Buck Henry

Infobox actor
name = Buck Henry

---

birthdate = birth date and age|1930|12|9
birthplace = New York City, New York, USA
birthname = Henry Zuckerman
occupation = screenwriter, actor, director
baftaawards = Best Screenplay
1968 "The Graduate"
emmyawards = Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
1967 "Get Smart"
goldenglobeawards = Best Ensemble Cast
1993 "Short Cuts"
awards = Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast
1993 "Short Cuts"

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

Biography

Early life

Henry was born in New York City, the son of silent film actress Ruth Taylor and Paul S. Zuckerman, a former air force general and stockbroker. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/29/Buck-Henry.html Buck Henry Biography (1930-) ] ] [ [http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,219497,00.html That Old Feeling: Sweet Smells - TIME ] ] He went to boarding school at Choate Rosemary Hall 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 recently appeared on the television show "Will and Grace" (2005).As of August 8th 2007, he is a "Daily Show" contributor. He also appeared on the December 13th, 2007 30 Rock episode "Ludachristmas."

"Saturday Night Live"

From 1976 to 1980, he hosted NBC's "Saturday Night Live" 10 times (it became a tradition that he hosted the last show of the year, as he was considered one of the easiest hosts to work with). Henry also hosted the only live remote attempted by "SNL", broadcast live from Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

During the October 30, 1976 episode, Buck Henry was injured in the forehead by
John Belushi's katana in the Saturday Night Live Samurai sketch. Henry's head began to bleed and 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 forehead.

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" (1970), "Taking Off" (1971), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "Gloria" (1980), "Eating Raoul" (1982), "Aria" (1988), "Tune In Tomorrow" (1990), "Defending Your Life" (1991), "The Player" (1992), and "Grumpy Old Men" (1993). 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" (1968, adaptation), "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970, adaptation), "What's Up, Doc?" (1972), "The Day of the Dolphin" (1973, adaptation, with a role as the voice of the dolphin), "Protocol" (1984), and "To Die For" (1995, adaptation, with a role as the high school teacher). He shared an Oscar nomination for his screenplay, "The Graduate" (1967, adaptation), a film in which he made a cameo appearance.

His Broadway credits include the 2002 revival of "Morning's at Seven".

References

External links

*imdb|0377750
*tv.com person|33965