Delbert Wilkins

Sir Lenny Henry CBE
Lenny Henry (right) in The Comedy of Errors in 2011
Born	Lenworth George Henry (1958-08-29) 29 August 1958 (age 59) Dudley, Worcestershire, England
Nationality	British
Other names	Lenny Henry
Alma mater	St. John's Primary School Open University Royal Holloway College
Occupation	Comedian, actor, singer, writer, television presenter
Years active	1975–present
Known for	The Lenny Henry Show, Chef!, Big & Small, Comic Relief, Broadchurch
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Spouse(s)	Dawn French (m. 1984–2010; divorced)
Children	1
Website	lennyhenry.org

Sir Lenworth George Henry, CBE (born 29 August 1958), known as Lenny Henry, is a British stand-up comedian, actor, singer, writer, and television presenter, known for co-founding charity Comic Relief, and presenting various television programmes, including the comedy Chef!, and The Magicians for BBC One.

Henry was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, on 29 August 1958, the son of Jamaican immigrants. One of seven children, he was the first to be born in the United Kingdom. He attended St John's Primary School and later The Blue Coat School in Dudley before completing his schooling at W.R. Tuson College in Preston, Lancashire.

Henry's first manager was Robert Luff, who signed him in 1975 and gave him the opportunity to perform as part of the Luff-produced touring stage version of The Black and White Minstrel Show. In July 2009, Lenny Henry stated he was contractually obliged to perform and regretted his part in the show.

His earliest television appearance was on the New Faces talent show, which he won in 1975 with an impersonation of Stevie Wonder. The following year he appeared with Norman Beaton in LWT's sitcom The Fosters, Britain's first comedy series with predominantly black performers. His formative years were spent in working men's clubs, where he impersonated mainly white characters such as the Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em character Frank Spencer (whom he impersonated on New Faces). He also made guest appearances on television programmes including Celebrity Squares, Seaside Special and The Ronnie Corbett Show.