Henry Gibson's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Boston Legal Judge Clark… Rocket Power Merv Stimpl… Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Regular Per… The Biskitts Downer The Wuzzles Eleroo Galaxy High School Doyle's Loc… Aimee's Loc… Small & Frye Dr. Calder

Main Movie Roles 2007 - Big Stan 2006 - Trapped Ashes 2005 - Wedding Crashers 2004 - Never Die Alone 1999 - Magnolia 1996 - Mother Night 1996 - Bio-Dome 1995 - Cyber Bandits 1990 - Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 - Tune in Tomorrow... 1989 - The 'Burbs 1988 - Switching Channels 1987 - InnerSpace 1983 - National Lampoon's Vacation 1981 - The Incredible Shrinking Woman 1980 - The Blues Brothers 1977 - The Kentucky Fried Movie 1975 - Nashville 1973 - Charlotte's Web 1973 - The Long Goodbye 1965 - The Outlaws Is Coming 1963 - The Nutty Professor

BIOGRAPHY:

Henry Gibson was born on 21 September 1935 in Germantown, Pennsylvnia. Before appearing in films and television series, he was a child star on the stage during the 1940s and during the late 1950s and was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. His screen debut came in 1963 when he was cast in the Jerry Lewis (I) film The Nutty Professor (1963). He made two other small film appearances in the early 1960s in Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) and The Outlaws Is Coming (1965), in which he played a rather hip Indian named Charlie Horse. His breakthrough came in 1968 when he was cast as a member of the regular cast of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967). He stayed with the show until 1971, when he left and continued his career as a character actor. His best known film role was probably his performance in Nashville (1975). He played Haven Hamilton, a smarmy Country and Western singer. For this role he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and was awarded the National Film Critics Award for best supporting actor. Gibson's career carried on through the 1980s and 1990s when he appeared in many films, such as The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and The 'burbs (1989). He also provided voice-overs for many children's animated series like "Smurfs" (1981), "Wuzzles" (1985) and "Galaxy High School" (1986). His most recent appearance have been in the Paul Thomas Anderson drama Magnolia (1999) and the independent film The Year That Trembled (2002).


TRIVIA:

• He has appeared in episodes of three different series which featured witches: _"Bewitched" (1964)_ (qv), _"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1996)_ (qv) and _"Charmed" (1998)_ (qv).
• On the _"Wonder Woman" (1976)_ (qv) season one commentary, executive producer 'Douglas S. Cramer' (qv) called him a 1960s and '70s comic genius.
• Henry Gibson is actually a stage name - he was born James Bateman. He named himself after Norwegian poet 'Henrik Ibsen' (qv) because "...if you say his name with a Southern accent it sounds like Henry Gibson"
• Attended Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC.
• Attended the Catholic University of America with actor 'Jon Voight' (qv) during the 1950s. Along with Voight, he developed a comedy routine and came up with the stage name Henry Gibson. Voight used the name Harold Gibson and together they played two southern hillbillies. After this, Voight took up more serious acting whilst Henry Gibson carried on with his comedy routine, eventually landing his famous role on _"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967)_ (qv), playing a southern poet.
• The only male cast member of "Nashville" to receive a Golden Globe nomination for acting.
• So convincing was his southern poet character that Gibson once received a letter from the Governor of Alabama claiming he was "...one of the most exciting talents to come out of Alabama since 'Tallulah Bankhead' (qv)".
• Before appearing on _"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967)_ (qv), he developed a nightclub act to perform his poems. It was during this time that he developed the character of a southern poet.