Buck Henry


Buck Henry was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included, his work as a co-director on Heaven Can Wait alongside Warren Beatty, and his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate and Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc?. His long career began on television with work on shows with Steve Allen in The New Steve Allen Show. He went on to co-create Get Smart with Mel Brooks, and hosted Saturday Night Live 10 times from 1976 to 1980. He later guest starred in such popular shows as Murphy Brown, Hot in Cleveland, Will & Grace, and 30 Rock.
He was twice nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and for Best Director for Heaven Can Wait alongside Warren Beatty.

Early life

Henry was born in New York City. His mother was Ruth Taylor, a silent film actress and star of the original version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. His father was Paul Steinberg Zuckerman, an Air Force brigadier general and stockbroker. Though he was nicknamed Buck from childhood, he did not officially change his name to Buck Henry until the 1970s; both his birth name and nickname came from his grandfather. Henry was from a Jewish background.
Henry attended The Choate School, then all-boys. At 15 years old, he made his professional acting debut in a Broadway production of Life with Father, which later toured theaters in Brooklyn, Long Island, and the Bronx. Henry earned a bachelor's degree in English literature and a senior fellowship in writing at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he wrote for the university humor magazine, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, and met movie director Bob Rafelson.
Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. Instead of engaging in combat, however, he served in West Germany first as a helicopter mechanic and then transferred to Special Services, where he toured with the Seventh Army Repertory Company, performing in a play he both wrote and directed.

Career

Acting and writing

Henry joined the improvisational comedy group the Premise, whose ranks included George Segal and Theodore J. Flicker, performing in the West Village in Manhattan. This helped lead him into a television career.
From 1959 to 1962, as part of an elaborate hoax by comedian Alan Abel, he made public appearances as G. Clifford Prout, the quietly outraged president of the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, who presented his point of view on talk shows. The character of Prout wished to clothe all animals in order to prevent their 'indecency', using slogans such as "A nude horse is a rude horse". Henry played the character with deadpan sincerity. He was often presented as an eccentric, but was otherwise taken seriously by the broadcasters who interviewed him. "Prout" received many letters of support from TV viewers, and even some unsolicited monetary donations, all of which were invariably returned, as neither Henry nor Abel wanted to be accused of raising money fraudulently.
Henry became a cast member on The New Steve Allen Show and the US version of That Was the Week That Was.
He was a co-creator and writer for the secret agent comedy television series Get Smart, with comedian Mel Brooks. The show lasted for five seasons and 138 episodes and won numerous Emmy Awards. Two TV projects created by Henry had short runs: Captain Nice with William Daniels as a reluctant superhero, and Quark, with Richard Benjamin in command of a garbage scow in outer space.
Henry shared an Oscar nomination with Calder Willingham for their screenplay for The Graduate, in which he also appeared in a supporting role as a hotel concierge. Henry's cameo in The Player had him pitching a 25-years-later sequel to the film, which Henry later claimed led to real-life interest in such a project from some studios.
His many other screen writing credits included the sex farce Candy, the romantic comedies The Owl and the Pussycat and What's Up, Doc?, the satire Catch-22, the thriller The Day of the Dolphin, the comedy Protocol, and the dark crime dramedy To Die For. In several of these, such as Candy and Catch-22, he also appeared as an actor. In 1997, Henry was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
Overall, Henry appeared in more than 40 films including a lead role in Taking Off and supporting roles in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Gloria, Eating Raoul, Aria, Tune in Tomorrow, Defending Your Life, Short Cuts, and Grumpy Old Men.
He co-directed Heaven Can Wait, the remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, with the movie's star Warren Beatty and appeared in the film as an officious angel, reprising the character originally played by Edward Everett Horton. Henry received a second shared Oscar nomination, this time for Best Director.
Later in his career, Henry became known for guest-starring and recurring roles on television. He appeared in an episode of Murphy Brown as Dr. Victor Rudman, a fractal scientist who dated Murphy. He appeared on the television show Will & Grace in 2005. In 2007, he made two guest appearances on The Daily Show as a contributor, billed as the show's "Senior Senior Correspondent". He has also appeared as Liz Lemon's father, Dick Lemon, in the 30 Rock episodes "Ludachristmas" and "Gentleman's Intermission". In 2011, he appeared in a multi-episode arc of Hot in Cleveland as Elka's groom.
His Broadway credits included the 2002 revival of Morning's at Seven. Off-Broadway in July 2009, he starred opposite Holland Taylor in Mother, a play by Lisa Ebersole.

''Saturday Night Live''

Henry hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live ten times between 1976 and 1980, making him the show's most frequent host during its initial five-year run. It became a tradition during these years for Henry to host the final show of each season, beginning with the 1976–1977 season. Henry's frequent host record would be broken when Steve Martin made his 11th appearance as host of the show on the finale episode of the 1988–1989 season. During the October 30, 1976, episode, Buck Henry was injured in the forehead by John Belushi's katana in the samurai sketch. Henry's head began to bleed and he was forced to wear a large bandage on his forehead for the rest of the show. As a gag, the members of the SNL cast each wore a bandage on their foreheads as well.
;Recurring characters on SNL
Celebrity impersonations on SNL
Henry died of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 8, 2020, at age 89.

Filmography

Film

Source: Turner Classic Movies
YearTitleRoleNotes
1959The BridgeVoice, English version
1964The TroublemakerT.R. KingstonAlso writer
1967The GraduateRoom ClerkAlso writer
1968The Secret War of Harry FriggStockade Commandant
1968CandyMental PatientAlso writer
1970Catch-22Lieutenant Colonel KornAlso writer
1970The Owl and the PussycatBookstore ManAlso writer
Uncredited
1971Taking OffLarry Tyne
1971Is There Sex After Death?Dr. Louise Manos
1973The Day of the DolphinWomen's Club ManAlso writer
Uncredited
1976The Man Who Fell to EarthOliver Farnsworth
1977The Absent-Minded WaiterBernie CatesShort
1978Heaven Can WaitThe EscortAlso writer / director
1979Old BoyfriendsArt Kopple
1980GloriaJack Dawn
1980First FamilyFather Sandstone
TV Anchorman		Also writer / director
1981Strong Medicine
1982Eating RaoulMr. Leech
1987AriaPreston
1989Rude AwakeningLloyd Stool
1990Tune In TomorrowFather Serafim
1991Defending Your LifeDick Stanley
1991The Linguini IncidentCecil
1991Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer SpaceThe Priest
1992The PlayerHimself
1992The Lounge PeopleLewis Louis
1993Short CutsGordon Johnson
1993Even Cowgirls Get the BluesDr. Dreyfus
1993Grumpy Old MenSnyder
1995To Die ForH. FinlayssonAlso writer
1997The Real BlondeDr. Leuter
19981999Mr. Goldman
1998I'm Losing YouPhillip Dagrom
1998Curtain CallCharles Van Allsburg
1998The Man Who CountedGeorge PostlewaitShort
1999Breakfast of ChampionsFred T. Barry
2000Lisa Picard is FamousHimself
2001Town & CountrySuttlerAlso writer
2001SerendipityHimselfUncredited
2004The Last ShotLonnie Bosco
2011A Bird of the AirDuncan Weber
2013StreetcarSheriffShort
2015Kiss Kiss FingerbangCat OwnerShort

Television

Source: IMDb
YearTitleRoleNotes
1961The New Steve Allen ShowRegular5 episodes
1964–1965That Was the Week That WasHimself2 episodes
1975The Owl and the PussycatFelix ShermanTV pilot
1976–1989Saturday Night LiveHost / Himself17 episodes
1976That Was the Year That Was - 1976News ReporterTV movie
1978QuarkDignitaryUncredited, 1 episode
1984The New ShowRegular9 episodes
1985Alfred Hitchcock PresentsWalter Lang1 episode
1987–1988Falcon CrestFoster Glenn3 episodes
1989Murphy BrownVictor RudmanEpisode: "My Dinner With Einstein"
1989Trying TimesMan on TV1 episode
1992Keep the ChangeSmittyTV Movie
1992Tales from the CryptGeorge1 episode
1992Eek! The CatCupidVoice, 1 episode
1992MastergateClay FielderTV movie
1995Harrison BergeronTV ProducerTV movie
1999DilbertDadbertVoice, 1 episode
2005Will & GraceLeonard1 episode
2007The Daily ShowContributor2 episodes
2007–201030 RockDick Lemon2 episodes
2011Hot in ClevelandFred3 episodes
2012Mr. Morton1 episode
2012Casting ByHimselfDocumentary, HBO
2013Franklin & BashJudge Henry Dinsdale2 episodes
2013Mel Brooks: Make Some NoiseHimselfDocumentary, PBS

Writing credits

Film

Source: Turner Classic Movies
Academy Awards
YearAwardNominated workResult
1968Best Original ScreenplayThe Graduate
1978Best DirectorHeaven Can Wait

Golden Globe Awards
YearAwardNominated workResult
1967Best ScreenplayThe Graduate
1993Special AwardShort Cuts

Primetime Emmy Awards
YearAwardNominated workResult
1965Outstanding Achievements in Entertainment - WritersThat Was the Week That Was
1966Outstanding Writing for a Comedy SeriesGet Smart
1967Outstanding Writing for a Comedy SeriesGet Smart

Other Awards
YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
1967New York Film Critics CircleBest ScreenplayThe Graduate
1968Writers Guild of America AwardsBest Written American ComedyThe Graduate
1969British Academy Film AwardsBest ScreenplayThe Graduate
1971Writers Guild of America AwardsBest Adapted Drama FilmCatch-22
1971Writers Guild of America AwardsBest Adapted Comedy FilmThe Owl and the Pussycat
1973Writers Guild of America AwardsBest Original ComedyWhat's Up, Doc?
1979Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Direction - FilmHeaven Can Wait
1993Venice Film FestivalSpecial Volpi CupShort Cuts