Henry Gibson, an American actor and songwriter who appeared on television and in films for more than 40 years, has passed away after a short struggle with cancer. He was 73. Gibson received his first big film break in 1963's The Nutty Professor, but his first major role came courtesy of his three-year stint as part of the cast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, where he developed the popular recurring character of a Nehru-garbed poet.