Biography
Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included, his work as a co-director on Heaven Can Wait (1978) alongside Warren Beatty, and his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate (1967) and Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972). His long career began on television with work on shows with Steve Allen in The New Steve Allen Show (1961). He went on to co-create Get Smart (1965...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Kiss Kiss Fingerbang
2015
as Cat Owner
A nice guy discovers his dark side when his girlfriend reveals her secret weakness.
The Humbling
2014
Screenplay
Following a breakdown and suicide attempt, an aging actor becomes involved with a much younger woman but soon finds that it's difficult to keep pace w...
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014
as Self - Actor
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter,...
A Fuller Life
2013
as Self - Reader (segment "The Pursuit of Happiness")
Friends and admirers of iconoclastic film director Sam Fuller read from his memoirs in this unconventional documentary directed by Fuller's only child...
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
2013
as Self
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise journeys through Brooks’ early years in the creative beginnings of live television — with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows — ...
Passion for Snow
2013
as Narrator
What do Daniel Webster, Dr. Seuss, C. Everett Koop, Robert Frost and 100+ Winter Olympians have in common? They all spent time at Dartmouth College, H...
Casting By
2012
as Self
This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the mo...
A Bird of the Air
2011
as Duncan Weber
A man in search of his past, and a woman who lives in the moment, are brought together when they pursue the origins of a stray parrot in this comedic ...
American Swing
2009
as Self
Chronicles the rise and fall of 1970s New York City nightclub Plato's Retreat.
It Came from Kuchar
2009
as Self
It Came from Kuchar is the definitive, feature documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. George and Mike Kuc...
Get Smart
2008
Characters
When members of the nefarious crime syndicate KAOS attack the U.S. spy agency Control and the identities of secret agents are compromised, the Chief h...
Students of 'The Graduate'
2007
as Self
This short documentary from 2007 features filmmakers, critics and historians discussing the cinematic achievement and ongoing influence of "The Gradua...
The Last Shot
2004
as Lonnie Bosco
A movie director-screenwriter finds a man to finance his latest project but soon discovers that the producer is actually an undercover FBI agent worki...
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
2002
as Self (uncredited)
illustrates how directors pushed boundaries and altered the art of filmmaking during the turbulent, swinging 1960s. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, "Reel...
Serendipity
2001
as Customer at Bloomingdales (uncredited)
Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part c...
Town & Country
2001
as Suttler
Porter Stoddard is a well-known New York architect who is at a crossroads... a nexus where twists and turns lead to myriad missteps, some with his wif...
Town & Country
2001
Writer
Porter Stoddard is a well-known New York architect who is at a crossroads... a nexus where twists and turns lead to myriad missteps, some with his wif...
The Directors: Milos Forman
2000
as Self
Documentary about the Chzech director, Milos Forman.
Lisa Picard Is Famous
2000
as Buck Henry
A documentarian decides to follow the career of New York actress Lisa Picard, believing she is on the brink of fame. Instead, he bears witness to Lisa...
Breakfast of Champions
1999
as Fred T. Barry
A millionaire car salesman who runs the biggest dealership in Midland City, Dwayne Hoover is a celebrity, loved and trusted by everyone. Then one day,...
Curtain Call
1998
as Charles Van Allsburg
A bachelor afraid of marriage angers his long-time girlfriend by buying a splendid townhouse just for himself, only to find it haunted by the ghosts o...
I'm Losing You
1998
as Phillip Dagrom
Based on Bruce Wagner's best selling novel, "I'm Losing You" is the gripping tale of a wealthy Los Angeles family and their journey from profound loss...
The Real Blonde
1998
as Dr. Leuter
An aspiring actor and his girlfriend handle life's frustrations, while his friend seeks fulfillment with a blonde.
Playboy: The Story of X
1998
as Self - Host
The Story Of X takes you to the earliest days of adult films when men peddled stag reels and projectors out of the trunks of their cars, then through ...
1999
1997
as Mr. Goldman
On New Year's Eve 1999, as a group of neurotic characters gather at a Greenwich Village apartment, everyone struggles to come to terms with their iden...
Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space
1996
as The Priest
William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", re-imagined in a child's vision of Hell. "Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space" is a festive yarn, comprised ...
To Die For
1995
as Mr. H. Finlaysson
Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she make...
To Die For
1995
Screenplay
Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she make...
Harrison Bergeron
1995
as TV Producer
"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." This is the premise of the Showtime film adaption of Kurt Vonneg...
Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A.
1995
as self
Before "L.A. Confidential", there was "Shotgun Freeway" -- the groundbreaking 1995 documentary about Los Angeles coming to grips with it's own history...
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Dr. Dreyfus
A girl born with enormous thumbs in the repressive era of the 1950s learns to turn her quirks into assets.
Grumpy Old Men
1993
as Snyder
For decades, next-door neighbors and former friends John and Max have feuded, trading insults and wicked pranks. When an attractive widow moves in nea...
Short Cuts
1993
as Gordon Johnson
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a bo...
Mastergate
1992
as Clay Fielder
A "play on words" about a fictional political scandal concerning covert arms deals and double-dealing government operatives, satirizing the Watergate ...
Keep the Change
1992
as Smitty
A struggling artist visits his family on their Montana ranch and finds that his former flame, daughter of a family foe, is now married to an old frien...
The Player
1992
as Buck Henry
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
'The Graduate' at 25
1992
as Self
A 1992 featurette on the making of "The Graduate."
The Lounge People
1992
as Lewis Louis
Louis and Cynthia Lewis are an insanely rich couple suffering from an acute case of boredom on their private island estate. Louis produces his own ver...
The Linguini Incident
1991
as Cecil
A waitress, a barman and an underwear designer try to rob the New York restaurant where two of them work.
Defending Your Life
1991
as Dick Stanley
Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way stat...
The Republic Pictures Story
1991
as Self
A history of Republic Pictures studios, featuring hundreds of clips plus on-camera interviews with stars, director, stuntman, etc.
Tune in Tomorrow...
1990
as Father Serafim
Martin works at the local radio station, which just hired a new scriptwriter with a reputation for great drama, Pedro Carmichael. Martin’s aunt Julia,...
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
1989
as Self
A TV special celebrating the 15th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Before a celebrity audience, many of the former cast members and guest hosts ret...
Rude Awakening
1989
as Lloyd Stool
In the later 1960s, two hippies are forced to leave their friends as they are wanted by the FBI, who sees them as criminals. They hide in the jungle f...
Aria
1987
as Preston
Ten short pieces directed by ten different directors, including Ken Russell, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, and Nicolas Roeg. Each s...
The Best of John Belushi
1985
as Various Characters
Protocol
1984
Screenplay
A Washington waitress saves the Emir of Ohtar's life, launching her diplomatic career and a scandal.
Steve Martin: Homage to Steve
1984
as Self
This video contains three segments: First, the Oscar-nominated short The absent-minded waiter (1977), then a fake interview with Steve Martin about hi...
Eating Raoul
1982
as Mr. Leech
A prudish married couple feel put upon by the swingers living in their apartment building. One night, by accident, they discover a way to both rid the...
Strong Medicine
1981
Adaptation of an avant-garde play about Rhoda, a hysterical heroine who feels oppressed by the people around her. She suffers through her birthday par...
First Family
1980
as Father Sandstone / TV Anchorman
When the First Daughter is kidnapped by an African tribe, the President must do what he can to keep them from sacrificing her.
First Family
1980
Writer, Director
When the First Daughter is kidnapped by an African tribe, the President must do what he can to keep them from sacrificing her.
Gloria
1980
as Jack Dawn
When a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters...
The Nude Bomb
1980
Characters
When KAOS develops a bomb that can dissolve all clothing, Maxwell Smart is brought in to foil the evil plot.
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
1979
as Self
A salute to Playboy Magazine on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary, hosted by founding publisher Hugh Hefner and an all-male guest list.
Old Boyfriends
1979
as Art Kopple
When her marriage falls apart, a psychiatrist seeks out those of her former boyfriends who left the biggest impact on her life, mostly in a bad way.
Heaven Can Wait
1978
as The Escort
Joe Pendleton is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to...
Heaven Can Wait
1978
Director
Joe Pendleton is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to...
The Absent-Minded Waiter
1977
as Bernie Cates
Bernie Cates requests the services of the most absent-minded waiter he's ever seen, who pours water before setting the glasses, endlessly repeats ques...
The Man Who Fell to Earth
1976
as Oliver Farnsworth
Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his ...
The Day of the Dolphin
1973
as Man Standing Outside Women's Club (uncredited)
Dr. Jake Terrell, who has been training a pair of dolphins for many years, has had a breakthrough. He has taught his dolphins to speak and understand ...
The Day of the Dolphin
1973
Screenplay
Dr. Jake Terrell, who has been training a pair of dolphins for many years, has had a breakthrough. He has taught his dolphins to speak and understand ...
What's Up, Doc?
1972
Screenplay
The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.
Is There Sex After Death?
1971
as Dr. Louise Manos
Driving through New York City in his Sexmobile, Dr. Harrison Rogers of the Bureau of Sexological Investigation, searches out luminary figures in the w...
Taking Off
1971
as Larry Tyne
Unable to deal with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Larry and Lynn Tyne search for her, and in the process meet other people whose chil...
I Miss Sonia Henie
1971
as Doctor
One camera in one setting, one attic and eight young directors – the result is a unique Dadaistic collage of seven short sketches. The original task f...
I Miss Sonia Henie
1971
Director, Writer
One camera in one setting, one attic and eight young directors – the result is a unique Dadaistic collage of seven short sketches. The original task f...
The Owl and the Pussycat
1970
as Man Looking Through Doubleday's Bookstore (uncredited)
Meek, owlish Felix and strident, catty Doris live in the same apartment building. His incessant typing bothers her; her gentlemen callers bother him. ...
The Owl and the Pussycat
1970
Screenplay
Meek, owlish Felix and strident, catty Doris live in the same apartment building. His incessant typing bothers her; her gentlemen callers bother him. ...
Catch-22
1970
as Lt. Col. Korn
A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way to cope with a craz...
Catch-22
1970
Screenplay
A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way to cope with a craz...
Candy
1968
as Mental Patient (uncredited)
A high school girl encounters a variety of kookie characters and humorous sexual situations while searching for the meaning of life.
Candy
1968
Screenplay
A high school girl encounters a variety of kookie characters and humorous sexual situations while searching for the meaning of life.
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
1968
as Stockade Commandant
When 5 allied generals are captured in Italy in WWII, it is a propaganda nightmare for the allies. The generals are all 1 star and refuse to take orde...
The Graduate
1967
as Room Clerk
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
The Graduate
1967
Screenplay
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
Get Smart: A Man Called Smart
1967
Writer
KAOS steals a secret formula that turns water into vapor and threatens the USA to dry up its entire water supply.
The Troublemaker
1964
as T. R. Kingston
A naive chicken farmer from New Jersey moves to Greenwich Village to open a coffee house.
The Troublemaker
1964
Screenplay, Original Story
A naive chicken farmer from New Jersey moves to Greenwich Village to open a coffee house.
Mary Woronov: Cult Queen
N/A
The documentary explores the enigma of actress and artist Mary Woronov and chronicles her colorful career trajectory as a ground breaking female perfo...
SEGAL
N/A
as Self
From a shy kid on Long Island to Hollywood Leading Man, during its most prolific decades, legendary entertainer George Segal shares his life story.