Lenny Henry is an English actor, comedian, writer, singer and television presenter from Dudley, United Kingdom. Born in 1958, he grows out of the Black British comedy and entertainment circuit and becomes one of the best-known figures in British comedy.

Early life and first television work

Henry is born in Dudley, Worcestershire, to parents who migrate to England from Jamaica in the 1950s. He attends Sledmere Primary School, Bluecoat Secondary Modern School, WR Tewson School and Preston College. He later studies English literature with the Open University and graduates in 2007 with a BA (Hons).

His first television appearance is on New Faces in 1975, where he repeatedly wins. The following year he appears in LWT’s sitcom The Fosters alongside Norman Beaton, which is the first British comedy series with a predominantly black cast. He also works in working men’s clubs during his early career, building an act based on impersonations of white characters, including Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em.

Television, comedy and character work

From 1978 to 1981, Henry co-hosts the children’s programme Tiswas. He then writes and performs in Three of a Kind with Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield. Around this period he meets Dawn French, who encourages him to move into the alternative comedy scene, where he develops a stand-up and character-comedy career.

His recurring characters include Theophilus P. Wildebeeste, a Barry White-style figure; DJ Delbert Wilkins, a Brixton pirate radio disc jockey; and Trevor McDoughnut, a parody of Trevor McDonald. His stand-up material sells on LP and is shaped in part by Kim Fuller’s writing. He also spends three years as a DJ on BBC Radio 1, playing soul and electro records and introducing characters that later appear on television.

Henry’s television work centres on his self-titled show, which appears in different forms over time. During the 1990s, Jon Canter is a principal scriptwriter for his television and stage work. He is also a part-time member of The Comic Strip.

Acting roles and other work

Henry appears in the final episode of The Young Ones in 1984 as The Postman. In the early 1990s, he stars in the film True Identity, playing a man who disguises himself as white to avoid the mob. In 1991 he appears in the BBC drama Alive and Kicking with Robbie Coltrane, playing a heroin addict in a drama based on a true story.

He is widely associated with Gareth Blackstock in the 1990s comedy series Chef! and with the BBC drama Hope and Glory, in which he plays a straight dramatic lead in 1999. He later returns to sketch and mixed-format comedy in Lenny Henry in Pieces and The Lenny Henry Show, combining stand-up, character sketches and song parodies.

Singing, voice work and advertising

Henry also works as a singer. He appears as a backing singer on Kate Bush’s album The Red Shoes and performs with David Gilmour at Amnesty International’s Big 3-0 concert. He later says that he feels more at home with character comedy, though he does occasionally perform in smaller venues in the West Midlands.

His voice work includes the British speaking clock for two weeks in March 2003 in support of Comic Relief, the “shrunken head” on the Knight Bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, narration of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, a role in Little Robots on CBeebies, and the character Dark Nebula in Kirby: Squeak Squad. He also appears in advertising campaigns for butter products in New Zealand, Saint Peter for Virgin Mobile in South Africa, Alpen muesli in the UK using Theophilus P. Wildebeeste, and the non-alcoholic lager Kaliber.

Comic Relief and later appearances

Henry is closely associated with Comic Relief and presents the charity’s broadcasts as well as filmed reports from overseas about its work. He also appears in a sketch with Catherine Tate for Red Nose Day in 2007, presents a 25th anniversary edition of Tiswas with Chris Tarrant and Sally James, and fronts Lenny’s Britain, a comedy documentary series made with the Open University for BBC1. In 2005 he appears in Birmingham as part of Jasper Carrott’s Rock with Laughter, and in 2006 he stars in the BBC programme Berry’s Way.

Personal life and recognition

Henry marries Dawn French in 1984 and they adopt a daughter, Billie. He supports West Bromwich Albion. In 2003, The Observer lists him among the fifty funniest acts in British comedy.