What Happened to Justin Henry, the Youngest Oscar Nominee?
At 8 years old, Justin Henry was the youngest actor ever nominated for an Oscar. Discover what he's been up to since his role in 'Kramer vs. Kramer.'
At just 8 years, 10 months, and 20 days old, Justin Henry made history in 1980 as the youngest actor ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His performance in the film Kramer vs. Kramer catapulted him into the spotlight, but what has he been up to since then?
Discovered for His Resemblance to Meryl Streep
Born on May 25, 1971, Henry was discovered by a neighbor who worked as a casting director. Despite having no prior acting experience, he was cast at the age of seven to play the son of Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). His similarity to Streep was a deciding factor in his selection from a pool of candidates.
His portrayal of young Billy, caught in the middle of his parents' divorce, earned him nominations for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor as well as Best Male Revelation in a Film, paving the way for further roles while he balanced his education.
Billy Kramer and Beyond
Following his breakout role, Henry starred in Disney Channel's first telefilm, Tiger Town, a baseball story that aired in 1983. He also made a guest appearance in an episode of Fantasy Island (S06E20). The following year, he played the spoiled younger brother of Molly Ringwald's character in Sixteen Candles (1984).
In 1985, he took on a more intense role as a teenager kidnapped by an escaped convict, portrayed by Richard Harris, in Martin's Day. He later starred alongside Don Johnson and Susan Sarandon in Four Seasons (1988), directed by Robert Greenwald.
Henry graduated with a degree in psychology from Saratoga Springs University in New York in 1993. Three years later, he returned to the screen in a miniseries about the Andersonville prison camp, which received seven Emmy nominations, with John Frankenheimer winning for Best Director of a Miniseries.
A Shift to Different Pursuits
In 1997, he appeared as a medical intern in the fourth season of ER. The following year, he co-directed The Junior Defenders, a film about a fan who kidnaps stars to create his own superhero episode. Lacking a distributor, Henry and director Keith Spiegel took the film to the Sundance Film Festival and created the "Slamdunk Film Festival" to showcase it, an event that continued until 2003, leading to the film's distribution in 2007.
Henry continued to work on lesser-known films in the early 2000s, including the musical dramedy My Dinner with Jimi (2003), where he played Howard Kaylan. After a role as a doctor in Brothers & Sisters (2010), he made his most recent film appearance in Last Chance Hotel (2014), featuring alongside Vinnie Jones and Danny Trejo. This remains his latest project to date.
Since 2005, Justin Henry has transitioned into a career in sales, working for companies such as Veoh Networks, AOL, and Conviva. He currently serves as the Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at an advertising firm.
