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It's a big week for the great Sir Lenny Henry. He celebrated his 64th birthday Monday (August 29) and appears in one of the year's most anticipated series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premieres Thursday (September 1) on Prime Video. We're taking the opportunity to make him our British Icon of the Week, and rounding up 10 thing we appreciate about him.
1. He's a brilliant mimic.
As Henry recalled on The Graham Norton Show, his big break came when he auditioned for British talent show New Faces in 1975. His portfolio of impressions (which included Stevie Wonder and sitcom actor Michael Crawford) so impressed the judges that he ended up winning the show and making the series final.

2. He's a pioneer.
Soon after New Faces, Henry was cast in The Fosters, the first British sitcom to feature a predominantly Black cast. The Fosters was based on the hit U.S. show Good Times and ran for two seasons on ITV.

3. He also starred in a classic 1990s sitcom.
For three seasons, Henry delighted BBC viewers in Chef!, a sitcom based on his own original idea. He played Gareth Blackstock, a super-talented chef working at a high-end restaurant who isn't quite so good at being polite to his customers.

4. He co-founded Comic Relief, the charity behind Red Nose Day.
Founded in 1985 by Henry and Richard Curtis, this high-profile nonprofit is dedicated to eradicating poverty globally. According to Metro, Comic Relief has now raised over $1 billion ($1.17 billion) since its inception, a genuinely incredible sum. 
5. He has consistently campaigned for greater diversity in British TV and filmmaking.
In 2020, he founded the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, which describes itself as "an independent new body working to achieve accurate representation of all sections of society across contemporary UK media." It's based at Birmingham City University, where Henry holds the esteemed post of Chancellor.

6. He's also an acclaimed Shakespearean actor.
Henry was closely associated with comedy for much of his early career, but he really showed off his classical acting chops when he starred in a production of Othello at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2009. As the BBC reported at the time, Henry's performance earned him a range of positive reviews. The Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen."

7. He's a creator too.
As we reported in December, Henry has written Three Little Birds, an upcoming drama series about three women who move to the U.K. from the Caribbean during the 1950s. It's inspired by the journey made by Henry's own mother, Winifred, and counts Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies as an executive producer.
8. He was a great Doctor Who guest star.
Henry appeared in 2020's "Spyfall," a two-part season premiere in which Jodie Whittaker's Doctor is enlisted by MI6 to investigate an alien threat. He played Daniel Barton, a successful software mogul who foresees a very dark future for the human race.

9. He has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Henry received his knighthood in 2015 for services to drama and charity. As The Guardian reported, he said in a radio interview at the time: "It's not something you think about really when you grow up in Dudley [near Birmingham]. But it's a fantastic thing, I’m very pleased and my mum would have loved it, my mum would have absolutely been chuffed. When we were at the Royal Variety performance she was sat on the same balcony as the Queen and she kept waving to her, so this would have sent her into fits of joy."
10. And finally, he sings on a Kate Bush song.
Yes, really. Henry contributes backing vocals to "Why Should I Love You," a Kate Bush song that also features instrumentation from Prince. 

Do you have a favorite Sir Lenny Henry memory?