Age: 93
Birthplace: New York City, U.S.
Henry Zuckerman, credited as Buck Henry (born December 9, 1930), is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director. He has been nominated for an Academy Award twice, in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and in 1979 for Best Director for Heaven Can Wait.
Henry was born in New York City, the son of silent film actress and star of the original Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ruth Taylor, and Paul Steinberg Zuckerman (April 15, 1899 - 1965), a retired Air Force brigadier general and stockbroker.
Henry attended The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) and Dartmouth College, where he met Bob Rafelson, and also worked on the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern humor magazine. From 1959 to 1962, as part of an elaborate hoax by comedian Alan Abel, he pretended to be G. Clifford Prout, the quietly outraged president of the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, who presented his point of view on talk shows.
Henry's dry humor attracted attention in the entertainment community. He became a cast member on TV programs such as The New Steve Allen Show (1961) and That Was The Week That Was (1964-65). He was a co-creator and writer for Get Smart (1965-70), with Mel Brooks. Two of his TV projects had short runs but are fondly remembered by fans: Captain Nice (1967) with William Daniels as a reluctant superhero, and Quark (1978), with Richard Benjamin in command of a garbage scow in outer space. He also played Dr. Victor Rudman, a fractile scientist who dated Murphy, on the "My Dinner With Einstein" episode (1989) of Murphy Brown.
He appeared on the television show Will and 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" (December 13, 2007) and "Gentleman's Intermission" (November 4, 2010). In 2011, he appeared in a multi-episode arc of Hot in Cleveland as Elka's groom.
Henry hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live 10 times between 1976 and 1980. It became a tradition in those four years for him to host the final show of each season. Henry also hosted the only live remote attempted by SNL, broadcast live from Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Henry's frequent host record would be broken when Steve Martin hosted the 14th season finale in 1989. 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.
Henry has appeared in more than 40 films including The Graduate, Candy, Catch-22, Taking Off, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Gloria, Eating Raoul, Aria, Tune in Tomorrow, Defending Your Life, The Player, and Grumpy Old Men. He co-directed Heaven Can Wait, the 1978 remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and appeared in the film as an officious angel, reprising the character originally played by Edward Everett Horton.
His many writing credits include Candy, The Owl and the Pussycat, What's Up, Doc?, Catch-22, The Day of the Dolphin, Protocol, and To Die For. He shared an Oscar nomination for his screenplay, The Graduate, a film in which he made a cameo appearance. In 1997, Henry was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
His Broadway credits include 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.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | The Bridge | Voice | English Version |
1964 | The Troublemaker | T.R. Kingston | Also Writer |
1967 | The Graduate | Desk Clerk | Also Writer |
1968 | The Secret War of Harry Frigg | Stockade Commandant | |
1968 | Candy | Mental Patient | Also Writer |
1970 | Catch-22 | Lieutenant Colonel Korn | Also Writer |
1970 | The Owl and the Pussycat | Bookstore Man | Uncredited Also Writer |
1971 | Taking Off | Larry Tyne | |
1971 | Is There Sex After Death? | Dr. Louise Manos | |
1973 | The Day of the Dolphin | Women's Club Man | Uncredited Also Writer |
1976 | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Oliver Farnsworth | |
1977 | The Absent-Minded Waiter | Bernie Cates | Short |
1978 | Heaven Can Wait | The Escort | Also Writer/Director |
1979 | Old Boyfriends | Art Kopple | |
1980 | Gloria | Jack Dawn | |
1980 | First Family | Father Sandstone/TV Anchorman | Also Writer/Director |
1981 | Strong Medicine | ||
1982 | Eating Raoul | Mr. Leech | |
1987 | Aria | Preston | |
1989 | Rude Awakening | Lloyd Stool | |
1990 | Tune In Tomorrow | Father Serafim | |
1991 | Defending Your Life | Dick Stanley | |
1991 | The Linguini Incident | Cecil | |
1991 | Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space | The Priest | |
1992 | The Player | Himself | |
1992 | The Lounge People | Lewis Louis | |
1993 | Short Cuts | Gordon Johnson | |
1993 | Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Dr. Dreyfus | |
1993 | Grumpy Old Men | Snyder | |
1995 | To Die For | H. Finlaysson | Also Writer |
1997 | The Real Blonde | Dr. Leuter | |
1998 | 1999 | Mr. Goldman | |
1998 | I'm Losing You | Phillip Dagrom | |
1998 | Curtain Call | Charles Van Allsburg | |
1998 | The Man Who Counted | George Postlewait | Short |
1999 | Breakfast of Champions | Fred T. Barry | |
2000 | Lisa Picard is Famous | Buck Henry | |
2001 | Town & Country | Suttler | Also Writer |
2001 | Serendipity | Himself | Uncredited |
2004 | The Last Shot | Lonnie Bosco | |
2011 | A Bird of the Air | Duncan Weber | |
2013 | Streetcar | Sheriff | Short |
2015 | Kiss Kiss Fingerbang | Cat Owner | Short |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | The New Steve Allen Show | Regular | 5 episodes |
1964-1965 | That Was the Week That Was | Himself | |
1975 | The Owl and the Pussycat | Felix Sherman | TV Pilot |
1976-1980, 1989 | Saturday Night Live | Host/Himself | 17 episodes |
1976 | That Was the Year That Was - 1976 | News Reporter | TV Movie |
1978 | Quark | Dignitary | 1 episode Uncredited |
1984 | The New Show | Regular | 9 episodes |
1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Walter Lang | 1 episode |
1987-1988 | Falcon Crest | Foster Glenn | 3 episodes |
1989 | Murphy Brown | Victor Rudman | 1 episode |
1989 | Trying Times | Man on TV | 1 episode |
1992 | Keep the Change | Smitty | TV Movie |
1992 | Tales from the Crypt | George | 1 episode |
1992 | Eek! The Cat | Cupid | 1 episode Voice |
1992 | Mastergate | Clay Fielder | TV Movie |
1995 | Harrison Bergeron | TV Producer | TV Movie |
1999 | Dilbert | Dadbert | 1 episode |
2005 | Will & Grace | Leonard | 1 episode |
2007 | The Daily Show | Contributor | 2 episodes |
2007-2010 | 30 Rock | Dick Lemon | 2 episodes |
2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Fred | 3 episodes |
2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mr. Morton | 1 episode |
2013 | Franklin & Bash | Judge Henry Dinsdale | 2 episodes |