Justin Henry (born May 25, 1971) is an American actor and businessman, known for playing Billy Kramer in the 1979 film ''
Kramer vs. Kramer'', a debut role which earned him an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...
nomination at just eight years old. To date, he remains the youngest Oscar nominee in any category. The performance later earned him a spot (No. 80) on
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's list of
100 Greatest Kid Stars. Most of his film and television credits came as a child or teenager, although he has continued acting as an adult.
Early life and education
Justin Henry was born in
Rye, New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. It received its charter as a city in 1942, making it the most recent such charter in the state. Its area of ...
, the son of Michele (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Andrews), a
real estate agent
Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...
, and Clifford Henry, an
investment adviser. He was educated at
Brunswick School, an all-boys
college-preparatory private
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...
located in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, followed by
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,700 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...
, a
private liberal arts college
A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...
in
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
,
New York, where he earned a
B.A. in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
in 1993.
Career
Acting career
Henry began his acting career in ''
Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979), which was released to widespread praise and won the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
.
For his performance as Billy Kramer, a young boy dealing with his parents' separation, he was nominated for the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
and
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor (making him the youngest person to ever be nominated for an Academy Award or Golden Globe) and won the
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
for
Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film.
His next role was in a 1983 episode of the American television series ''
Fantasy Island''.
On the big screen, Henry appeared in the
Brat Pack film ''
Sixteen Candles'' (1984), as Mike, one of main character Samantha's siblings. Henry also played the son of a married couple played by
Don Johnson
Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...
and
Susan Sarandon in the film ''
Sweet Hearts Dance'' (1988). In this role, critic
Janet Maslin called him a "large and amusingly sullen teenager".
After graduation, Henry's next widely seen performance was in 1997, as a medical student in a two-episode role during
the fourth season of ''
ER''.
He starred opposite
Ally Sheedy,
Jason David Frank and
Brian O'Halloran in the
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
''
The Junior Defenders'', which was filmed that same year but released
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
in 2007.
Business career
Henry co-founded the
Slamdunk Film Festival in 1998.
He continues to make occasional appearances in film and television.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
Bibliography
* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 386-387.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Justin
1971 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American businesspeople
Actors from Westchester County, New York
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Brunswick School alumni
Male actors from New York (state)
People from Rye, New York
Skidmore College alumni