A moment of silence, please, for a giant of a writer.

09 Jan, 2020

Buck Henry, screenwriter and actor, 1930-2020.

Buck Henry, the legendary screenwriter, has died. With Mel Brooks, he co-created Get Smart (1965-1970). He adapted the screenplay for The Graduate (1967), and wrote:

The Owl and the Pussycat
What's Up, Doc?
The Day of the Dolphin
To Die For

He hosted Saturday Night Live 10 times. He acted in more than 40 films. He played himself pitching a movie in The Player. He directed films and TV shows. Twitter has been flooded with tributes, including this one, which had me laughing for five minutes:

Rest in peace, brother. You shall be missed.

A moment of silence, please, for a giant of a writer.

January 9, 2020May 9, 2025

Buck Henry, the legendary screenwriter, has died. With Mel Brooks, he co-created Get Smart (1965-1970). He adapted the Read More...

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The road to ignorance is paved with good editors.

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If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, don’t let some idiot talk you out of it.

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No writer has ever yet been known to hang himself as long as he had another chapter left.

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If you haven’t got an idea, start a story anyway. You can always throw it away, and maybe by the time you get to the fourth page you will have an idea, and you’ll only have to throw away the first three pages.

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Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret.

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A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.

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What I loved most about calling myself a reporter was that it gave me an excuse to show up anyplace.

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Biography should be written by an acute enemy.

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Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.

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Truman Capote Quote

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Every writer with half a brain knows to surround himself or herself with editors who are smarter, far more articulate and infinitely better looking.

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I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.