Sir Lenny Henry CBE
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One of Britain's best loved comedians
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A career spanning nearly 50 years, encompassing comedy, writing and acting
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Co-founder of Comic Relief, the charity he set up in 1985 with Richard Curtis
Sir Lenny Henry's career spans nearly five decades, beginning at the tender age of just 16. Rising from a cult star on children’s television to becoming one of Britain’s best-known stand up comedians, as well as a writer and an award-winning actor.
He made a triumphant televisual debut in 1975, when he won the New Faces talent competition at the tender age of 18. He anchored the Saturday morning children's show, Tiswas, from 1978 to 1980, using the show to develop his comic persona to great effect.
However, Lenny didn't just stick to children's entertainment, he appeared on The Black and White Minstrel Show for five years and then joined the hugely popular sketch show, Three of a Kind, alongside Tracey Ullman.
Lenny teamed up with the Comic Strip in 1980, when he met comedienne Dawn French, who would later become his wife. By 1984, Lenny was ready for his own show and the Lenny Henry Show ran for a decade, becoming hugely popular with audiences. A return to his stand-up roots followed, with Lenny embarking on the Live and Unleashed shows, bringing him to the attention of Hollywood.
Lenny took the lead in the Hollywood film, 'True Identity', with mixed results. But the BBC sitcom, Chef, followed and it was a big success for Lenny, who also wrote and produced the show.
Critical acclaim followed in 1999, when Lenny acted in the straight role of Ian George in the BBC comprehensive school drama, Hope and Glory. He revived his sketch show persona with the show, Lenny Henry in Pieces, in 2000, which won Lenny the Golden Rose Award at the Montreux Television Festival. Another special of the same show was transmitted at Christmas 2001.
During 2002, the first series of Lenny Henry in Pieces was transmitted on BBC1. Lenny also completed a tour of the UK with his live show 'Have You Seen This Man' which was recorded for release on CD and filmed for the BBC (Lenny Henry - This is My Life)
In 2009, Lenny made his West End acting debut in the role of Othello in the Northern Broadsides production at the Trafalgar Studios. His portrayal won him huge critical acclaim and the London Evening Standard’s Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Other stage roles Lenny has been praised for include Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors and August Wilson in Fences.
Alongside his work on stage and screen, Lenny Henry is probably best known for his role in Comic Relief, the charity he co-founded with Richard Curtis in 1985. Lenny is also a vocal advocate of Diversity in the Arts and in 2018, having completed a course at Royal Holloway University of London, Lenny received a PhD in Media Arts.
He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including BBC British Personality of the Year, the Edric Connor Inspiration to Black People Award and, in 2015, he was awarded a knighthood in HM the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to charity and drama.
The following year, Sir Lenny was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Television Society, alongside a Judges Award for his work raising awareness of diversity within the television industry. He was also honoured with the Alan Clarke Special Award in recognition of his outstanding creative contribution to television at the 2016 BAFTA Awards.
In 2019, Faber published Lenny’s memoir, Who am I again?, around which he wrote a live show that toured the UK for two months.
Sir Lenny Henry’s stage presence, energy and skill makes him a perfect choice for corporate events. One of the most experienced acts on the circuit, he brings that extra star quality, professionalism and always a personal and tailored performance to any event.
Very happy thanks! Lenny was a dream to work with...
We were thrilled at Lenny's entrance song, and could not get over what a fantastic singer Lenny is and how tightly rehearsed the whole thing was. Lenny was spot on… and superb throughout the whole awards show he was really funny and the audience loved him. There are certainly some excellent comments on Twitter this morning….Lenny adlibbed, kept control and his experience showed through. Lenny was a consummate professional through the whole booking start to end.
I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to Lenny for such a sterling effort last week….Please also pass on my massive appreciation to Lenny. He was a complete star on the night in the face of some sharp-end show-cutting shenanigans and he was the perfect host for the show. Everyone loved him…
The event was a triumph and in no small way thanks to Lenny. He was absolutely great. He changed the mood as ever with his stand up and was really good with all the winners of awards in the presentations. What a pro!
Introduced as the surprise guest at the 2018 Toyota Best Retailer in Town awards, Sir Lenny Henry’s enthusiasm, energy and undoubted comedic brilliance, charmed an expectant audience of nominees and winners. A mixture of his classic humour combined with detailed tailored researched material was a huge hit. Many of those who attended previously claimed this to be the best awards event we have held. A genuinely nice guy whose professionalism, experience and undoubted star quality helped us to have a fantastic evening.
He owned it tonight. What an inspiring and entertaining keynote. He delivered and then some...
He was amazing! Completely star struck!
I have heard back from the client and they were absolutely thrilled with Lenny!! The feedback couldn’t be better; they loved how patient and flexible he was and were blown away by how personal he made it to SPAR. They said everyone (including the children) was recounting his jokes the next day! So absolutely fantastic!!!
How to book Sir Lenny Henry CBE for your event
To book Sir Lenny Henry CBE, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.
Established as one of Britain’s well-loved and biggest comedy stars
One of the UK’s most popular comedians with his alter-ego, The Pub Landlord
One of the UK's most popular and best-known stand up comedians
The UK’s most successful stand up comedian
Award-winning stand-up comedian, writer and actor
Award-winning actor, writer and comedian