Lenworth George Henry was born on August 29, 1958 in Dudley, West Midlands in England with his Jamaican family. He made his TV debut on a talent show called "New Faces" in 1975 at the age of 16. He won and went on to things like The Fosters and Tiswas, which was when his career as a comedian took off. In 1989, Lenny Henry made the stand-up comedy movie Lenny Live and Unleashed, which caught the eyes of Disney who gave him the lead role in the American movie True Identity with a contract to do two other Disney films for about 1 million dollars. True Identity was a bomb, bringing in less than $5 million dollars. The contract was ripped up and Lenny got half of what he would have it he did the three films. Lenny is now becoming well known in America playing the role of Gareth Blackstock in the hit BBC show Chef!.


Son of Jamaican parents. Worked with the 1980s band the Style Council on the album "Our Favourite Shop" on a song called "A Stand-Up Comic's Instructions," which tries to point out that stand-up comics shouldn't use cheap jokes about homosexuals, Asians, Blacks, and Irish people to get laughs. Is a stand-up comedian He allegedly declined the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) before accepting the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1999 Queen's New Years Honors List for his services to drama and charity.