Lenworth George Henry CBE, (born 29 August 1958), is a British writer, comedian and actor. is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Dawn Roma French[1] (born 11 October 1957) is a BAFTA Award-nominated British comedian and actress best known for starring in her comedy sketch show French & Saunders along with her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and for playing the lead role in The Vicar of Dibley as Geraldine Granger. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ...

Early life

Henry was born in Dando Road, situated around a half a mile to the east of Dudley town centre. The house still exists to this day. He is the son of Jamaican immigrants who had moved to England from the West Indies several years before his birth. Immigration is the movement of people into one place from another. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... West Indies redirects here. ...

He was a pupil at Sledmere Primary School, Bluecoat Secondary Modern School, WR Tuson School, and Preston College. Sledmere Primary School is a primary school located in Dudley, West Midlands, England. ...

His earliest television appearance was on the New Faces talent show in 1975 where he repeatedly won. The following year he appeared in LWT's sitcom The Fosters alongside Norman Beaton, Britain's first comedy series with predominantly black performers. His formative years were in working men's clubs where his unique act — a young black man impersonating white characters such as the Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em character Frank Spencer (whom he impersonated on New Faces) — gave him an edge in what were racially divisive times. New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s, presented by Derek Hobson. ... Norman Beaton (31 October 1934 - 13 December 1994) was a Guyanan actor. ... Working Mens clubs are a formally organized type of private social club (Also see C&IU). ... Frank Spencer sporting his trademark beret in a scene with Broadcaster David Jacobs Some Mothers Do Ave Em (1973-1978) was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. ...

He co-hosted the children's programme Tiswas from 1978 until 1981, and subsequently performed and wrote for the show Three of a Kind, with comedians Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield. Around this time, he met his future wife, Dawn French, who 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 black British culture, such as Theophilus P. Wildebeeste (a Barry White-a-like), Brixton pirate radio disc jockey DJ Delbert Wilkins and Trevor MacDoughnut (a parody of Trevor McDonald). 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 cutting edge soul and electro tracks and introducing some of the characters that he would later popularise on television. Tiswas was an anarchic Saturday morning childrens British TV show which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982. ... Three of a kind is a poker hand such as 2♦ 2♠ 2♥ K♠ 6♠, which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. ... Tracey Ullman (born December 30, 1959) is a English comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, who is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television show. ... Dawn Roma French[1] (born 11 October 1957) is a BAFTA Award-nominated British comedian and actress best known for starring in her comedy sketch show French & Saunders along with her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and for playing the lead role in The Vicar of Dibley as Geraldine Granger. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Barry Eugene White (born Barrence Eugene Carter, September 12, 1944) – July 4, 2003) was a Grammy Award winning American record producer, songwriter and singer responsible for the creation of numerous hit soul and disco songs. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ...

Henry's television work started principally with his own self-titled show, which has appeared in variant forms ever since. A principal scriptwriter for his television and stage shows during the 1990s was Jon Canter.^[1][2] Jon Canter is an English television comedy scriptwriter writing for Lenny Henry and other leading comedians. ...

Career

Henry appeared in the final episode of The Young Ones as The Postman, in 1984. The Young Ones was a popular British sitcom, first seen in 1982, which aired on BBC2. ...

In 1987, he appeared in a TV film Coast to Coast. It was a comedy thriller with John Shea about two DJ's with a shared passion for Motown music being chased across Britain. The film has a strong following, but contractual problems have prevented it from being distributed on video or DVD. John Shea as Lex Luthor. ... Motown Records, Inc. ...

In the early 1990s, Henry went to Hollywood to star in the film True Identity, in which his character spent most of the film pretending to be a white person (using make-up, prostheses, and a wig) in order to avoid the mob. The film was not commercially successful. ... True Identity (1991), is a comedy about a black actor named Miles Pope (Lenny Henry) who wants to play a part in Othello. ... A facial prosthetic or facial prosthesis is an artificial device used to change or adapt a persons outward appearance. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

In 1991, he starred in a BBC drama along side Robbie Coltrane called Alive and Kicking, in which he played a heroin addict, which was based on a true story. For the jazz saxophonist, see Ravi Coltrane. ...

Henry is perhaps best known to modern audiences as the choleric chef Gareth Blackstock from the 1990s television comedy series Chef!, or from his 1999 straight-acting lead role in the BBC drama Hope And Glory. He was also co-creator and producer of the 1996 BBC drama serial Neverwhere. Choleric is a temperament in the ancient medical theory of the four humours. ... For other uses, see Chef (disambiguation). ... Chef! is a British sitcom starring Lenny Henry that aired as 20 episodes over three series from 1993 to 1996 on the BBC. Henry stars as Gareth Blackstock, the arrogant, tyrannical and driven chef, and later owner, of a gourmet restaurant called Le Chateau Anglais in the English countryside. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Hope and Glory was a BBC television drama about a comprehensive school struggling with financial, staffing and disciplinary problems, and faced with closure. ... Heavy Metal It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

Henry tried his hand at soul singing, appearing, for example, as a back-up singer on Kate Bush's album The Red Shoes (1993) and, backed by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, at Amnesty International's Big 3-0 fund raising concert. He would later say that neither move showed him at his best, and that he felt most comfortable with character comedy. Henry would occasionally return to singing, performing in small local venues in the West Midlands. 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. Kate Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. ... David Jon Gilmour CBE (born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge) is an English musician best known as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter in the band Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... The Secret Policemans Ball — The Complete Edition (2004 DVD box set - cover) The Secret Policemans Balls is the collective name informally used to describe a long-running series of benefit shows staged in England to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. ... Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000-2003) was a British stand-up and sketch show by comedian Lenny Henry. ... Sketch Show redirects here. ... Lenny Henry Fan Club has information about the show and has free membership! ...

In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

In 2004, he was listed in The Sunday Times as the fifteenth funniest black performer of all time. Henry is also one of the celebrities most associated with the British Comic Relief'charity organisation, along with his wife, well-known comedienne Dawn French, and Griff Rhys Jones, and has hosted the show and also presented filmed reports from overseas on the work of the charity. He was the voice of the British speaking clock for two weeks, 10 March–23 March 2003, in aid of Comic Relief. For other uses, see The Sunday Times (disambiguation). ... For the origin of the term, see comic relief. ... Griff Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a British comedian, writer and actor. ... A speaking clock service is used for people who wish to know the correct and accurate time. ... is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was the voice of the "shrunken head" on the Knight Bus in the 2004 movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and read the audio book version of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. He also voices a character on the children's show Little Robots, broadcast on CBeebies. Shrunken head from the upper Amazon region, in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford A shrunken head is a real human head that has been prepared for display. ... The Knight Bus in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film The Knight Bus is a heavily enchanted, violently purple, triple-decker bus which transports magical folk in the Harry Potter fiction novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Starring Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Produced by Michael Barnathan et al. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ... Little Robots is a stop-motion animated childrens TV series. ... CBeebies is a British television channel produced by the BBC and aimed at children six years and under. ...

Henry has also appeared in advertisements for butter products in New Zealand, which were 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 also promoted the non-alcoholic lager, Kaliber. Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (generally referred to simply as Fonterra) is a large New Zealand dairy company. ... St Peter redirects here. ... Virgin Mobile Ltd is a mobile phone service provider operating in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United States and France. ... Alpen is the brand name of a muesli cereal that includes wheat, raisins, hazelnuts, almonds, and oats, manufactured by the Weetabix cereal company of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. ... Muesli (originally Birchermüesli or Müesli [myə̯sli] in Swiss German, Müsli in standard German) is a popular breakfast dish (breakfast cereal) based on uncooked rolled oats and fruit. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lager is a well attenuated beer brewed in cool conditions using a slow-acting brewers yeast, known as a bottom-fermenting yeast, and then stored (or lagered) for a period in cool conditions to clear away particles and certain flavour compounds to produce a clean taste. ... Kaliber is a brand of non-alcoholic lager which is popular in the United Kingdom. ...

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. This article is about the British city. ... For other uses, see Bill Bailey (disambiguation). ... Jasper Carrott OBE (born Robert Davis, March 14, 1945) is an English comedian (declaring himself world famous in Birmingham). // Born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, he was educated at Moseley Grammar School and later attended Aston University in the heart of Birmingham. ... Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951 in Skewen in Wales, United Kingdom) is a pop/rock singer. ... Bobby Davro (born Robert Nankeville, 13 September 1959) is a British actor and comedian. ... Michael Flatleys Lord of the Dance - Current Poster. ...

In 2006 Henry starred in the BBC programme Berry's Way. He did the voice of Dark Nebula in Kirby: Squeak Squad. On March 16, 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 fund raising programme of 2007. This is a list of characters in the Kirby universe. ... is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. ... This article is about the actress. ... The following characters appear in the comedy sketch show The Catherine Tate Show on BBC Two. ... The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the shows sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For a description of the origin of the term comic relief see comic relief. ...

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. is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Christopher John Tarrant OBE (born 10 October 1946, Reading, Berkshire) is an English radio broadcaster, television presenter and war lord, now best known for hosting the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. // Tarrant was educated at the Kings School, Worcester (1960-4) where he excelled at... Sally James (born May 10th 1950) was a presenter on the ITV Saturday morning childrens show Tiswas from 1977 until it ended in 1982. ... Tiswas was an anarchic Saturday morning childrens British TV show which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982. ...

In the summer of 2007 he presented Lenny's Britain, a comedy documentary tour made with the Open University on BBC1 on Tuesday nights.

In late 2007, he hosted a stand-up comedy tour of the UK.

In early 2008, his show lennyhenry.tv was broadcast on BBC One. The programme has an accompanying web-site of the same name and broadcasts strange, weird and generally amusing on-line videos and CCTV clips. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... This article refers to a surveillance system. ...

He is currently staring in the Radio 4 show Rudy's Rare Records.

Personal life

Henry met his future wife Dawn French on the alternative comedy circuit. The couple married in 1984, and have an adopted daughter, Billie. They have a home in Spencers Wood near Reading, Berkshire. Dawn Roma French[1] (born 11 October 1957) is a BAFTA Award-nominated British comedian and actress best known for starring in her comedy sketch show French & Saunders along with her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and for playing the lead role in The Vicar of Dibley as Geraldine Granger. ... Spencers Wood is a village 4 miles south of Reading in the Royal County of Berkshire, United Kingdom. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ...

Henry graduated in English Literature, (BA Hons), with the Open University in 2007.^[3] The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was Polish, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, Salman Rushdie is Indian, V.S... Affiliations Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Website http://www. ...

He supports two football teams - West Bromwich Albion and Glasgow Celtic ^[4] But he has also been seen watching a Reading match at their home stadium with Chris Tarrant and Reading's owner John Madejski. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or W.B.A.) are an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands. ... Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club, competing in the Scottish Premier League, the highest form of competition in Scotland. ... Reading Football Club are an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire. ... John Robert Madejski OBE DL, born Robert John Hurst on April 28, 1941 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is a British businessman, mainly active in publishing and the hotel industry. ...

Bibliography

• Lenny Henry - A Biography, Jonathan Margolis (Orion, 1995) ISBN 978-0752800875

Filmography

• Lenny Live and Unleashed
• True Identity (1991)
• Alive and Kicking (1991)
• Bernard and the Genie (1991)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (voice) (2004)
• Kirby & the Amazing Mirror 2 (2007)

True Identity (1991), is a comedy about a black actor named Miles Pope (Lenny Henry) who wants to play a part in Othello. ... Bernard and the Genie was a seventy-minute British TV movie co-produced by Attaboy and Talkback for BBC Television. ... Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy adventure film, based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official website
• Lenny Henry at the BFI's Screenonline
• Lenny Henry at the MBC's Encyclopedia of Television
• Lenny Henry at the bbc.co.uk Guide to Comedy
• Lenny Henry at the Internet Movie Database
• Lenny Henry at h2g2
• Lenny Henry at the BBC Programme Catalogue

Articles The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... screenonline is a website devoted to the history of British film and television, and to social history as revealed by film and television. ... The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located in Chicago, Illinois. ... The domain name bbc. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... H2G2 is also an acronym for the The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ... The BBC Programme Catalogue is a prototype online archive of the entire BBC back catalogue of TV programmes. ...

• "Not enough black people in top media jobs, says Henry" (Media Guardian)