Buck Henry was born Buck Henry Zuckerman, the son of Paul Zuckerman, a U.S. Army Air Forces general who became a stockbroker, and Ruth Taylor Zuckerman, an actress. He grew up in New York City, beginning an acting career as a teenager by appearing in a production of Life with Father. Henry graduated from Dartmouth College in 1952 with a B.A. in English, and from 1952 to 1954 he served in the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and as a member of the Seventh Army Repertory Company, which toured Germany with a musical comedy which he wrote and directed. After leaving the service, he continued his acting career, appearing in productions of No Time for Sergeants, Fortress of Glass, and Bernardine. In 1960 he joined the off-Broadway improvisational group called The Premise. His work with them gave him invaluable training as a comic writer and actor and led...