Buck Henry

{{Infobox person

| name = Buck Henry

| image = Buck Henry (4970849739) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Henry in 1978

| birth_name = Henry Zuckerman

| birth_date = {{birth date|1930|12|9}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|1|8|1930|12|9}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|screenwriter|director}}

| spouse = {{plainlist|

Sally Zuckerman
Irene Ramp{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |title=Buck Henry, Who Helped Create 'Get Smart' and Adapt 'The Graduate,' Dies at 89 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/movies/buck-henry-dead.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=January 9, 2020}}

}}

| yearsactive = 1946–2015

| education = Dartmouth College

}}

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-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate (1967) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He appeared in acting roles in Nichols's Catch-22 (1970) - also co-written with Nichols - Herbert Ross's 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's 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 10-time host of Saturday Night Live (SNL) and was the inaugural member of the show's Five Timer's Club, a humorous designation used to denote people who have hosted at least five episodes of SNL. He later guest-starred in such popular shows as Murphy Brown, Hot in Cleveland, Will & Grace, and 30 Rock.

Early life

Henry was born on December 9, 1930, in New York City, as Henry Zuckerman. His mother was Ruth Taylor (January 13, 1905 – April 12, 1984), a silent film actress, star of the original version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and his father was Paul Steinberg Zuckerman (April 15, 1899 – December 3, 1965), an Air Force brigadier general and stockbroker.{{cite web |title=Buck Henry Biography |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/29/Buck-Henry.html |publisher=Filmreference.com |access-date=September 21, 2010}}{{cite web |title=That Old Feeling: Sweet Smells |url=http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,219497,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020328065554/http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,219497,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 28, 2002 |magazine=Time |date=March 21, 2002 |access-date=September 21, 2010}}{{cite news |title=Paul S. Zuckerman, Broker Here, Was 66 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/12/04/archives/paul-s-zuckeriyian-broker-here-was-66.html |newspaper=The New York Times |page=31 |date=December 4, 1965 |access-date=September 21, 2010}} Though the young Zuckerman was nicknamed 'Buck' from childhood, he did not officially change his name to Buck Henry until the 1970s; both his birth name and nickname came from his grandfather.

Henry attended The Choate School, at the time an all-boys institution (now Choate Rosemary Hall). At 15 years old, he made his professional acting debut in a Broadway production of Life with Father, which later toured theaters in Brooklyn, Long Island, and the Bronx. Henry earned a bachelor's degree in English literature and a senior fellowship in writing at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he wrote for the university humor magazine, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, and met movie director Bob Rafelson.

Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. He served in West Germany first as a helicopter mechanic{{cite news| last=Barnes| first=Mike| title=Buck Henry, Fun-Loving Screenwriter and Actor, Dies at 89| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/buck-henry-dead-graduate-get-smart-screenwriter-was-89-752310| newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter| date=January 8, 2020| access-date=January 9, 2020}} and then transferred to Special Services, where he toured with the Seventh Army Repertory Company, performing in a play he both wrote and directed.

Career

= Acting and writing =

Henry joined the improvisational comedy group the Premise, whose ranks included George Segal and Theodore J. Flicker, performing in the West Village in Manhattan. This helped lead him into a television career.{{cite web |title=Overview for Buck Henry |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/84891%7C24619/Buck-Henry/ |website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=January 9, 2020}}

From 1959 to 1962, as part of an elaborate hoax by comedian Alan Abel, he made public appearances as G. Clifford Prout, the quietly outraged president of the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals,{{cite web |title=One Man's Mission To Clothe Nude Animals For Decency's Sake |url=https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/clothing-nude-animals/ |website=Ripley's Believe It or Not! |date=May 29, 2019 |access-date=January 9, 2020 |language=en-US}} who presented his point of view on talk shows.{{cite web |last=Crockett |first=Zachary |title=The Hoaxster Who Revealed Sad Truths About America |url=http://priceonomics.com/the-hoaxster-who-revealed-sad-truths-about-america |website=Priceonomics |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016}} The character of Prout wished to clothe all animals in order to prevent their 'indecency', using slogans such as "A nude horse is a rude horse". Henry played the character with deadpan sincerity. He was often presented as an eccentric, but was otherwise taken seriously by the broadcasters who interviewed him. "Prout" received many letters of support from TV viewers, and even some unsolicited monetary donations, all of which were invariably returned, as neither Henry nor Abel (who had no intention of following through on the Society's stated aims) wanted to be accused of raising money fraudulently.{{cite web |last=Sheridan |first=Tim |title=Naked Animals and Sacred Cows: Buck Henry: The Unabridged Interview |url=http://stopsmilingonline.com/category_list.php |website=stopsmilingonline.com |date=April 29, 2004 |access-date=January 9, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Buck Henry (RIP) & The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINAUS) |url=https://worldofwonder.net/buck-henry-rip-the-society-for-indecency-to-naked-animals-sina/ |website=The WOW Report |date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=January 9, 2020 |language=en-US}}

Henry became a cast member on The New Steve Allen Show (1961) and the US version of That Was the Week That Was (1964–1965).

He was a co-creator and writer for the secret agent comedy television series Get Smart (1965–1970), with comedian Mel Brooks. The show lasted for five seasons and 138 episodes and won numerous Emmy Awards. Two TV projects created by Henry had short runs: 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.

Henry shared an Oscar nomination with Calder Willingham for their screenplay for The Graduate (1967), in which he also appeared in a supporting role as a hotel desk clerk. Henry's cameo in The Player (1992) had him (playing himself) pitching a 25-years-later sequel to The Graduate, which Henry later claimed led to real-life interest in such a project from some studios.{{cite web |last=Myers |first=Scott |title=Great Scene: "The Player" |url=https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/great-scene-the-player-c005ed44e7d7 |website=Medium |date=October 27, 2016 |access-date=January 9, 2020}}

His many other screen writing credits included the sex farce Candy (1968), the romantic comedies The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) and What's Up, Doc? (1972), the satire Catch-22 (1970), the thriller The Day of the Dolphin (1973), the comedy Protocol (1984), and the dark crime dramedy To Die For (1995). In several of these, such as Candy and Catch-22, he also appeared as an actor. In 1997, Henry was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Overall he appeared in more than 40 films, including a lead role in Taking Off (1971) and supporting roles in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Gloria (1980), Eating Raoul (1982), Aria (1987), Tune in Tomorrow (1990), Defending Your Life (1991), Short Cuts (1993), and Grumpy Old Men (1993).

File:Buck Henry (211164064) (cropped).jpg

He co-directed Heaven Can Wait (1978),{{cite web |last=Newman |first=Scott |title=Buck Henry, Screenwriter And Actor Famous For 'The Graduate' And TV Comedy, Dies At 89 |website=NPR |date=January 9, 2020 |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/09/794808791/buck-henry-screenwriter-and-actor-famous-for-the-graduate-and-tv-comedy-dies-at- |access-date=January 9, 2020}} the remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, with the movie's star Warren Beatty and appeared in the film as an officious angel, reprising the character originally played by Edward Everett Horton.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Henry received a second shared Oscar nomination, this time for Best Director.

Later in his career, Henry became known for guest-starring and recurring roles on television. He appeared in an episode of Murphy Brown ("My Dinner With Einstein", 1989) as Dr. Victor Rudman, a fractal scientist who dated Murphy. He appeared on the television show Will & Grace in 2005.{{cite web|url= https://www.nyfa.edu/nyfa-news/guest-speakers/buck-henry/|title= NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY GUEST SPEAKERS - BUCK HENRY|website= New York Film Academy|accessdate= July 10, 2022}} In 2007, he made two guest appearances on The Daily Show as a contributor, billed as the show's "Senior Senior Correspondent".{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} He has also appeared as Liz Lemon's father, Dick Lemon, in the 30 Rock episodes "Ludachristmas" (December 13, 2007) and "Gentleman's Intermission" (November 4, 2010). In 2011, he appeared in a multi-episode arc of Hot in Cleveland as Elka's groom.

His Broadway credits included the 2002 revival of Morning's at Seven. Off-Broadway in July 2009, he starred opposite Holland Taylor in Mother, a play by Lisa Ebersole.{{cite news| url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/129098-Buck+Henry+and+Holland+Taylor+Cast+in+Ebersole's+Mother| title=Buck Henry and Holland Taylor Cast in Lisa Ebersole's play, Mother| last=Gans| first=Andrew| journal=Playbill| date=May 11, 2009| access-date=September 21, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515024637/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/129098-Buck+Henry+and+Holland+Taylor+Cast+in+Ebersole's+Mother| archive-date=May 15, 2009| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}

= ''Saturday Night Live'' =

Henry hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live ten times between 1976 and 1980, making him the show's most frequent host during its initial five-year run and on November 19, 1977, Henry became the first to host five times. It became a tradition during these years for Henry to host the final show of each season, beginning with the 1976–1977 season. Henry's frequent host record was broken when Steve Martin made his 11th appearance as host of the show on the finale episode of the 1988–1989 season.{{As of|2017}}, Alec Baldwin is the most frequent male host in SNL history with 17 episodes beginning in 1990. During the episode of October 30, 1976, Henry was injured in the forehead by John Belushi's katana in the samurai sketch. Henry's head began to bleed and he 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 foreheads as well.

;Recurring characters on SNL

Howard, a sadistic stunt coordinator.{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (Howard) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Characters/?51}}
Marshall DiLaMuca, father of Bill Murray's character Todd in The Nerds sketches.{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (Marshall DiLaMuca) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Characters/?72}}
Mr. Dantley, the straight man and frequent customer of Samurai Futaba's (John Belushi) many businesses.{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (Mr. Dantley) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Characters/?9}}
Uncle Roy, a single, pedophilic babysitter. The three sketches, written by Rosie Shuster and Anne Beatts,{{cite web |title=Al Franken And Uncle Roy |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/al-franken-uncle-roy/ |website=The American Conservative|date=November 16, 2017 }} remain controversial.{{cite web |title=Saturday Night Live: 15 Most Controversial Sketches Of All Time |url=https://screenrant.com/saturday-night-live-most-controversial-sketches-inappropriate/ |website=ScreenRant |date=May 9, 2017 |access-date=January 9, 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008171342/https://screenrant.com/saturday-night-live-most-controversial-sketches-inappropriate/ |url-status=dead }}

Celebrity impersonations on SNL

Charles Lindbergh{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (Charles Lindbergh) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Impressions/?106}}
John Dean{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (John Dean) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Impressions/?194}}
Ron Nessen{{cite web |title=SNL Archives (Ron Nessen) |url=http://snlarchives.net/Impressions/?8}}

Death

Henry died of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 8, 2020, at age 89.{{cite news| url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/buck-henry-dead-saturday-night-live-the-graduate-get-smart-1202825337/| title=Buck Henry Dies: 'The Graduate' Writer, 'Get Smart' Co-Creator & Early 'SNL' Favorite Was 89| work=Deadline Hollywood| date=January 8, 2020| access-date=January 8, 2020| last=Pedersen| first=Erik}}

Filmography

=Film=

Source: Turner Classic Movies

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1959 \| The Bridge \| \| Voice, English version
1964 \| The Troublemaker \| T.R. Kingston \| Also writer
1967 \| The Graduate \| Room Clerk \| Also writer
1968 \| The Secret War of Harry Frigg \| Stockade Commandant \|
1968 \| Candy \| Mental Patient \| Also writer
1970 \| Catch-22 \| Lieutenant Colonel Korn \| Also writer
1970 \| The Owl and the Pussycat \| Bookstore Man \| Also writer Uncredited
1971 \| Taking Off \| Larry Tyne \|
1971 \| Is There Sex After Death? \| Dr. Louise Manos \|
1973 \| The Day of the Dolphin \| Women's Club Man \| Also writer Uncredited
1976 \| The Man Who Fell to Earth \| Oliver Farnsworth \|
1977 \| The Absent-Minded Waiter \| Bernie Cates \| Short
1978 \| Heaven Can Wait \| The Escort \| Also writer / director
1979 \| Old Boyfriends \| Art Kopple \|
1980 \| Gloria \| Jack Dawn \|
1980 \| First Family \| Father Sandstone TV Anchorman \| Also writer / director
1981 \| Strong Medicine \| \|
1982 \| Eating Raoul \| Mr. Leech \|
1987 \| Aria \| Preston \| (segment "Rigoletto")
1989 \| Rude Awakening \| Lloyd Stool \|
1990 \| Tune in Tomorrow \| Father Serafim \|
1991 \| Defending Your Life \| Dick Stanley \|
1991 \| The Linguini Incident \| Cecil \|
1991 \| Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space \| The Priest \|
1992 \| The Player \| Himself \|
1992 \| The Lounge People \| Lewis Louis \|
1993 \| Short Cuts \| Gordon Johnson \|
1993 \| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues \| Dr. Dreyfus \|
1993 \| Grumpy Old Men \| Snyder \|
1995 \| To Die For \| H. Finlaysson \| Also writer
1997 \| The Real Blonde \| Dr. Leuter \|
1998 \| 1999 \| Mr. Goldman \|
1998 \| I'm Losing You \| Phillip Dagrom \|
1998 \| Curtain Call \| Charles Van Allsburg \|
1998 \| The Man Who Counted \| George Postlewait \| Short
1999 \| Breakfast of Champions \| Fred T. Barry \|
2000 \| Lisa Picard is Famous \| Himself \|
2001 \| Town & Country \| Suttler \| Also writer
2001 \| Serendipity \| Himself \| Uncredited
2004 \| The Last Shot \| Lonnie Bosco \|
2011 \| A Bird of the Air \| Duncan Weber \|
2013 \| Streetcar \| Sheriff \| Short
2015 \| Kiss Kiss Fingerbang \| Cat Owner \| Short

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1959

| The Bridge

| Voice, English version

1964

| The Troublemaker

| T.R. Kingston

| Also writer

1967

| The Graduate

| Room Clerk

| Also writer

1968

| The Secret War of Harry Frigg

| Stockade Commandant

1968

| Candy

| Mental Patient

| Also writer

1970

| Catch-22

| Lieutenant Colonel Korn

| Also writer

1970

| The Owl and the Pussycat

| Bookstore Man

| Also writer
Uncredited

1971

| Taking Off

| Larry Tyne

1971

| Is There Sex After Death?

| Dr. Louise Manos

1973

| The Day of the Dolphin

| Women's Club Man

| Also writer
Uncredited

1976

| The Man Who Fell to Earth

| Oliver Farnsworth

1977

| The Absent-Minded Waiter

| Bernie Cates

| Short

1978

| Heaven Can Wait

| The Escort

| Also writer / director

1979

| Old Boyfriends

| Art Kopple

1980

| Gloria

| Jack Dawn

1980

| First Family

| Father Sandstone
TV Anchorman

| Also writer / director

1981

| Strong Medicine

1982

| Eating Raoul

| Mr. Leech

1987

| Aria

| Preston

| (segment "Rigoletto")

1989

| Rude Awakening

| Lloyd Stool

1990

| Tune in Tomorrow

| Father Serafim

1991

| Defending Your Life

| Dick Stanley

1991

| The Linguini Incident

| Cecil

1991

| Shakespeare's Plan 12 from Outer Space

| The Priest

1992

| The Player

| Himself

1992

| The Lounge People

| Lewis Louis

1993

| Short Cuts

| Gordon Johnson

1993

| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

| Dr. Dreyfus

1993

| Grumpy Old Men

| Snyder

1995

| To Die For

| H. Finlaysson

| Also writer

1997

| The Real Blonde

| Dr. Leuter

1998

| 1999

| Mr. Goldman

1998

| I'm Losing You

| Phillip Dagrom

1998

| Curtain Call

| Charles Van Allsburg

1998

| The Man Who Counted

| George Postlewait

| Short

1999

| Breakfast of Champions

| Fred T. Barry

2000

| Lisa Picard is Famous

| Himself

2001

| Town & Country

| Suttler

| Also writer

2001

| Serendipity

| Himself

| Uncredited

2004

| The Last Shot

| Lonnie Bosco

2011

| A Bird of the Air

| Duncan Weber

2013

| Streetcar

| Sheriff

| Short

2015

| Kiss Kiss Fingerbang

| Cat Owner

| Short

=Television=

Source: IMDb{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377750/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0|title=Buck Henry|website=IMDb }}

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1961 \| The New Steve Allen Show \| Regular \| 5 episodes
1964–1965 \| That Was the Week That Was \| Himself \| 2 episodes
1975 \| The Owl and the Pussycat \| Felix Sherman \| TV pilot
1976–1989 \| Saturday Night Live \| Host / Himself \| 17 episodes
1976 \| That Was the Year That Was – 1976 \| News Reporter \| TV movie
1978 \| Quark \| Dignitary \| Uncredited, 1 episode
1984 \| The New Show \| Regular \| 9 episodes
1985 \| Alfred Hitchcock Presents \| Walter Lang \| 1 episode
1987–1988 \| Falcon Crest \| Foster Glenn \| 3 episodes
1989 \| Murphy Brown \| Victor Rudman \| Episode: "My Dinner With Einstein"
1989 \| Trying Times \| Man on TV \| 1 episode
1992 \| Keep the Change \| Smitty \| TV movie
1992 \| Tales from the Crypt \| George \| 1 episode
1992 \| Eek! The Cat \| Cupid \| Voice, 1 episode
1992 \| Mastergate \| Clay Fielder \| TV movie
1995 \| Harrison Bergeron \| TV Producer \| TV movie
1999 \| Dilbert \| Dadbert \| Voice, 1 episode
2005 \| Will & Grace \| Leonard \| 1 episode
2007 \| The Daily Show \| Contributor \| 2 episodes
2007–2010 \| 30 Rock \| Dick Lemon \| 2 episodes
2011 \| Hot in Cleveland \| Fred \| 3 episodes
2012 \| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit \| Mr. Morton \| 1 episode
2012	Casting By	Himself	Documentary, HBO
2013 \| Franklin & Bash \| Judge Henry Dinsdale \| 2 episodes
2013 \| Mel Brooks: Make A Noise \| Himself \| Documentary, PBS

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1961

| The New Steve Allen Show

| Regular

| 5 episodes

1964–1965

| That Was the Week That Was

| Himself

| 2 episodes

1975

| The Owl and the Pussycat

| Felix Sherman

| TV pilot

1976–1989

| Saturday Night Live

| Host / Himself

| 17 episodes

1976

| That Was the Year That Was – 1976

| News Reporter

| TV movie

1978

| Quark

| Dignitary

| Uncredited, 1 episode

1984

| The New Show

| Regular

| 9 episodes

1985

| Alfred Hitchcock Presents

| Walter Lang

| 1 episode

1987–1988

| Falcon Crest

| Foster Glenn

| 3 episodes

1989

| Murphy Brown

| Victor Rudman

| Episode: "My Dinner With Einstein"

1989

| Trying Times

| Man on TV

| 1 episode

1992

| Keep the Change

| Smitty

| TV movie

1992

| Tales from the Crypt

| George

| 1 episode

1992

| Eek! The Cat

| Cupid

| Voice, 1 episode

1992

| Mastergate

| Clay Fielder

| TV movie

1995

| Harrison Bergeron

| TV Producer

| TV movie

1999

| Dilbert

| Dadbert

| Voice, 1 episode

2005

| Will & Grace

| Leonard

| 1 episode

2007

| The Daily Show

| Contributor

| 2 episodes

2007–2010

| 30 Rock

| Dick Lemon

| 2 episodes

2011

| Hot in Cleveland

| Fred

| 3 episodes

2012

| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

| Mr. Morton

| 1 episode

2012

Casting By

Himself

Documentary, HBO

2013

| Franklin & Bash

| Judge Henry Dinsdale

| 2 episodes

2013

| Mel Brooks: Make A Noise

| Himself

| Documentary, PBS

Writing credits

=Film=

Source: Turner Classic Movies

The Troublemaker (1964) (with Theodore J. Flicker)
The Graduate (1967) (with Calder Willingham)
Candy (1968)
Catch-22 (1970)
The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)
Is There Sex After Death? (1971) (Uncredited)
What's Up, Doc? (1972) (with Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Benton and David Newman)
The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
First Family (1980)
Protocol (1984)
To Die For (1995)
Town & Country (2001)
The Humbling (2014) (with Michal Zebede)

=Television=

That Was the Week That Was (1964) (3 episodes)
Captain Nice (1967) (2 episodes) (creator)
Get Smart (1965–1970) (co-creator)
Quark (1978) (creator, 7 episodes)
The New Show (1984) (TV) (5 episodes)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985) (1 episode "Wake Me When I'm Dead")
Trying Times (1989) (TV) (director)
Tales from the Crypt (1992) (1 episode)
Great Railway Journeys (1996) (1 episode)
Dilbert (2000) (1 episode)

Directing credits

I Miss Sonja Henie (1971) (Short film)
Heaven Can Wait (1978) (with Warren Beatty)
First Family (1980)
Trying Times (1989) (TV) (director)

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

class="wikitable sortable"
Year !Award !Nominated work !Result
1968	Best Adapted Screenplay	The Graduate	{{nom}}
1978	Best Director	Heaven Can Wait	{{nom}}

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

!Award

!Nominated work

!Result

1968

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Graduate

1978

Best Director

Heaven Can Wait

Golden Globe Awards

class="wikitable sortable"
Year !Award !Nominated work !Result
1967	Best Screenplay	The Graduate	{{nom}}
1993	Special Award for Ensemble {{small\|(non-competitive)}}	Short Cuts	{{won\|Recipient}}

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

!Award

!Nominated work

!Result

1967

Best Screenplay

The Graduate

1993

Special Award for Ensemble {{small|(non-competitive)}}

Short Cuts

Primetime Emmy Awards

Year !Award !Nominated work !Result
class="wikitable sortable"
1965	Outstanding Achievements in Entertainment – Writers	That Was the Week That Was	{{nom}}
1966	rowspan=2\|Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	rowspan=2\|Get Smart	{{nom}}
1967	{{won}}

Other Awards

Year ! Award ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result ! {{Abbr\|Ref.\|Reference(s)}}
class="wikitable sortable"
1967	New York Film Critics Circle	Best Screenplay	rowspan=3\|The Graduate	{{nom}}	rowspan=8\|{{Cite web\|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377750/awards?ref_=nm_awd\|title=Buck Henry\|website=IMDb }}
1968	Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Written American Comedy	{{won}}
1969	British Academy Film Awards	Best Screenplay	{{won}}
rowspan=2\|1971	rowspan=3\|Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Adapted Drama Film	Catch-22	{{nom}}
Best Adapted Comedy Film	The Owl and the Pussycat	{{nom}}
1973	Best Original Comedy	What's Up, Doc?	{{won}}
1979	Directors Guild of America Award	Outstanding Direction – Film	Heaven Can Wait	{{nom}}
1993	Venice Film Festival	Special Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble	Short Cuts	{{won\|Recipient}}