Michael Dennis Henry (August 15, 1936 – January 8, 2021) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

and actor. He was best known for his role as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

in the 1960s trilogy and as Junior in the ''

Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...

'' film series.

Football career

Henry attended Bell High School in Los Angeles, where his play caught the attention of

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...

alum John Ferraro, who arranged for him to get a tryout at USC. He attended USC and was co-captain of the

1957 USC Trojans football team The 1957 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1957 NCAA University Division football season. In their first year under head coach Don Clark, the Trojans compiled a 1–9 record (1–6 against c ...

.Wolf, Scott (23 December 2021
"Remembering Mike Henry."
Inside USC with Scott Wolf. (Retrieved December 28, 2021.)

Acting career

Henry's most prominent role was as

in three 1960s movies ''

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold ''Tarzan and the Valley of Gold'' is a 1966 Eastmancolor adventure film starring Mike Henry in his debut as Tarzan. The Panavision film, produced by Sy Weintraub, written by Clair Huffaker, and directed by Robert Day, is remembered for its v ...

'' (1966), ''

Tarzan and the Great River ''Tarzan and the Great River'' is a 1967 adventure film starring Mike Henry in his second of three film appearances as Tarzan. The film was produced by Sy Weintraub and Steve Shagan, written by Bob Barbash (from a story by Barbash and Lewis Ree ...

'' (1967), and '' Tarzan and the Jungle Boy'' (1968) that were all filmed back-to-back in 1965. At the time, critics said the dark-haired, square-jawed, muscular Henry resembled classic illustrations of the apeman more than any other actor who had taken on the role. Henry turned down the lead of the subsequent ''

'' television series, which then went to

Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (born June 21, 1938) is an American actor and novelist born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo. Ely is best known for having portrayed Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan'' and for playing the lead role in ...

. Henry is probably best known to movie audiences for playing

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

's character's dim-witted son "Junior" in the highly popular ''

'' comedies, starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

and

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Fe ...

. Henry portrayed a corrupt prison guard in '' The Longest Yard'' (1974). Henry played Sergeant Kowalski in ''

The Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...

'' (1968), Luke Santee in '' More Dead Than Alive'' (1968), and corrupt Sheriff "Blue Tom" Hendricks in '' Rio Lobo'' (1970). He also acted with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

in three films: the football movie ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' (1969), '' Skyjacked'' (1972), and '' Soylent Green'' (1973). Henry played Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot in an episode of the television series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

''. In another football-oriented role, he portrayed Tatashore, one of the members of the gang who kidnap Larry Bronco (

Larry Csonka Larry Richard Csonka (; born December 25, 1946) is a former professional American football fullback who played for the Miami Dolphins for the majority of his career, along with the New York Giants for three years, and a short stint with the ...

) in the "One of Our Running Backs Is Missing" episode of ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin ...

''.

Personal life

Henry and his wife Cheryl Henry, were married in 1984. Together they had a daughter, Shannon Noble.

Illness and death

After being diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

, he retired from acting in 1988. Henry died on January 8, 2021 at the age of 84 at

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center is a Catholic hospital in Burbank, California. The hospital has 446 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. Its address is 501 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California 91505. On the oppo ...

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

, after years of complications from both

and

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse ...

Filmography

*'' Curfew Breakers'' (1957) as Reagan *''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...

'' (1963, TV Series) as Rudolpho (1988) *''

Spencer's Mountain ''Spencer's Mountain'' is a 1963 American family drama film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from the 1961 novel of the same name by Earl Hamner Jr. and starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara The supporting cast features early a ...

'' (1963) as Spencer Brother (uncredited) *''

Palm Springs Weekend ''Palm Springs Weekend'' is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre ( AIP's '' Beach Party'' became a smash hit in July, while Warner Bros. was still putting this film together ...

'' (1963) as Doorman (uncredited) *''

'' (1966) as

*''

'' (1967) as Tarzan *'' Tarzan and the Jungle Boy'' (1968) as Tarzan *''

'' (1968) as Sergeant Kowalski *'' More Dead Than Alive'' (1968) as Luke Santee *''

'' (1969) as Walt Chaffee *'' Rio Lobo'' (1970) as Sheriff Tom Hendricks *'' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (1972) as Fargo *'' Skyjacked'' (1972) as Sam Allen *'' Soylent Green'' (1973) as Kulozik *'' The Longest Yard'' (1974) as Rassmeusen *'' Mean Johnny Barrows'' (1976) as Carlo Da Vince *'' Adiós Amigo'' (1976) as Mary's Husband *'' No Way Back'' (1976) as Goon #3 *''

'' (1977) as Junior Justice *''

'' (1977, TV Series) as Donald Penobscot *''

Smokey and the Bandit II ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film ''Smokey and the Bandit''. ...

'' (1980) as Junior Justice *''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'' (1981, TV Series) as Mike *'' Smokey and the Bandit Part 3'' (1983) as Junior Justice *'' Outrageous Fortune'' (1987) as Russian #1

References

External links

*
Mike Henry at Brian's Drive-In Theater
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Mike 1936 births 2021 deaths Players of American football from Los Angeles American football linebackers USC Trojans football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Los Angeles Rams players American male television actors American male film actors Deaths from chronic traumatic encephalopathy Deaths from Parkinson's disease