Buck Henry, screenwriter of ‘The Graduate’ and ‘Get Smart,’ dies at 89

(JTA) — Buck Henry, the screenwriter and director who earned an Oscar-nomination for his script for the 1967 film “The Graduate,” has died at 89.

Henry, born Henry Zuckerman in 1930, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, according to reports.

“The Graduate,” starring Dustin Hoffman and directed by Mike Nichols, won Nichols an Oscar for best director and became an icon of American film.

Henry was nominated for an Oscar again in 1979 for co-directing “Heaven Can Wait” with Warren Beatty.

Prior to his work in film, Henry worked on a number of television shows in the 1960s, including co-creating the parody series “Get Smart” with Mel Brooks. Henry also hosted “Saturday Night Live” several times in the late 1970s.

Henry was born to a Jewish family in New York. His mother Ruth was a silent film star and his father an Air Force officer. Henry attended Dartmouth College and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He changed his name to Buck Henry in the 1970s.