Lenny Rush, the BAFTA-winning actor leading BBC One's new comedy The Reluctant Vampire, is 17 years old. Born in March 2009, the Essex-born performer has already built a career spanning comedy, spy thrillers and a forthcoming role in the wizarding world.
In The Reluctant Vampire, based on Eric Morecambe's books, Rush plays Val, a young 'vampire' who discovers he is actually human and must juggle a double life. His breakthrough came as Ollie in Daisy May Cooper's Am I Being Unreasonable?, a role that earned him a BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance. He has also appeared in Slow Horses and is set to play Dobby in HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter series.
Early life and disability advocacy
Rush is the son of Lisa and Steve Rush. His mother previously worked as a dental nurse but left her job after Lenny was born, when his condition meant he spent four months in hospital. His father runs a kitchen design business.
Lenny lives with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a condition affecting his growth that results in dwarfism. He has spoken proudly about representing disabled people on television and the importance of equal opportunities for performers.
Speaking to Metro in 2022, he said "it's a shame, but you don't see many [disabled actors]". He noted that while "it is getting better, it's sort of it's still quite rare to see", and said he was proud to be a disabled actor on television as he could offer reassurance to parents.
Career milestones and personal achievements
Rush's first on-screen role was in the CBeebies documentary series Our Family, which followed eight sets of young children and their families. He appeared on the show at age seven with his younger brother Bobby.
In August, Rush marked a personal milestone when he announced on Instagram that he had passed his driving test. Fans congratulated him, with one commenting: "Well done, can't believe how time flies. I remember watching you on the documentary [Our] Family on CBeebies and you were washing your parents' car with your brother...now you're driving one. Good job though."
Discussing his rise to fame in 2022, he told the BBC: "I think - it's not nice to say this - but sometimes having a disability, people really take in the fact it's a DIS-ability. And I really don't think it is at all." He added: "Like when I did Tiny Tim, they were looking for disabled children. So without having the disability, I wouldn't have been able to have done it. So I think there's more positives than negatives."
The Reluctant Vampire begins on BBC One on Sunday, October 4 at 6.40pm.
