Justin Henry

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. To date, 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.^[1]

Justin Henry
Born	Justin Henry (1971-05-25) May 25, 1971 (age 54) Rye, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Businessman, actor
Years active	1978–present
Known for	Billy Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4] 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^[4][5] (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.^[6]

His next role was in a 1983 episode of the American television series Fantasy Island.^[7] On the big screen, Henry appeared in the Brat Pack film Sixteen Candles (1984), as Mike, one of main character Samantha's siblings.^{[citation needed]} 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".^[8]

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.^[7] 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.^[9]

Business career

Henry co-founded the Slamdunk Film Festival in 1998.^[10] He continues to make occasional appearances in film and television.^[7]

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
1985	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
2003	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

Year	Organization	Work	Category	Result	Ref.
1980	52nd Academy Awards	Kramer vs. Kramer	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[4]
	David di Donatello Awards		Special David	Won	[11]
	37th Golden Globe Awards		Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Nominated	[5]
			New Star of the Year – Actor	Nominated
	2nd Young Artist Awards		Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film	Won	[6]