Justin Henry
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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