Sir Lenny Henry is one of the stars appearing in new ITV series Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters and he has had an impressive career
Sir Lenny Henry, a familiar face on our telly for years, has built an impressive career as a comedian, writer, and actor.
The 66 year old is perhaps most recognised for hosting The Lenny Henry Show, and co-founding Comic Relief with Richard Curtis, which led to the inception of Red Nose Day.
Here, we explore the comedian’s life, from his diverse career to his marriage to Dawn French….
Lenny Henry’s childhood
Lenny was born in Dudley in August 1958 to parents Winston and Winifred. His full name is Lenworth George Henry, and he was named after the doctor who delivered him at Burton Road Hospital, reports Surrey Live.
He is the fifth of seven children and was the first child of the family to be born in the UK. Lenny eventually discovered his biological father to be a man named Albert Augustus Green, known as Bertie, with whom his mother had a brief relationship when she first arrived in England from Jamaica.
Lenny attended St John’s Primary School and The Blue Coat School in Dudley before continuing his studies at W. R.Tuson College in Preston.
Lenny Henry’s career
Lenny’s career took off performing stand-up routines in working men’s clubs, with his first telly appearance in 1975 on the New Faces talent show. His spot-on impersonations won him the competition.
He then joined The Comic Strip and the team at BBC Radio 1, continuing to make appearances on the box. The Lenny Henry Show made its debut on the Beeb in 1984 and ran for a whopping 19 years.
In 1985, Lenny co-founded the charity Comic Relief with Richard Curtis, with the inaugural Red Nose Day taking place three years later.
Over the years, Lenny has graced our screens in TV shows such as The Syndicate and Doctor. He’s also lent his voice to characters in the children’s TV show Big and Small and participated in game shows like The Masked Singer.
Off the telly, he’s penned two autobiographies and a pair of young adult fantasy books, co-produced the blues album New Millennium Blues, and taken centre stage in theatre productions.
Lenny Henry’s marriage to Dawn French
Lenny crossed paths with Dawn in 1980 when they were both part of the comedy show Comic Strip.
Four years on, the couple said their vows in a beautiful ceremony in London’s Covent Garden, followed by a lavish do.
In 1991, Lenny and Dawn welcomed their daughter Billie, who they adopted at just two weeks old. Now 34, Billie tends to steer clear of the limelight.
Back in 2010, Dawn and Lenny announced the end of their marriage, releasing a statement that read: “The separation is entirely amicable and they fully intend to maintain their close friendship. Their priority is to commit to the future joint parenting of their daughter.”
While both have maintained a good friendship post-split, speaking fondly of each other in public interviews, Lenny opened up about the dynamics of their breakup in a telling 2016 interview. Speaking to the Daily Express, later he reflected: “There’s generally a situation where one partner wants the marriage to finish more than the other.
“I think maybe one of us did, then the other one did, and then the other did over a period of time, and then, in the end, we thought, ‘Oh, actually maybe we both do’. We knew it wasn’t possible to continue.”
Lenny Henry’s marriage to Lisa Makin
But love blossomed once again for Lenny when he began dating Lisa Makin in 2012. As a successful casting director and theatre producer credited on projects like Peaches and Aberfan: The Untold Story, Lisa keeps a low profile despite attending star-studded events with Lenny.
On the other hand, Dawn has since remarried, tying the knot with therapist Mark Bignell, while she and Lenny jointly parent their daughter, demonstrating that all parties have moved forward positively.