Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles profiling alums on the big and small screens.
"Hi, Rebecca. Tell me what you want to know (except about how to get a job, an agent, a boy/girlfriend or how to conquer writer's block.) buck henry."
This Blitzmail message, just a few nights old, is a perfect example of the razor-sharp dry wit of Dartmouth alum and Hollywood star Buck Henry '52. Henry -- born Buck Henry Zuckerman -- has become ubiquitous on stage and on the big screen, with over 50 films under his belt.
Henry launched his acting career at the age of 16 with a supporting role in "Life With Father" on Broadway, and has since written over 20 award-winning films including "The Graduate" (1967), "Catch-22" (1970), and "To Die For" (1995). He was nominated for Oscars for Best Director in 1978 for "Heaven Can Wait" and for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1978 for "The Graduate," in addition to BAFTA, Golden Globe, Writer's Guild of America and Emmy awards, to name a few.
Henry and Mel Brooks collaborated in 1964 to create the successful spy spoof television program "Get Smart." Recently, he has appeared on Broadway in "Art" (2000) and "Morning's At Seven" (2001-2002) and in theaters in "Serendipity" (2001) and "Town & Country," which he also wrote.
Despite his success, Henry remains modest: "I don't think you can properly call me a 'mogul.' Moguls have offices and secretaries and chauffeurs and usually aircraft. I have none of these. I don't even have a stamp machine. Or a FAX [...] No one in any other country knows who I am except for some people in the film business, and I can go easily unrecognized in Denver, Philadelphia, Waco, Des Moines and even from Memphis to Mobile."
When asked if, despite his experimentation with the many facets of the film and television industries, acting is his true passion, Henry responded: "no, but it's the easiest; all you have to do is get up early." In fact, Henry keeps very similar hours to a typical Dartmouth student, claiming "I am not alive in the mornings" and that the best time to reach him is "very late at night -- 11 p.m. to 4 a.m." He added that, in acting, "there aren't any rules."
Henry was a professional actor before he arrived at Dartmouth and honed his creative talents by participating in Dartmouth Theater and Film projects throughout his four years at the Big Green. He cites Maurice Rapf's "famous" film "My First Week at Dartmouth" about a lonely freshman trying to make his way, as one of his most memorable experiences. Henry's Dartmouth-based role els include Warner Bentley (for whom the theater is named) and Henry Williams (Bentley's partner in theater who also directed many plays at Dartmouth) who taught Theater Major classes and was, according to Henry, "a great teacher and friend."
And though Henry is a notable actor, writer and director, he is also infamous for one of his many appearances on "Saturday Night Live" during which, in his words, "Belushi busted my head open, and I bled all over the stage." In this episode, Belushi actually hit Henry on-air with his sword during a sketch entitled "Samurai Stockbroker." Later in the show, Chevy Chase mentioned the injury in his "Weekend Update" as the other cast members wore bandages on their heads in a hilariously sympathetic gesture for the remainder of the show. Henry was so popular as comic host that he hosted the show 10 times and was named an official member of the "Five Timers Club."
Despite Hollywood's reputation, Henry claims that working with some of Hollywood's most high-profile actors and actresses was not a typically unpleasant experience. In his opinion, "actors are always fun to be around." Although Henry was not at liberty to discuss the specifics of his recent projects, he said that he is currently in the middle of a script. So we can expect yet another dose of Buck Henry coming soon to a theater near us.
