Lenny Henry
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Lenworth George Henry was born on August 29, 1958, in Dudley, West
Midlands in England to a family of Jamaican immigrants. 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 such as The Fosters (1976) and Tiswas (1974), which was when
his career as a comedian took off. In 1989, Lenny Henry made the
stand-up comedy movie Lenny Henry: Lenny Live and Unleashed (1989), which caught the eyes of the Walt Disney
Company, which gave him the lead role in the American movie True Identity (1991) and
a contract to do two other Disney films for about US$1 million. The
movie flopped, bringing in less than US$5 million. The contract was
canceled, and Lenny got half of what he would have if he had done the
three films. Lenny is now becoming well-known in the United States for
the role of Gareth Blackstock in the hit BBC show
Chef! (1993).
