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 nomination at just eight years old. , he remains the youngest Oscar nominee in any category. The performance later earned him a spot (No. 80) on VH1'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, the son of Michele (née Andrews), a real estate agent, and Clifford Henry, an investment adviser. He was educated at Brunswick School, an all-boys college-preparatory private day school located in Greenwich, Connecticut, followed by Skidmore College, a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he earned a B.A. in psychology 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. For his performance as Billy Kramer, a young boy dealing with his parents' separation, he was nominated for the Academy Award 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 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 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 The Junior Defenders, which was filmed that same year but released direct-to-video in 2007.
Business career Henry co-founded the Slamdunk Film Festival in 1998. He continues to make occasional appearances in film and television.
Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 Kramer vs. Kramer Billy Kramer 1983 Tiger Town Alex 1984 Sixteen Candles Mike Baker 1985 Martin's Day Martin Double Negative 1988 Sweet Hearts Dance Kyle Boon 1996 Andersonville Tyce 1997 ER Med Student James Sasser Season 4 Episodes 4 and 5 2003 My Dinner with Jimi Howard Kaylan Finding Home Prescott 2004 Lost Chester Gould 2007 The Junior Defenders Jimmy Fletcher 2008 My Own Worst Enemy Dr. Rafe Castle Season 1 Episode 2 2010 Brothers & Sisters Dr. Lewis Season 4 Episode 21 2014 Reaper Caine 2019 On Cinema Himself "The New On Cinema Oscar Special" special
Awards and nominations +YearOrganizationWorkCategoryResultRef.198052nd Academy AwardsKramer vs. KramerBest Supporting ActorDavid di Donatello AwardsSpecial David37th Golden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNew Star of the Year – Actor2nd Young Artist AwardsBest Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film
References
Bibliography Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 386-387.
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