Funnyman Lenny Henry co-founded Comic Relief 40 years ago but life hasn’t always been a barrel of laughs.
Little could 16-year-old apprentice factory worker Lenworth George Henry from Dudley have imagined what his future would hold when he made his TV debut on the talent show ‘New Faces’ in 1975 – and won! He appeared in the children’s TV series ‘Tiswas’, but it was ‘The Fosters’ in 1976 that gave him his first regular TV role.
National Treasure
Lenny has forged a remarkable career as a comedian, actor, writer and campaigner. He was also the co-founder with Richard Curtis of Comic Relief, which since 1985 has raised more than £1 billion to tackle poverty and inequality.
It was in 1980, when Lenny teamed up with the Comic Strip, that he met comedienne Dawn French. The couple married four years later and in 1991 adopted their daughter Billie. They divorced in 2010 and Lenny is now dating theatre producer and casting director Lisa Makin.
Arise, Sir Lenny!
Lenny was awarded a CBE in 1999 for his services to drama and charity. Then in 2015 he was knighted. He said, “Huge respect to everybody who has ever had anything to do with my progress really. It’s a wonderful honour and it’s for them – the people of Dudley and my family.”
Sir Lenny, who turned 67 in August, starred in the Netflix thriller series, ‘Missing You’ in January. Then, in May, Alison Hammond uncovered the man behind the accolades for her ‘Big Weekend’ on BBC. They shared memories of his revered mother Winnie, who would demand doorstep impressions from her son before allowing him in for dinner. (All episodes available on BBC iPlayer.)
Harsh Truth
His mother came to Britain in the second wave of Caribbean immigration in 1957 and settled in the Midlands before having an affair. Lenny was named after Dr Lenworth, who delivered him. When he was ten, his mother sent him to earn pocket money doing chores for his “Uncle” Bertie. Eighteen months later, he discovered Bertie was his real father, not Winston, with whom he’d grown up.
In a ‘Guardian’ interview, Lenny revealed he now wants to “own” the truth, after once being ashamed of it. “My story is of people moving from one country to another and forming new links, new family and new relationships. And that’s just what it is. It’s not illicit, it’s not salacious in any way. It’s a life thing.”
Learning Curve
This July, Sir Lenny closed the 15th Festival of Education at Wellington College in Berkshire. He said, “Education gave me the chance to imagine a bigger life, then gave me the tools to go and build it. But I also know what it feels like to sit at the back of the class and not see yourself in the books, the teachers or the future you’re told to aim for. We’ve come a long way but there’s still work to do.”
