SirLenny Henry
- Actor
- comedian
- singer
- presenter
- writer
1975–present
1
Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984. He was the most prominent black British comedian of the time and much of his material served to celebrate and parody his African-Caribbean roots.
In 1985, he co-founded the charity Comic Relief with the comedy screenwriter Richard Curtis.[2] He has appeared in numerous other TV programmes, including children's entertainment show Tiswas, sitcom Chef! and The Magicians for BBC One, and in his later years has transitioned toward acting roles on stage and screen. He appears in the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.[3]
Henry is the chancellor of Birmingham City University.[4] Recently he announced his planned retirement from the position at the end of the 2023–24 academic year after 8 years in the post.[5]
Early life[edit]
Lenworth George Henry was born at Burton Road Hospital[6] in Dudley, on 29 August 1958, and named after the doctor who delivered him[7] to Winston Jervis Henry (1910–1978) and Winifred Louise Henry (1922–1998), who had emigrated to Britain from Jamaica. The fifth of seven children, Henry was the first child of the family to be born in the United Kingdom.[8] When Henry was ten 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.[9]
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.[10][11]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
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.[12]
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.[13] In July 2009, Lenny Henry stated he was contractually obligated to perform and regretted his part in the show,[14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Shakespeare[edit]
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".[57] 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."[58]
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."[59] 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".[60] 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."[61]
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."[62]
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.[63]
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."[64]
Music career[edit]
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.[65] 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.[66]
Writing career[edit]
Henry has published four books, two autobiographies, and two young adult fantasies.
Who Am I, Again? (2019) a memoir that covered his formative years, starting with the arrival of his parents in Dudley, and ending when he began to experience success in the late 1970s.
Rising to the Surface continues his memoirs from the point his first 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.[67]
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.[68]
Personal life[edit]
Henry met Dawn French on the alternative comedy circuit. They married on 20 October 1984 in Covent Garden, London[69] and have one child, an adopted daughter named Billie.[70] On 6 April 2010, French and Henry announced they were "amicably" separating after 25 years of marriage.[71] Their divorce was finalised in 2010.[72]
Henry has been in a long term relationship with theatre director, Lisa Makin since 2013.[73]
Henry obtained a BA Hons degree in English Literature from the Open University in 2007[74][75] 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.[76][77] 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.[78][79]
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.[80]
Henry is a lifelong supporter of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.[81]
Honours[edit]
Henry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours.[82] He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Comedy Awards in 2003.[83] He was knighted in the Queen's 2015 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.[84][85] 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. [86] In February 2024, Henry announced that he is stepping down from the role of Chancellor by the end of the year. [87]Henry has also been listed in the Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black Britons, including ranking fourth in 2016.[88]
In 2016, Henry was made a fellow of the Royal Television Society.[89] Henry was awarded the Alan Clarke Award at the BAFTA TV Awards.[83][90] 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.[91]
In 2022, Henry won the Special Recognition award at the 27th National Television Awards.
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