Buck Henry

Buck Henry
Born	Henry Zuckerman
Occupation(s)	screenwriter, actor, director

Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry (born December 9, 1930), is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.

Early life

Henry was born in New York City, the son of silent film actress Ruth Taylor and Paul Stuart Zuckerman (April 15, 1899 - 1965), a former Air Force general and stockbroker. He went to boarding school at The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he worked on the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern humor magazine. He soon cultivated a flair for deadpan humor, saying the most nonsensical things with utter conviction. From 1959 to 1962, as part of an elaborate hoax by comedian Alan Abel, he pretended to be G. Clifford Prout, president of the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals. Henry, as the quietly outraged Mr. Prout, presented his point of view on talk shows.

Television career

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 appeared on the television show Will and Grace (2005). He made two guest appearances on The Daily Show as a contributor in 2007. He also appeared on the December 13th, 2007 30 Rock episode "Ludachristmas."

Saturday Night Live

Henry hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live ten times, appearing first in 1976, and for the last time in 1980. It became a tradition in those four years that he hosted the last 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 last episode of the 14th season in 1989 (and Martin has retained this title ever since).

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

• Howard, a sadistic stunt coordinator
• Marshall DiLaMuca, one of the Nerds
• Mr. Dantley, the straight man and frequent customer to Samurai Futaba's (John Belushi) many businesses.
• Uncle Roy, a single, pedophilic babysitter who disguises his attempts at molesting his charges (played by Gilda Radner and Laraine Newman) as games.

Celebrity impersonations on SNL

• Charles Lindbergh
• John Dean
• Ron Nessen

Film and stage career

Henry has appeared in more than 40 films including Catch-22, Taking Off, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Gloria, Eating Raoul, Aria, The Graduate, 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?, 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.

External links

• Template:Tv.com person
• Buck Henry: Actor, Writer, Director, Emissary to Yugoslavia & Dubber of "Hercules" Movies (TCM's Movie Morlocks)
• Archive of American Television interview with Buck Henry