=https://www.ormistonacademiestrust.co.uk/news/ormiston-rivers-academy-student-stars-in-hit-bbc-show/ |title=Ormiston Rivers Academy student stars in hit BBC show |website=Ormiston Academies Trust |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404055730/https://www.ormistonacademiestrust.co.uk/news/ormiston-rivers-academy-student-stars-in-hit-bbc-show/ |archive-date=4 April 2024 |url-status=dead}}
Career
Rush first appeared on camera on the CBeebies documentary Our Family. He began acting locally at the Pauline Quirke Academy in Essex. He played roles on CBeebies series Apple Tree House and CBBC's The Dumping Ground and had played Tiny Tim in versions of A Christmas Carol both on stage at The Old Vic in London in 2017 and 2018, and on-screen in a Steven Knight televised retelling of the Charles Dickens classic in 2019.{{cite news |last1=Bushby |first1=Helen |title=Scene-stealer: Child star Lenny Rush's rise to fame |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63741945 |access-date=30 August 2024 |work=BBC News |date=2 December 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Davies |first1=Sean |title=Lenny, 10, is the star of the show this Christmas |url=https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18112583.lenny-10-star-show-christmas/ |access-date=30 August 2024 |work=Echo |date=22 December 2019 |language=en}}
Rush was given a series regular role in the comedy drama Dodger alongside Christopher Eccleston. Initially a small role called The Sweeper, the part was expanded for Rush and given the character name Morgan.{{Cite web |url=https://www.italktelly.com/post/i-talk-to-lenny-rush |title=I Talk To Lenny Rush |website=I Talk Telly|date=22 December 2022 }} Rush also had the role of Ollie in Daisy May Cooper’s BBC One comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, in which he improvised lines as well as performing from a script.{{cite web |last1=Jeffery |first1=Morgan |title=Dodger star Lenny Rush says children's TV is "so important" at Christmas |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/dodger-lenny-rush-christmas-exclusive-newsupdate/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=30 August 2024 |date=28 November 2022}} He received praise for his performance in the show, with Lucy Mangan writing in The Guardian, “What a gift they have in Rush, who has the comic chops and emotional range of an actor twice his age, and the kind of chemistry with Cooper that is an absolute joy to watch."{{cite news |last1=Mangan |first1=Lucy |title=Am I Being Unreasonable? review – Daisy May Cooper is absurdly brilliant |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/23/am-i-being-unreasonable-review-daisy-may-cooper-is-absurdly-brilliant |access-date=30 August 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=23 September 2022}}
Rush appeared on the BBC One charity show Children In Need in 2022.{{cite web |last1=Emmett |first1=Millie |title=Lenny Rush comedy skit impressed Children In Need viewers |url=https://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co.uk/news/23139064.lenny-rush-comedy-skit-impressed-children-need-viewers/ |website=Maldon and Burnham Standard |access-date=30 August 2024 |date=22 November 2022}} Rush won the Breakthrough Award, and was nominated for the Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023.{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=Kate Winslet, Kit Connor, Billie Piper in the Mix at Royal Television Society Programme Awards Nominations |url=https://variety.com/2023/global/awards/kate-winslet-kit-connor-billie-piper-royal-television-society-program-awards-nominations-1235545470/ |website=Variety |access-date=30 August 2024 |date=7 March 2023}}
In June 2023, it was announced that Rush would portray Morris Gibbons, UNIT's scientific advisor, in the fourteenth series of Doctor Who.{{cite news |last1=Jeffery |first1=Morgan |title=Doctor Who casts BAFTA winner Lenny Rush as new character Morris |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/lenny-rush-doctor-who-morris-newsupdate/ |work=Radio Times |date=15 June 2023}} He was initially cast as the voice of Eric in "Space Babies" before being offered the larger role.{{cite web |title=Doctor Who: Unleashed - Season 1: 1. Space Babies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001z8cy/doctor-who-unleashed-season-1-1-space-babies |website=BBC |access-date=11 May 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who guest star Lenny Rush was originally cast in a different role |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-lenny-rush-space-babies-newsupdate/ |access-date=13 May 2024 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}
In October 2023, at the age of 14, it was announced that Rush would become the first child presenter to co-host the annual Children in Need appeal.{{cite news |last1=Cormack |first1=Morgan |title=Doctor Who star Lenny Rush joins Children in Need presenting line-up |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/lenny-rush-children-in-need-presenter-newsupdate/ |work=Radio Times |date=18 October 2023}}
In November 2023, Rush was the winner of Taskmaster New Year’s Treat 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-04 |title=Burnham actor Lenny Rush 'honoured' as he wins Taskmaster New Year's Treat |url=https://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co.uk/news/24028207.burnham-actor-lenny-rush-wins-taskmaster-new-years-treat/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=Maldon and Burnham Standard |language=en}}{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a45930049/taskmaster-new-year-treat-celebrity-special-line-up/ |website=Digital Spy |access-date=24 November 2023 |title=Taskmaster confirms line-up for celebrity special |first=George |last=Lewis |date=23 November 2023}}
Accolades
Rush was voted Best Breakthrough at the I Talk Telly Awards in December 2022.{{Cite web |url=https://beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/12872/awards-winner-lenny-rush |title=I Talk Telly Awards – Winners Announced |website=Beyond The Joke|date=4 December 2022 }} It was announced in January 2023 that he would receive a breakthrough award at the National Comedy Awards.{{Cite web |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2023/01/23/52401/national_comedy_awards_2023_shortlists_revealed |title=National Comedy Awards 2023 shortlists revealed |website=Chortle}} On 29 March 2023, he won two awards at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards: the Breakthrough Award, and Best Comedy Performance (Male).{{Cite web |first=Max |last=Goldbart |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=29 March 2023 |access-date=30 March 2023 |url=https://deadline.com/2023/03/kate-winslet-rts-awards-sherwood-the-traitors-derry-girls-1235312318 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329075829/https://deadline.com/2023/03/kate-winslet-rts-awards-sherwood-the-traitors-derry-girls-1235312318/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2023 |title=Kate Winslet Scoops Big Acting Prize At RTS Awards}}{{Cite web |first=Alex |last=Ritman |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/rts-awards-2023-kate-winslet-kit-connor-1235362954 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |title=Kit Connor, Kate Winslet Among Winners of Royal Television Society Program Awards |date=29 March 2023 |access-date=30 March 2023}} In May 2023, he won the BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for his work in Am I Being Unreasonable?{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/16/lenny-rush-on-his-bafta-swearing-and-living-his-best-life-i-love-being-little-im-lucky|work=The Guardian|title=Lenny Rush on his Bafta, swearing and living his best life: 'I love being little. I'm lucky'|first=Emine|last=Saner|date=16 November 2023|access-date=10 January 2025}}
Filmography
{{More sources needed section|date=December 2024}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{Screen reader-only|Filmography}} |
| scope=col | Year
! scope=col | Title ! scope=col | Role ! scope=col class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2018–2019
|Eli |4 episodes |
| 2019
|Miniseries |
| 2020
| Old Vic on Camera: A Christmas Carol |Tiny Tim | |
| 2021–2022
|Murphy |7 episodes |
| 2021–2023
| Dodger |Morgan/The Sweeper |Recurring role |
| 2022
|Newspaper boy |Film |
| 2022–present
|Ollie |Lead role (12 episodes) |
| rowspan="2" | 2023
|George |1 episode |
| Haunting of the Queen Mary
|Lukas Caulder |Film |
| 2023–present
|Himself |Presenter |
| rowspan="3" |2024
|Morris Gibbons |2 episodes; "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and "Empire of Death" |
| Taskmaster
|Himself |New Years Special |
| Would I Lie to You?
|Himself |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance}}
{{RTS Programme Award for Best Comedy Performance by a Male Actor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Lenny}}
Category:21st-century British male actors
Category:Best Male Comedy Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners
Category:British male child actors
Category:British male comedians
Category:British male television actors
Category:Male actors from Essex