Lenny Henry

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)_ (qv) and _Tiswas (1974)_ (qv), which was when his career as a comedian took off. In 1989, 'Lenny Henry' (qv) made the stand-up comedy movie 'Lenny Henry' (qv): 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)_ (qv) 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)_ (qv).::D.B. Dickerson <[email protected]>