Buck Henry | |
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![]() Henry in 1978 | |
Born | Henry Zuckerman December 9, 1930 New York City, U.S. |
Died | January 8, 2020 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 89)
Education | Dartmouth College |
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Years active | 1946–2015 |
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Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman;[1] December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate (1967) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also appeared in Nichols' Catch-22 (1970), Herbert Ross' The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), and Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972). In 1978, he co-directed Heaven Can Wait (1978) with Warren Beatty receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. He later appeared in Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (1991), and the Robert Altman films The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993).
His long career began on television with work on shows with Steve Allen in The New Steve Allen Show (1961). He co-created Get Smart (1965–1970) with Mel Brooks for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. He also served as a multiple-time host of Saturday Night Live. Henry is a member of SNL's Five Timer's Club having hosted 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.