Gregg Henry Body Double

Gregg Henry (born May 6, 1952, Lakewood, Colorado) played Sam Bouchard in Body Double (1984).

Sam Bouchard hides the film's villain inside a generous friend

Sam Bouchard is the film's antagonist, but for most of the runtime he appears to be Jake's benefactor — the charming fellow actor who lends Jake his spectacular apartment and introduces him to the voyeuristic pleasure of the telescope. Henry plays the role with a surface warmth that, on repeat viewing, is visibly performative. The character is an actor playing a role within the story, and Henry captures that double layer.

De Palma valued Henry precisely for this kind of range:

"I first used him in a small scene in Scarface as one of the CIA guys, and then I gave him a big part in Body Double. He can do anything, he's an incredible character actor." — Brian De Palma, De Palma on Acting and the Boardroom Scene in Scarface (2023)

Part of the performance's cunning is how little it conceals on a second viewing. Critic Dave Crewe noted that even the Indian disguise — Bouchard's alter ego for the murder — barely tries to fool the audience:

"Take Gregg Henry's aforementioned Indian get-up. It's entirely unconvincing, particularly when De Palma grants him extended close-ups early in the piece that threaten to give away the game entirely." — Dave Crewe, Body Double (1984) (2016)

Henry's one-line Scarface cameo launched a six-film De Palma partnership

Body Double was Henry's second De Palma film — he had appeared in Scarface (1983). He would return for Raising Cain (1992), Femme Fatale (2002), and others, becoming part of De Palma's informal stock company. Henry almost turned down the part that started it all:

"One line? I'm not gonna go up for this part." — Gregg Henry, Doing the Donald: UW alum Gregg Henry channels Trump on ABC's 'Scandal' (2016)

He took the role anyway, and it led directly to the Body Double lead. De Palma's commitment to Henry went beyond casting — he built Body Double on a foundation of theatrical preparation:

"De Palma for Body Double fully rehearsed that. We rehearsed for a full 10 days before we started shooting." — Gregg Henry, Gregg Henry on Scarface, Glee, and acting with (and without) mouth-slugs (2012)

De Palma would later single out Henry's work in Raising Cain as something no other actor could have pulled off — guiding co-star Frances Sternhagen through a complex unbroken Steadicam shot while simultaneously acting the scene. The relationship was mutual; De Palma kept writing parts with Henry in mind:

"If I'm writing a script, I'm always thinking about putting him in there somewhere." — Brian De Palma, De Palma on Acting and the Boardroom Scene in Scarface (2023)

Henry kept working by knowing his villains from the inside

Henry built a durable career as a working character actor across film and television. He appeared in Payback (1999) opposite Mel Gibson, Slither (2006) for James Gunn, and in Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films as Peter Quill's grandfather. His approach to villains was instinctive — on reading the Payback script, he recognized Val Resnick immediately:

"Oh, I just loved this character from the moment I read it. Sometimes you read a character and you just go, 'I know this guy.'" — Gregg Henry, Gregg Henry on Scarface, Glee, and acting with (and without) mouth-slugs (2012)

Henry's work with James Gunn became another long-running collaboration, starting with Slither and continuing through three Guardians of the Galaxy films:

"I loved that movie. I think that movie is hilarious. It makes me laugh. And it's got great scares in it." — Gregg Henry, Gregg Henry on Scarface, Glee, and acting with (and without) mouth-slugs (2012)

Henry also recalled Body Double's difficult reception at the time, though the film's reputation has grown considerably since:

"The movie was received in a very harsh manner by a lot of critics." — Gregg Henry, Brian De Palma Was 'Upset' Over Pauline Kael's 'Body Double' Review (2024)

Henry appeared in over 75 television programs across four decades

Year	Film	Notes
1979	The Rose	With Bette Midler
1983	Scarface	First De Palma
1984	Body Double	Sam Bouchard
1992	Raising Cain	Third De Palma
1999	Payback	Val Resnick; with Mel Gibson
2002	Femme Fatale	Fourth De Palma
2006	Slither	Mayor Jack MacReady
2014–17	Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2	Quill's grandfather