The 66-year-old said: “How cool to be awarded the Freedom of the City of London, and to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Giles Terera, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, and Damian Lewis.
Sir Lenny Henry has been given the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his “significant contribution to the entertainment industry and charitable fundraising” across a career that spans five decades.
“Throughout his career, Sir Lenny has used his many talents to shine a spotlight on important issues like racial inequality and poverty, helping to change countless lives through Comic Relief.
He fronted different incarnations of The Lenny Henry Show, and also starred in the successful sitcom Chef!, receiving critical acclaim for his stage performances, including his West End theatre debut in Othello and The Comedy Of Errors at the National Theatre.
His career as a stand-up comic led to him joining children’s TV show, Tiswas, alongside Chris Tarrant, and its late-night adult sister show, OTT, before he went on to work on BBC1’s Three Of A Kind.
