Biography
A veteran character player who became a child star on stage in the early 1940s and was a familiar face in film and on television since the 1960s, Henry Gibson excelled at playing ineffectual authority figures, colorful oddballs, and "sad sacks. " An original ensemble member of the landmark TV comedy variety series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" from 1968 to 1971, he often appeared as a gentle poet clutching a daisy.
Gibson won his greatest acclaim …
Career Milestones
1942 | Made professional stage debut at age seven |
1963 | Made Broadway debut alongside Walter Matthau and Ruth Gordon in Lillian Hellman's "My Mother, My Father, and Me" |
1963 | Made feature film debut playing a college student in Jerry Lewis' comedy "The Nutty Professor" |
1965 | Co-starred in "The Outlaws IS Coming!" the sixth and last film to star the Three Stooges |
1965 | Played Wrongo Starr, a recurring character, on the ABC sitcom, "F Troop" |
1968 | Cast as a regular for the first four seasons of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (NBC) |
1969 | Made recurring appearances in the ABC anthology series, "Love, American Style" |
1972 | Voiced Wilbur the pig in the animated feature, "Charlotte's Web" |
1973 | Played a major supporting role in Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye"; first collaboration with Altman |
1975 | Had a pivotal role in Altman's "Nashville"; also feature debut as songwriter and song performer |
1977 | Played himself in a segment for the fictitious United Appeal For the Dead in John Landis' "The Kentucky Fried Movie" |
1979 | Re-teamed with Altman for "A Perfect Couple" |
1980 | Co-starred in Altman's "HealtH" with Carol Burnett, James Garner and Lauren Bacall |
1980 | Played the Head Nazi in John Landis' musical comedy, "The Blues Brothers" |
1981 | Appeared in "The Incredible Shrinking Woman," starring Lily Tomlin and directed by Joel Schumacher |
1983 | Voiced Downer on the animated cartoon series, "The Biskitts" (CBS) |
1986 | Provided the voice of Aimee's Locker in the sci-fi comedy cartoon, "Galaxy High School" |
1987 | Co-starred in Joe Dante's "Innerspace," starring Dennis Quaid, Martin Short and Meg Ryan |
1989 | Played a menacing neighbor in Joe Dante's "The 'Burbs" |
1991 | Appeared in "The Losers," a Dante-directed episode of "Eerie, Indiana" (NBC) |
1993 | Appeared in two episodes of the NBC drama series, "Sisters" |
1997 | Co-starred in the horror film "Asylum" on HBO |
1997 | Had a recurring role on ABC's "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" as the Witch Judge |
1999 | Played a wealthy bar patron in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" |
2004 | Played the recurring role of Judge Clark Brown on ABC's "Boston Legal" |
2005 | Had a memorable role as a priest in "The Wedding Crashers" |
2005 | Voiced reporter Bob Jenkins on the FOX animated series, "King of the Hill" |
Awards
1970 | Golden Globe Award for Actor in a Supporting Role - Television Series in Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In |
1975 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Nashville |
1975 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in Nashville |