Henry Gibson

Henry Gibson, born James Bateman on September 21, 1935 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American actor, comedian, and poet whose career spanned more than six decades. After earning his degree from the Catholic University of America, he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force in France from 1957 to 1960, an experience that sharpened his observational humor and later informed many of his satirical performances. Gibson began entertaining at the age of eight, touring with the Mae Desmond Theatre for nine years, and by the late 1950s he was a familiar face on Tonight Starring Jack Paar, where his poetry recitals caught the eye of guest‑host Jerry Lewis, leading to a memorable bit part in The Nutty Professor (1963). His breakthrough came with the creation of a dead‑pan Southern poet persona who, armed with an oversized artificial flower, delivered sharply satirical verses on NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh‑In from 1968 to 1971; the routine was so iconic that even John Wayne performed a parody on the show. Gibson’s film work reflected his versatility: he portrayed country singer Haven Hamilton in Robert Altman’s acclaimed Nashville (1975), earning a Golden Globe nomination and a National Society of Film Critics award, and he later became widely recognized as the comically menacing Illinois Nazi leader in John Landis’s The Blues Brothers (1980). In animation, his warm, distinctive voice brought Wilbur the pig to life in the classic Charlotte’s Web (1973), and his later career included guest spots on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Stargate SG‑1, and a recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal (2004‑2008). Gibson married Lois Joan Geiger in 1966, fathered three sons, and continued working until his death from cancer on September 14, 2009, leaving a legacy of memorable characters that blended wit, pathos, and an unmistakable Southern charm.