Leslie Henson
He was famous for his bulging eyes, malleable face and raspy voice and helped to form the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) during the Second World War.
Born in Notting Hill, London, Henson became interested in the theatre from an early age, writing and producing theatrical pieces while at school.
After briefly serving with the Royal Flying Corps, he was released from active service by the British government to help run a concert party called "The Gaieties", which provided entertainment for the troops during World War I.
At the start of World War II, together with Basil Dean, he helped to form ENSA, with which he entertained British troops abroad.
[2] Henson began his professional stage career at age 19 in the provinces with The Tatlers' concert party, soon appearing in London in the pantomime Sinbad at the Dalston Theatre at Christmas 1910.
[4] He performed with The Scamps' concerts and starred in the comic roles in hit West End Edwardian musical comedies such as To-Night's the Night (1914 on Broadway and 1915 at the Gaiety Theatre, London), Theodore & Co (1916),[5] and Yes, Uncle!
[6] Henson signed up with the Royal Flying Corps but was removed from active service in 1918 to run a concert party group called "The Gaieties" in the 5th Army, to give shows for the troops.
[8] He returned to the West End in Kissing Time (1919), Sally (1921) and a string of musicals at the Winter Garden Theatre, including A Night Out (1920), The Cabaret Girl (1922) and The Beauty Prize (1923).
[2][9] In Tons of Money (1922), he starred as Aubrey Allington, which led to the long-running series of Aldwych Farces, which he co-produced with Tom Walls.
[10][11] In 1924, he played Aubrey Allington again when he and Walls made his most notable film, Tons of Money, which introduced the Aldwych farces to British cinema audiences for the first time.
[14] In 1935, he and Shephard took over the Gaiety Theatre, London and produced four successful shows, Seeing Stars (1936), Swing Along (1937), Going Greek (1937) and Running Riot (1938).
[16] Henson also returned to film work in the 1930s, appearing in A Warm Corner (1930), The Sport of Kings (1931), It's a Boy (1933), The Girl from Maxim's (1933) and Oh, Daddy!
[20] Later performances included non-comedic roles, though with less success, such as Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey (1950), in which he toured, and as Samuel Pepys in a musical composed by Vivian Ellis And So to Bed by J.
