Buck Henry, Writer of ‘The Graduate’ and Co-Director of ‘Heaven Can Wait’ Dies at 89

Buck Henry, the actor-screenwriter-director who co-created “Get Smart,” wrote “The Graduate” and co-directed the hit 1978 Warren Beatty film “Heaven Can Wait,” died Wednesday night in Los Angeles. He was 89.

According to Deadline, which first reported the news, Henry died at Cedars-Sinai Health Center following a heart attack.

Born Henry Zuckerman in 1930 in New York City, Henry was the son of silent film star Ruth Taylor. He began his entertainment career in the early 1960s as a cast member on programs such as the “The New Steve Allen Show” and “That Was the Week That Was.” Soon after, he co-created the spy thriller parody “Get Smart” with Mel Brooks, also co-writing several episodes.

Though his first film script was for the 1964 movie “The Troublemaker,” in which he also had a minor role, Henry made his name as a writer with “The Graduate,” which he co-wrote with Calder Willingham.

He subsequently worked on several important films, including “Catch-22” and “The Owl and the Pussycat” in 1970, and “What’s Up, Doc?” in 1972. Other credits from his long career include “First Family,” which he also directed in 1980, “To Die For” in 1995, and “Town & Country” in 2001.

Henry also worked frequently as an actor - memorably, he appeared as a semi-self parody in Robert Altman’s “The Player,” pitching a sequel to “The Graduate.”

He became especially notable for numerous appearances on “Saturday Night Live.” Between 1976 and 1980, he hosted the show 10 times, by far the most frequent host during the show’s original era. His hosting record held until 1989, when it was broken by Steve Martin.

Read original story Buck Henry, Writer of ‘The Graduate’ and Co-Director of ‘Heaven Can Wait’ Dies at 89 At TheWrap