Henry Gibson was born on September 21, 1935, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Prior to his successful film and television career, he began performing on stage as a child star during the 1940s. Later, in the late 1950s, he served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Henry Gibson made his screen debut in 1963, when he was cast in the Jerry Lewis film "The Nutty Professor." He also appeared in two other small films in the early 1960s, including "Kiss Me, Stupid" and "The Outlaws Is Coming," in which he played a rather hip Indian named Charlie Horse.
In addition to his film work, Henry Gibson made two memorable appearances on the television show "F-Troop" as US Cavalry Private Leonard W Starr, also known as Wrongo Starr. His breakthrough came in 1968, when he was cast as a member of the regular cast of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." He remained with the show until 1971, when he left to continue his career as a character actor.
Henry Gibson's most notable film role was probably his performance in "Nashville" (1975),in which he played Haven Hamilton, a smarmy Country and Western singer. For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and received the National Film Critics Award for best supporting actor.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Henry Gibson continued to appear in many films, including "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (1981) and "The 'Burbs" (1989). He also provided voice-overs for several children's animated series, such as "The Smurfs" (1981),"The Wuzzles" (1985),and "Galaxy High School" (1986).
Henry Gibson's most recent appearances have been in the Paul Thomas Anderson drama "Magnolia" (1999) and the independent film "The Year That Trembled" (2002).
