Lenny Henry Biography (1958-)

Full name, Lenworth George Henry; born August 29 (some sources cite August 28), 1958, in Dudley, West Midlands, England; parents, Jamaican; married Dawn French (an actress and comedian), October 20, 1984; children: (adopted) Billie. Addresses: Contact: -PBJ Management, Ltd., 5 Soho Square, London W1V5DE, England.

Nationality
British
Gender
Male
Occupation
Comedian, actor, writer
Birth Details
August 29, 1958
Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Film Appearances
  • Cam, The Suicide Club, 1988
  • Work Experience, 1989
  • Lenny Live and Unleashed (also known as Lenny Henry Live and Unleashed), 1989
  • Miles Pope, True Identity, 1991
  • Robo Vampire (also known as Counter Destroyer), 1993
  • Fred the cat, Famous Fred, 1996
  • The doctor in Lenny Henry show sketch, Comic Relief: Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (also known as Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death), 1999
  • (Uncredited) Voice of Dimco announcer, French & Saunders Live,French & Saunders, 2000
  • Television Appearances
  • Series
  • The Summer Show, 1975
  • Sonny Foster, The Fosters, 1976
  • Himself, TISWAS, 1977-1981
  • Himself, Three of a Kind, BBC, 1981-1983
  • Himself, OTT, 1982
  • Himself, The Lenny Henry Show, BBC, 1984
  • Various roles, Lenny Henry Tonite, BBC, 1986
  • Delbert Wilkins, The Lenny Henry Show, BBC, 1987-1988
  • Gareth Blackstock, Chef!, BBC, 1993-1996
  • Himself, The Lenny Henry Show, BBC, 1994
  • Funky Black Shorts, 1994
  • The Nose at Ten, 1996
  • Himself, Lenny Goes to Town, BBC, 1998
  • Ian George, headmaster, Hope and Glory, BBC, 1999-2000
  • The Sketch Show Story (also known as Victoria Wood's Sketch Show Story), BBC, 2001
  • Voice of Sporty, Little Robots (animated), 2003
  • Movies
  • Ritchie Lee, Coast to Coast, 1987
  • Josephus, the Genie, Bernard and the Genie, BBC, 1991
  • Stevie "Smudger" Smith, Alive and Kicking (also known as ScreenOne: Alive and Kicking), BBC, 1991
  • In Dreams, 1992
  • Charlie Collins, White Goods, ITV, 1994
  • Dennis Jackson, The Man, 1999
  • The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything, BBC, 1999
  • Roy Buchanan, Goodbye Mr. Steadman, 2001
  • Episodic
  • (Television debut) Himself, New Faces, 1975
  • The Ronnie Corbett Special, BBC, 1979
  • Blankety Blank, Ten Network, 1981
  • Postman, "Summer Holiday," The Young Ones, BBC, 1984
  • Hollywood Hobo, "Cassie," Happy Families, BBC, 1985
  • Himself, Scoff, 1988
  • French and Saunders, BBC, 1988
  • "Lenny Henry," The South Bank Show, ITV, 1988
  • Warder, "South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1," The Comic Strip Presents, Channel 4, 1990
  • Steve Wild, "Oxford," The Comic Strip Presents, Channel 4, 1990
  • "Lenny Henry Hunts the Funk," The South Bank Show, ITV, 1992
  • "Darker Than Me," The South Bank Show, ITV, 1994
  • Himself, Sunday Night Clive (also known as Clive James), PBS, 1994
  • "The Quick and the Dead," French and Saunders, BBC, 1996
  • (Uncredited) Voice, "Dr. Quimn, Mad Woman," French and Saunders, BBC, 1996
  • "Comic Relief: 10th Anniversary," Omnibus, BBC, 1996
  • Parkinson, 1999
  • Richard and Judy, Channel 4, 2003
  • The Kumars at No. 42, BBC, 2003
  • Televison Appearances
  • Specials
  • Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live), BBC, 1986
  • The Secret Policeman's Third Ball, Arts and Entertainment, 1987
  • Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show, NBC, 1987
  • A Night of Comic Relief 2, 1989
  • Hysteria 2!, 1989
  • The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball, Arts and Entertainment, 1990
  • Lenny Go Home, 1991
  • Host, Comic Relief: Red Nose Day 3: The Stonker, 1991
  • The Real McCoy, 1992
  • Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes (also known as Total Relief), 1993
  • Lenny Hunts the Funk, 1994
  • New Soul Nation, Channel 4, 1994
  • Comic Relief: Behind the Nose, 1995
  • The Story of Bean (documentary), 1997
  • Comic Relief, 1997
  • Comic Relief: The Record Breaker, 1999
  • 2000 Today, BBC, 1999
  • Lenny Henry in Pieces, BBC, 2000
  • Narrator, Steve Martin Seriously Funny (documentary), Comedy Central, 2000
  • Lenny's Big Atlantic Adventure (documentary), 2000
  • Comic Relief: Short Pants, 2001
  • (In archive footage) Night of a Thousand Faces, BBC, 2001
  • Comic Relief: Say Pants to Poverty, BBC, 2001
  • (In archive footage) I Love Christmas (documentary), BBC, 2001
  • Host, Party at the Palace: The Queen's Concerts, Buckingham Palace, BBC, 2002
  • Host, Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do, 2003
  • Major Tours
  • Loud!, 1994, Australian cities, 1995
  • Large!, Australian cities, 1998
  • Large '99, British cities, 1999
  • Have You Seen This Man?, British cities, 2001
  • Radio Appearances
  • Appeared on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
  • RECORDINGS
  • Albums
  • Stand-Up Get Down, 1984
  • Lenny Live and Unleashed, Island, 1989
  • WRITINGS
  • Screenplays
  • Lenny Live and Unleashed, 1989
  • Television Miniseries
  • (With Neil Gaiman) NeverWhere, BBC, 1996
  • Television Specials
  • Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live), HBO, 1986
  • Lenny Henry in Pieces, BBC, 2000
  • Television Composer
  • Specials
  • "Big Love," Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live), HBO, 1986
  • Books
  • Lenny Henry's Well-Hard Paperback, Virgin Books, 1989
  • The Quest for the Big Woof (autobiographical), 1991
  • Children's Books
  • Charlie and the Big Chill, Gollancz, 1995
  • Charlie Queen of the Desert, Gollancz, 1996

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

    Books
    • Margolis, Jonathon, Lenny Henry: A Biography, 1995
    Periodicals
    • The Look in the Mirror, September 5, 1998, pp. 20-21
    • Publishers Weekly, December 2, 1996, p. 60
    • Radio Times, September 12, 1998, pp. 22-23