Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. His 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 (1965-1970) with Mel Brooks, and hosted Saturday Night Live 10 times from 1976 to 1980. Henry later guest starred in such popular shows as Murphy Brown, Hot in Cleveland, Will & Grace, and 30 Rock. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate (1967) and for Best Director for Heaven Can Wait (1978) alongside Warren Beatty.

Filmography

• 2015Kiss Kiss Fingerbang — Cat Owner
• 2014The Humbling — Screenplay
• 2013Passion for Snow — Narrator
• 2011A Bird of the Air — Duncan Weber
• Franklin & Bash — Judge Henry Dinsdale
• Hot in Cleveland — Fred
• 2008Get Smart — Characters
• 30 Rock — Dick Lemon
• 2004The Last Shot — Lonnie Bosco
• 2001Serendipity — Customer at Bloomingdales (uncredited)
• 2001Town & Country — Suttler, Writer
• 2000Lisa Picard Is Famous — Buck Henry
• 1999Breakfast of Champions — Fred T. Barry
• Dilbert — Dadbert (voice)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Mr. Morton
• 1998Curtain Call — Charles Van Allsburg
• 1998I'm Losing You — Phillip Dagrom
• 1998The Real Blonde — Dr. Leuter
• Will & Grace — Leonard
• 19971999 — Mr. Goldman
• 1996Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space — The Priest
• 1995Harrison Bergeron — TV Producer
• 1995To Die For — Mr. H. Finlaysson, Screenplay
• 1994Even Cowgirls Get the Blues — Dr. Dreyfus
• 1993Grumpy Old Men — Snyder
• 1993Short Cuts — Gordon Johnson
• Eek! The Cat — Cupid (voice)
• 1992Keep the Change — Smitty
• 1992Mastergate — Clay Fielder
• 1992The Lounge People — Lewis Louis
• 1992The Player — Buck Henry
• 1991Defending Your Life — Dick Stanley
• 1991The Linguini Incident — Cecil
• 1990Tune in Tomorrow... — Father Serafim
• 1989Rude Awakening — Lloyd Stool
• Tales from the Crypt — George
• 1988Hot to Trot — Fred's Dad
• Murphy Brown — Dr. Victor Rudman
• 1987Aria — Preston
• 1985The Best of John Belushi — Various Characters
• The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Walter Lang, Writer
• 1984Protocol — Screenplay
• The New Show
• 1982Eating Raoul — Mr. Leech
• Falcon Crest — Foster Glenn
• 1981Strong Medicine
• 1980First Family — Father Sandstone / TV Anchorman, Director, Writer
• 1980Gloria — Jack Dawn
• 1980The Nude Bomb — Characters
• 1979Old Boyfriends — Art Kopple
• 1978Heaven Can Wait — The Escort, Director
• Quark — Dignitary (uncredited), Writer, Creator
• 1977The Absent-Minded Waiter — Bernie Cates
• 1976The Man Who Fell to Earth — Oliver Farnsworth
• 1973The Day of the Dolphin — Man Standing Outside Women's Club (uncredited), Screenplay
• 1972What's Up, Doc? — Screenplay
• 1971I Miss Sonia Henie — Doctor, Writer, Director
• 1971Is There Sex After Death? — Dr. Louise Manos
• 1971Taking Off — Larry Tyne
• 1970Catch-22 — Lt. Col. Korn, Screenplay
• 1970The Owl and the Pussycat — Man Looking Through Doubleday's Bookstore (uncredited), Screenplay
• 1968Candy — Mental Patient (uncredited), Screenplay
• 1968The Secret War of Harry Frigg — Stockade Commandant
• Captain Nice — Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
• 1967Get Smart: A Man Called Smart — Writer
• 1967The Graduate — Room Clerk, Screenplay
• ABC Stage 67 — Writer
• Get Smart — Writer, Story Editor, Teleplay, Creator
• 1964The Troublemaker — T. R. Kingston, Screenplay, Original Story
• 1959The Bridge — Voice of American Soldier
• Untitled Get Smart Reboot — Characters

Appearances as themselves (29)

• 2025SEGAL — Self
• 2014Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles — Self - Actor
• 2013A Fuller Life — Self - Reader (segment "The Pursuit of Happiness")
• 2013Mel Brooks: Make a Noise — Self
• 2012Casting By — Self
• The Story of Film: An Odyssey — Self
• Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood — Self
• 2009American Swing — Self
• 2009It Came from Kuchar — Self
• 2007Cinemaville — Self
• 2007Students of 'The Graduate' — Self
• 2007Students of 'The Graduate' — Himself
• 2002Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film — Self (uncredited)
• 2000The Directors: Milos Forman — Self
• 1999Psycho Path — Self
• 1998Playboy: The Story of X — Self - Host
• 1995Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A. — self
• 1992'The Graduate' at 25 — Self
• 1992The Graduate at 25 — Himself
• 1991The Republic Pictures Story — Self
• 1989Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary — Self
• 1984Steve Martin Live! — Self
• Great Railway Journeys — Self - Presenter
• 1979Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host, Self (uncredited)
• The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self
• Mary Woronov: Cult Queen — Self